OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Do you love discovering unique items for your home? Have you imagined having access to buy something that only a few people in the world could actually own?
In April 2014, Cost Plus World Market® (www.worldmarket.com) launched “CRAFT BY WORLD MARKET” (www.worldmarket.com/CRAFT), an innovative and exclusively curated site that will offer limited quantity, handcrafted, artisan items for approximately one month at a time. Unlike anything else, this program has set itself apart from other traditional retail platforms by being a cross between crowd funding and a flash sale, wherein a product will only be produced if enough people pre-order an item within a specified time.
This new program encourages interested shoppers to share the item with their social network or community with the goal that enough pre-orders will be reached for the item to go into production. If the quantity is not reached, the item will not be produced. It’s an entirely new way to shop the world and uses technology to empower the buyer to bring an item to life.
“Through our 55 years in the business, we have developed a large and long-standing network of artisans in more than 60 countries. We think CRAFT BY WORLD MARKET is a great opportunity for the craftsmen to make available a limited number of their most unique offerings online, and a great opportunity for the customer to discover very special finds which would otherwise not be available on a broader level,” says John Wight, Vice President of Marketing of Cost Plus World Market.
Each month, CRAFT BY WORLD MARKET will reveal a new set of distinct finds from around the globe for home decorating, gift giving, and entertaining. Beginning with its initial launch last month, CRAFT BY WORLD MARKET offered unique items for sale, which included a traditional rickshaw from Dhaka, Bangladesh, ornately painted by hand. This month’s offerings include a patterned Zebra Crewel Rug, handmade by artisans trained in crewelwork, a crochet and embroidery stitching technique that’s at least a thousand years old. Combining Indian textile traditions with the wildlife-inspired designs of Africa, it is an elegant and stylish choice for those looking to refresh a room with a special rug. May’s collection will also include a mango wood Peacock Mirror from the wood carving center of Saharanpur in India; a Devi Beaded Necklace, inspired by ancient jewelry design with jewels in striking hues; and a Bori Pouch, created by artisans dedicated to the craft of crochet and designed with a flower motif and small glass bead embellishments.
The stories behind each item are available at www.worldmarket.com/CRAFT.
For information about World Market’s current promotions and events, please go to www.worldmarket.com. Keep up with World Market by following us on www.facebook.com/worldmarket and www.twitter.com/worldmarket.
About Cost Plus World Market
Cost Plus World Market (www.worldmarket.com) operates 265 stores in 31 states under the World Market® and Cost Plus World Market® trademarks. The stores feature an ever-changing selection of casual home decor and furnishings, housewares, gifts, unique jewelry, decorative home accessories, and over 500 international wines, gourmet foods and beverages offered at affordable prices and imported from more than 50 countries. Many items are unique and exclusive to World Market and are regularly supplied by an international network of individual and regional artisans developed over the Company’s more than 50 years in the import business.
