Internet presence boosts traditional sales, according to Hadaiya.com's Jashanmal

According to Jashanmal, upscale virtual stores have really caught on in the last three years, despite the feeling that browsers would not commit to purchasing upscale products without the benefit of seeing them in real, rather than web, time.

Jashanmal said: "The key to the success of online boutiques is a user-friendly interface and products that cannot be found in normal shopping malls.

"For a long time, critics of online luxury retailing said it wouldn't succeed, as they couldn't see why people would buy what they couldn't touch and feel. But in reality, busy consumers want the convenience of an expert selection of unusual goods with a 'wow' factor."

According to Jashanmal, this was the ethos behind the start-up- of Hadaiya.com last year. "We believed that a region of savvy shoppers, such as in the Middle East, would really warm to our selection of designer-touched, unusual products.

"While doubters said that an online presence would have a negative effect on business, we have found the reverse is true. The root of Hadaiya's success has come from its buying policy: we source direct from design partners around the world, and only stock limited editions."

The growth of online shopping is a global phenomenon, growing 19 times faster than bricks and mortar retailing in the UK, for example, with a total country spend of £1 billion online in 2003. Meanwhile, online clothing sales in the USA were estimated at $8.6 billion for 2003.

Hadaiya.com, an online retail site exclusively for American Express® Cardmembers, is operated by Jashanmal & Sons, and has already cornered the regional market in exclusive online designer-touched novelty items.

Jashanmal explained that Hadaiya.com's success factors lies in its unusual - and constantly evolving - product offering.

"Our customers tend to be international travellers who enjoy the finer things in life, and through Hadaiya.com we have selected products and suppliers that are unusual and add to the browsing and buying experience."

Hadaiya.com is described as a retail site that ensures ease of purchase and delivery of an evolving collection of exclusive, designer-touched, novelty "must-have" collectable items.