GigaOM Pro

Vente-Privee, the big European flash sales company, and American Express announced they were forming a joint venture to bring the French company into the U.S. Vente-Privee, that invented this particular form of social commerce ten years ago, has 13 million invitation-only members and booked a billion dollars in gross sales last year. I like the potential of this partnership, even in the face of a crowded U.S. market (including Gilt Groupe, ideeli, Rue La La, Nordstrom’s HauteLook and Amazon’s MyHabit). Vente-Privee will have to build warehouses and export its logistics skills, but Amex might  help with some vendor relationships and can certainly play off its loyalty programs – a key area of opportunity for social commerce – for cardholders. Though the companies have been working on the deal for some time, Vente-Privee isn’t exactly showing its hand on how it intends to differentiate itself in the U.S.