Though it may not be a new concept in much of the world, the flash sale e-commerce model still has legs. Pioneered by Vente-Privee in France, popularized in the US by companies like Gilt Groupe and Hautelook, there are sites you’ve probably never heard of making serious headway (and money) in emerging markets you’ve probably never considered as hotbeds of e-commerce or designer fashion sales.

Trendyol, a Turkish flash sale site, just raised $26 million from investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), whose related investments include fashion rental service Rent the Runway and home design flash sale site One Kings Lane. It brings the company’s total funding to $50 million.

According to a June 2010 tally, Turkey is a country of 35 million internet users – roughly 45% of the population – and 46 million credit cards. Of those internet users, 1 out of 9 have signed up on Trendyol. {Financial Times}

If that’s not enough of an indication of the significance of Trendyol’s success, they have roughly 478,000 Facebook fans, compared to Gilt’s 321,000. Numbers aren’t everything, but for a site in a country much smaller than the US (Gilt’s primary market), 150,000 more fans is not a number to be ignored.

This marks the first Turkish company that KPCB has invested in, but also serves as a reminder that the e-tail world is bigger than the established markets of the US and western Europe, and the much higher profile emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries, of which China gets the lion’s share of attention.

The Singiwana Jungle Lodge is one of the first destinations available in Exclusively.in's new travel sale section

Exclusively.in, a private style site that offers Indian fashion, jewelry and home items to US consumers, is the latest addition to the expanding list of sites applying the samples sale model to travel.

“From Palaces to Paradise,” their first travel sale, includes various luxury hotels and resorts, as well as and an Indian safari adventure at the Singiwana Jungle Lodge located in Kanha National Park, Madya Pradesh, India. Exclusively.In’s travel offerings will focus on Asian destinations, which should give the site a point of differentiation amongst current private travel sale providers like the American Express/Luxury Link Vacationist site, and Gilt’s Jetsetter, which recently announced expansion plans with invite-only social network A Small World.

“We listened to our customer base and the consistent message was an interest in finding a unique way to explore Asia with luxury accommodations but at savvy prices,” said Sunjay Guleria, CEO of Exclusively.In.

Launched in June 2010, the site says that they’ve become the largest online Indian apparel retailer in the U.S., with member growth of 50 percent month-on-month.

As the sample sale space gets more crowded in general, focusing on a specific market seems to be a good idea for growth and establishing a unique identity among the growing field of competitors. While both Jetsetter and Vacationist may feature Asian travel specials from time to time, if Exclusively.in can establish themselves as the go-to destination for travelers who already have Asia in mind as a destination it offers a good reason for travelers to sign up for one more travel sale email alert.

Now you can experience JCrew Outlet sales prices online!

Actually, clothing companies purposely open outlet stores in off the beaten path locations so that consumer demand will not overwhelm them and drive revenue away from main stores. {DailyFinance} The decision to put outlet clothing online is thus a gutsy one for J.Crew, but makes sense.

DailyFinance points out that online and outlet stores have shown significant growths despite the struggling economy. Earlier this year, we found that online shoppers in the $100,000+/year household income bracket are visiting sample sale sites like Gilt and Rue La La in greater numbers than more recognizable luxury retailers such as Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman. Perhaps, then, an online-outlet venue will have even more success than online and outlet stores have had individually.

J.Crewâ€s executives told the Wall Street Journal that consumers are more hesitant to spend money on clothing in full-priced stores these days. Customers are “deferring, they’re waiting, they’re comparison-shopping, and people are a little nervous,” CEO Millard Drexler said. J.Crew did see profits nearly double at the end of the second quarter, pulling in $34.9 million.

Weâ€ll follow up and let you know how the online outlet store works for J.Crew. Given the continuing success of mid-range retailers and designer discount sites, hopefully more of our favorite clothing companies will follow suit!