Filene’s Basement reborn online

[...] next week, the chain will be back as an online-only business that will have the familiar mix of home goods and apparel that customers remember.

Even “Running of the Brides,” a blowout wedding gown sale at which women were known to throw some elbows in the name of nabbing the perfect dress, is being reintroduced.

Filene’s Basement was always known for having an unusually loyal customer base, so many shoppers are expected to welcome its return.

[...] yet their new position as an e-commerce store may make it difficult to replicate perhaps the most beloved part of shopping at the old Filene’s Basement:

Filene’s Basement — like other discount stores such as TJMaxx and Marshall’s or even warehouse clubs such as Costco — was a favorite of bargain-chasers who love to feel like they got a lucky break.

Customers will be asked to take surveys to indicate which brands, categories and prices most interest them, and then they will see a unique Filene’s Basement home page based on those preferences.

The efforts to create an off-price online juggernaut are especially bold when you consider its competitors’ positions in the digital space:

Analysts have said the off-price model — which counts on unpredictable flows of excess inventory — is notoriously hard to make work on the Internet.

“We also quickly realized that there is not one completely dominant online discounter — and those who have done relatively well are still considered a bit ‘soul-less’ by many of our likely shoppers,” said Matt Messinger, CEO of Trinity Place Holdings, in an e-mail.