|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 
The Hermitage online shop is the realization of a joint project by the State Hermitage, the IBM Corporation and the American company Museum On Line. The project was implemented in the course of the year 2001. On 28 November 2001 the online shop's web-site was made accessible to users and the first purchases were made that same day. When it was being decided what goods and services the shop should offer, the parties agreed to market Russia-made goods of the highest quality, worthy of the name of one of the world's greatest museums. That became the task of the Hermitage and Museum On Line. IBM, for its part, enlisted the best specialists in the sphere of web-site development, designers, technicians and programmers. IBM's considerable experience in this sphere made it possible to sell the online shop's stock using state-of-the-art technology and services. All the Hermitage goods offered on the online shop pages are connected in one way or another with the museum, Russian history and the history of the Romanov dynasty that ruled Russia for 300 years. Besides copies of items in the Hermitage, a considerable part of the range consists of books, as well as replicas, fashionable clothing and even furniture. For ease of searching, the goods are grouped into different categories. There are a total of sixteen categories in the online shop: Books, Jewelry, Luxury Gifts, Paintings - Art Prints on Canvas, Watercolors/Drawings, Sculpture, Imperial Furniture, Home Decor, Table Settings, Russian Souvenirs, Military History Miniatures, Collectibles, Fashion, For Children, Music/Multimedia, Calendars/Posters/Stationery. When a particular category contains a large number of items, it is divided for convenience into smaller sub-categories. The Jewelry category, for example, is further split into Necklaces, Pendants, Rings, Earrings, Brooches and so on. Each item has its own page, containing an image, textual information explaining its historical and artistic interest, as well as information on the properties and price of the item. All most all three-dimensional items are given panoramic depictions enabling visitors to view them from all sides. Once selected, goods can be paid for immediately by credit card, by cheque or over the telephone. The telephone can also be used to talk with an operator in cases when, for example, a customer wants to buy an item that is temporarily out of stock or something a little different to what is featured on the web-site. Delivery is usually from the United States, where the warehouse of Hermitage goods is located. Besides commerce, the online shop also aims to fulfil a cultural mission. In buying one of the items, the shopper forges a link with the artistic treasures of the Hermitage and becomes the ''owner'' of some small part of its collections. The online shop pages entitled Boutique and The Curator Recommends offer specially selected unique items, and also introduce visitors to the museum's curators who explain their activities and give advice on buying copies of works in their keeping. Copies of some goods are accompanied by references to pages on the main Hermitage web-site where the Digital Collection includes a high-definition depiction of the original work and a large amount of textual information about it. The range of items is constantly being updated and expanded. The Hermitage art commission, comprising leading specialists, is constantly working to select items from the museum collections to become models for the creation of new goods. Entrance tickets to the State Hermitage can also be booked through the online shop. |
|
|||||
|
Copyright © 2006 State Hermitage Museum |
