When you buy a Prince of Scots Highland Tweed Tartan wool blanket, you’re purchasing a piece of British legacy, crafted in a centuries-old factory from wool farmed on the isles—and conveniently shipped by Amazon, often next-day. That’s the thing about luxury, said Tim Danser, president of Prince of Scots, it goes great with convenience.
Danser is the force behind Prince of Scots, the lifestyle brand that is bringing attainable luxury to the Amazon store. A former fashion buyer, with a background in clothing manufacturing, he worked for a handful of big brands over the course of several years, choosing the styles that would soon become trends. Then, in 2011, he decided to take a leap and build his own company, Prince of Scots, using the connections he built in the fashion industry.
Some of the same mills that Danser found to make his tailored clothing pieces are now making Prince of Scots blankets. The 100% wool and cashmere blankets are crafted in England and Scotland, and then shipped to Danser stateside in West Virginia before he sends them to Amazon for fulfillment.
The very first product Danser listed in his Amazon store was a $599 cashmere blanket that many didn’t think would sell. “And it did very well,” said Danser. “We don’t see Amazon as a low-price retailer. While there are a lot of customers on Amazon that shop for price and value, our value is that we’re the best value on affordable luxury.”
Over the years, Danser has diversified the products sold in his Amazon store to capture customers that are specifically looking for “affordable luxury” with gifts and blankets under $200. Now, their $149.50 wool blankets are their hero product and they sell $179.00 hammered copper cocktail shaker sets by the dozen. “People are coming to our store, looking for something that’s heirloom quality, something that you’re proud to own, something that you’re proud to give,” he said. Prince of Scots comes with brand recognition for quality and craftsmanship—and they built that recognition with Amazon.
“Amazon has given us a broad audience that is looking for luxury. Some of our customers are looking for luxury that is more affordable; all of our customers are looking for convenience,” said Danser.
Amazon has different levers that Prince of Scots pulls to scale their business. Prince of Scots uses Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), to pick, pack and ship orders on their behalf. They’re able to send products to Amazon’s global network of fulfillment centers and offer customers free, two-day shipping. With FBA, Danser said they’re able to “beat customer shipping expectations” and take advantage of special promotions like Amazon Prime Day much more easily. At Christmas time, even though his customers want something high-end, Danser said they are still looking for a good value.
“We’re usually in the top 10 or maybe the top three of items sold in the categories we choose to serve deals on at Christmas time, because we understand how to market to that customer and how to meet the expectation for gift-giving,” said Danser.
Danser said Amazon makes it easy to be headquartered in Morgantown, West Virginia, while manufacturing in the UK and selling to customers in New York. It doesn’t matter if he’s in the Hamptons or in the Appalachians, “the convenience of Amazon and, especially, FBA, is that I can manage my Amazon business from anywhere. It helps you to build it for success in whatever segment you decide to compete.”