Never without a flattering pair of non-pierced earrings, Candy Santo is CEO of a website that is meeting its corporate goal of being the “Kleenex® of Clip Earrings.” Cliptomania.com was born out of frustration. In 1998, while living in the New York metropolitan area, Jim Santo went shopping for a nice pair of clip earrings to give his wife Candy for their 30th anniversary. He couldn’t find any – not even at Macy’s. Wondering if the Internet might be the place to offer clip-on earrings to other frustrated seekers, Jim spent a year researching Internet retailing. Candy came up with the name, determined it could be registered as a business name, and that the URL was available. www.Cliptomania.com was launched on Thanksgiving Day 1999 with the expectation that it would be something the Santos did on the side while empty nesting.
For most of her adult life Candy worked in the non-profit sector, first in social work, then directing a crisis line for 12 years and finally as development director for a large agency serving individuals experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless. In 1996 she was awarded the status of “Women of Excellence in the Field of Human Services” by the New Jersey Commission on the Status of Women.
Since 2002, when Candy, Jim and their daughter Christy moved to Bloomington Indiana, Candy has worked fulltime as Cliptomania’s executive officer. Christy, who took business administration and accounting courses at Ivy Tech, is part owner and Cliptomania’s Customer Relations Manager. Insurance professional, Jim helps out during the busy season. Son Greg, a middle school math teacher, oversees the online advertising.
As earrings are a discretionary purchase, the economy has mildly affected Cliptomania’s sales with returning customers shopping less frequently and most shoppers buying less in each order. However, in its 12th year, Cliptomania’s customer base is over 25,000 and continues to grow. Most days more than half the shoppers are first timers. Advertising in the form of positive word-of-mouth is the source of a large number of new customers. Candy is grateful that her customers have spread the word, thus fulfilling her original goal, becoming the recognized name in clip on earrings. Though the economy sags, Candy feels Cliptomania is well positioned to return to – and then surpass – its pre recession sales when the economy rebounds. Cliptomania is proud to note that as a Yahoo! Store, earned a 5 star customer satisfaction rating.
Cliptomania® is an Internet store devoted exclusively to quality non-pierced earrings offering 500+ clip-on earring styles including Pearl, Hoop, Gold, Silver, Child, Crystal, Chandelier, Beaded, Designer and Nickel Free. They also offer Magnetic earrings like CZ studs. They ship to the USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Japan and New Zealand.
For more information about Clip-On Earrings Please visit www.cliptomania.com
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