Social Closet Data: Helping Shoppers and (R)etailers

Two sites based on the concept of shopping and your “closet,” focus on the fashion-intrigued, mainly female audience, and invite them to share their style ideas and clothes with their fellow fashionistas. These sites are dedicated to a fashion-friendly community and reaping the benefits of dedicated users and consumer data collection.

The first platform is Poshmark. Poshmark connects users and allows them to sell or trade their new or used clothes/accessories, mainly through the mobile app. Users sign up, can create a closet with items that are unwanted, and display the items with details and prices. Users have the opportunity to allow and invite others to shop their closet, and can buy or trade from others’ closets.

When transactions are made, they can be completed directly through the platform, with Poshmark taking a predetermined percentage of the total sale. More importantly, users can comment on the product posts, make bids, and start conversations about products within the post.

During an interview with VentureBeat, Poshmark’s CEO, Manish Chandra, reported that 15 to 20 percent of Poshmark’s users come back every day and 40-50 percent use the app every week, and an average Poshmark user spends over 25 minutes a day on the app. Poshmark’s mission is to place every closet in the world on the app and foster fashion exchange, and all the while, Poshmark can track the key terms used for searches, the products that perform the best, and the users making thousands of dollars from using the platform. After an infusion from a VC investment, Poshmark announced some enhancements (Android app, web-based option) and is on track to have over $350 million worth of sales uploaded into the platform through sellers.

Another platform, Stylitics, is a bit different and is laser-focused on user experience and data analytics. The platform works in a similar way – users create virtual closets from their existing (real life) pieces – but the focus is on allowing users to pair their separates and accessories to create and share complete outfits (think of Cher from Clueless – a complete Rolodex of your clothing inventory). It’s also a way for users to peruse through styles and “shop around” to find style inspiration.

What’s even more intriguing about this platform is that the founders of Stylitics are collecting consumer data based on the actions of users within the platform. The concept behind collecting the data is to understand how users are browsing and shopping and to figure out their buying habits and tastes, all based on pure fact – their online behaviors when they aren’t shopping online “at the store.”

Stylitics CEO, Zach Davis, discussed the platform and said, “The value we provide brands and retailers is showing them the rest of their customer’s behavior, once they leave the store – where else they shopped, what they purchased, and how they wear the items post-purchase. It’s really helpful for real-time decision making such as marketing and social communications.”

Their most recent partnership with the Estate of Marilyn Monroe, is allowing them to launch Marilyn’s digital closet, which will be viewable and shoppable as of June 4th. Users will be able to browse Monroe-inspired outfits and items, then comment, share, shop, or wishlist the looks they love. More great data from all those who appreciate the style of Marilyn Monroe and the 50s.

Stylitics is about to tip by gaining critical mass and already houses a slew of data and analytics, valuable to any (r)etailer looking to better understand their consumers and determine how to cross-sell, market, and even provide incentives to brand loyalists.

These platforms are changing the way we shop and how (r)etailers can “figure out” their customers, and how consumers are discovering new fashion finds.