![]() ![]() The service is free for Prime members, and like the others, comes with a prepaid return label.Īn Amazon spokeswoman wouldn’t say when the service would open up to the public in the US, but did offer that early feedback from customers was exciting. In June, it announced Prime Wardrobe, which lets customers select three to 10 pieces (from clothing, shoes, or accessories) to try on during a seven-day period. “We have created a better way to shop, and a model for businesses of the future: a mutually beneficial partnership between humans and machines that eliminates the burden of searching through millions of results online or saving consumers a time-consuming trip to the store.”Įven Amazon is testing a try-before-you-buy offering. “The model itself - that customers do not choose - is bold,” says a Stitch Fix spokeswoman. Stitch Fix has largely hung its hat on a model of computer-aided personalization that allows this approach to make sense. Before going public this November, it announced that it had reached almost $1 billion in sales in fiscal year 2017. ![]() Founded in 2011, it also charges a $20 “styling fee” that is applied to any purchase, and has built technology that makes better product recommendations over time. Perhaps the buzziest and most successful try-before-you-buy service, Stitch Fix uses a combination of computers and human stylists to curate five items that customers try before buying or returning. “We joke that we are a tech and logistics company that happens to sell used clothing,” he says. For new customers, he estimates that the process is “80 percent computer, 20 percent human,” but for returning customers, he estimates that it can end up being almost “99 percent computer.” He adds that the process is more complex than something like personal-styling service Stitch Fix because inventory changes hourly there are 35,000 brands and 2 million unique items to sort through. He adds that existing ThredUp customers are able to mine previous browsing history to inform the software. The pieces are chosen using a combination of a proprietary algorithm and human spot-checker “to make sure that there is nothing crazy going on,” Reinhart says. “Office styles” from ThredUp Photo: ThredUp Aside from a few fit issues, we kept at least half of the pieces, and probably wouldn’t have selected them all during an online browsing session. A pair of Opening Ceremony flats was $82.99 and a Zara faux leather skirt was $25.99, in addition to a $51.99 Club Monaco blazer and a $64.99 long-sleeved blouse from The Row (originally estimated to be $534). Our request for “office styles” in the vein of brands such as Club Monaco, Stella McCartney, and The Row resulted in 18 pieces ranging from a $22.99 Ann Taylor top to $130.99 Alexander Wang dress pants. In addition to basic information such as size, age, height, and price threshold, it asks for favorite brands and to select one of three categories: cold weather essentials, office styles, or holiday party. The process starts with a short online questionnaire. When it comes to sorting through secondhand, less - in this case - is more. When we tested the service, we were impressed at the variety and quality of options, and it makes sense that customers would buy more than planned. ![]() “Customers were keeping 10, 11, 12 items, and even those keeping a smaller number said it was fun and asked, ‘Can you send me another one?’” he says, adding that Goody Boxes are also a way to engage existing customers, in hopes that they buy more over time. Sample clothes from ThreadUp Photo: ThredUp The average order size was larger than current ThredUp shoppers, with customers who received a Goody Box spending 30 percent more than average. In a one-month test of 1,000 people, 30 percent were new customers, Reinhart says. “It’s about getting people over the hump - everyone wants to find a deal.” “People love a good bargain but don’t like doing the work, so we can bring the bargain without the hunt,” he says. ![]() The customer can keep what they like and return (for free) what they don’t, with the $20 going toward any purchase.Ĭompany CEO James Reinhart hopes that this will help “convert the skeptics” of thrift shopping. Online thrift store ThredUp is entering the “boxes” space with a new try-before-you-buy option that aims to do the treasure-hunting for you.įor a $20 fee, customers can receive a “Goody Box” of 10 to 20 items that are chosen based on a shopper’s preferences. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here. The archives will remain available here for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. ![]()
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