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| "Market Scene in an Imaginary Oriental Port," Jean-Baptiste Pillement, c. 1764 Digital Image Courtesy of the Getty Open Content Program |
Hello friends,
In speculating on what my own creative business might one day look like, I regularly delight in discovering other businesses that are doing something interesting, aesthetically pleasing or innovative. Yet as much guilt as I have about not doing more to support brick and mortar stores - particularly the tiny ones! - I'm an online shopping addict. And, in all likelihood, so are you. If holiday shopping trends are a fair analogy for the overall shopping zeitgeist, and I believe they are, then Americans' addiction to online shopping is clearly increasing year after year. 2016's online shopping numbers were through the roof (with Amazon alone capturing HALF of online sales!!! Wowza).
At the same time though, we lose a little bit of soul with online shopping, don't we? The joy of the hunt, maybe. Certainly the tactile elements. The surprise of seeing that perfect something something out of the corner of your eye. And, without knowing the data it certainly feels like corporate America is dominating the online scene at the expense of the tiny Mom&Pops, despite their efforts to get online.
It seems to me that if I'm going to continue to rely on the Internet for the vast majority of my shopping - and let's be honest here, that's exactly what's going to happen, it's just so damn convenient! - I should at the very least be seeking out new startups and things that are unique, things that are possible only because they are online, businesses that are native to the Internet, that are innovative new shopping hubs and gift ideas that cater precisely to the sentiments of us hyperconnected millenials. Otherwise, I'd prefer to support the local brick and mortar boutique.
And I'm not talking about the subscription-box craze - that market is oversaturated and I have a feeling that in a few years' time the model will go the way of the luxury flash sale website and specialty cupcake shops.
No, I'm talking about websites that offer actual, useful innovation, that fill a need that wasn't being met, and that use the fact that they are natives of the online space to streamline their operations and offer something we haven't seen before. It's really something that, in an age when brick and mortar stores are struggling to compete with online businesss, brands with a strong online presence like Rent the Runway, Warby Parker and Kit and Ace have achieved such a loyal brand following that they are now scrambling to open brick and mortar stores (as I write, these companies are only 7, 6 and 2 years old, respectively).
The sites I wish to feature today are basically the UberEats of online retail. All the sites I have in mind were advertised to me, in my news feed, via Facebook. Because Facebook knows me even better than Netflix knows me. Which is to say, even better than I know myself.
Note that this post does NOT contain affiliate links. I get nada, zero, zilch, for recommending any of these websites. I just find them charming.
First, let's start with Greetabl. Greetabl basically sends a pretty cardboard box in one of their whimsical prints, with tearaway sections containing your own uploaded photos and a personalized message, and a little gift inside. I sent one to a friend to congratulate her on her engagement. It took 15 minutes (or less if you're a more decisive person than I am) to design one of these little guys and went off without a hitch and she and her fiance loved it.
So it's fast, it's affordable, it's customizable. And how does it fill a need? Well, I don't know about you guys, but my family is a card family, not a gift family. My parents yell at me when I spend money on them, claiming that they don't need anything. But finding good parent-appropriate cards that are funny and not sappy or tacky or hackneyed? I have a reputation to maintain as an excellent card picker-outer and writer, but I'm sick of having to hoard good cards whenever I see them because I'm not always going to find good ones when it's crunch time. Enter the Greetabl:
How perfect is that? Festive floral print for Mother's Day, sappy but not too sappy photos, some chocolate on the inside? BOOM. Daughter of the year.
In a similar vein, a company called Lovebook creates personalized "love story" books that you can send to somebody you have a close relationship with. They have books for all different occasions and they can be platonic as well as romantic. A little sappy, I know, but a cute idea and sometimes sappy is what hits the spot. Bonus, they have this feature where you get to create your own stick figure avatar, basically, and that's obviously the most fun part.
Next up, Urban Stems. Another one I haven't tried yet but want to. Alas, this only works if you're in a Metro area they service, like NYC or D.C., but my guess is these guys are going to expand.
OK, so online flower delivery services have been around for a while. What makes these guys different? First of all, their arrangements are soooooooooo so so sooooo much more with the times aesthetically. They've got the whole hipstery Dutch masters thing going on without being TOO hipstery Dutch masters thing, and they employ an arsenal that is made up both of flowers AND other forms of plantlife (I've referenced my adoration for non-floral botanicals in crafts and arrangements before). Their arrangements are small and manageable and compact, and therefore well suited for the walk-in closets we're all living in for $1800 a month.
They have same day delivery. They have succulents in planters (dude gifts, what up). They let you pick the same arrangement in multiple sizes (which means price options), the website design is clean and navigable, and the options are well-curated so that you're not overwhelmed. Like Greetabl, it takes 15 minutes or less to pop one of these out start to finish. As someone who has found herself completely overwhelmed by more traditional online flower delivery websites, to a point where I just gave up, this seems just about perfect.
Fourth, I love the watch company Cluse. Sure, they are certainly not the only online watch game in town, but I'm smitten.
I love the clean aesthetic of their watch faces, their easy-to-mix-and-match bands, the innovative use of materials that still manages to still stay within their aesthetic (real marble watch faces and velvet bands come to mind). I even love, however silly it may be, that their "lookbook" is just a curated compilation of Instagram photos that other people have taken (it's genius, get people to Instagram your watches in an attempt to get into the lookbook = free advertising).
How does this utilize the Internet in a way that other stores don't? Simple. I have my watch face already. If I decide I want a new band color I go to the website, order it, it comes to my house. No fuss, no unnecessary trip to the store and, most of all, no new watch. Ultimate convenience.
Finally, if you haven't yet had Framebridge advertised to you on Facebook I don't know where you've been hiding because they must have the world's largest Facebook advertising budget based on the frequency with which I've been seeing it. I can't escape them. And at first it was really annoying. Right up until I desperately wanted to frame something, and then Hallelujah.
What gap do they fill? In addition to -this again- a curated set of customizable options, what really thrills me about Framebridge is the fact that you do not have to be physically involved in your artwork until the day you get it, all framed and shiny. What does that mean exactly? It means that you can upload a digital image directly to their website and they instantly size it, figure out how big a print you can get based on its resolution, and show you previews of what it will look like with different frames and different mats.
There's no printing, no physical mailing or dropping off (unless you want to, they do that, too). The thing is optimized for Instagram - it will literally let you select photos direct from your Instagram feed, if that's your kind of thing. Personally, my instant framing urge came after I fell head over heels in love with a meme. Downloaded it from FB, uploaded it to Framebridge, had it framed and lovely in my apartment the following week. Such a game changer when it comes to, say, downloading free printables, because I HAVE NO PRINTER. Love.
Want to try it out? Download some free floral watercolor images from Fox and Hazel (the makers of the cute watercolor images you see to your right) and go play around.
How about you readers? Have you discovered any shopping websites that truly harness the power of the Internet through convenience, speed, customization ability and/or curation? What other sites should I be looking at akin to these that I have mentioned? Discuss in the comments.
Emily
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