I’m not calling myself a hero, but you may after reading this
Online shopping stinks — and it has stunk for quite some time. That might sound crazy in the midst of a pandemic when you’re buying most everything you wear, use and consume on the interwebs. So why the negativity? Yes, there’s nothing like the convenience of just the tap of a thumb, or click of a mouse when it comes to restocking basic essentials.
But take a step back for a second.
When you’re looking to buy something that matters— something other than paper towels — like a gift, or a new skincare product, or *gasp* a mattress— what happens?
You're ambushed.
Cue the information overload. The swarm of underwhelming lookalikes. The invasion of your social media. The hired guns… Oops, I mean the Influencers at every swipe. The affiliate slideshow onslaught and most recently, the fluff content + sometimes fake reviews.
There are thousands of gems out there, but it’s harder than ever to find them. And it’s even harder for them to find you. It’s every man for himself and everybody loses. Everybody except Google and Facebook.
Tabs, on tabs, on tabs.
So what’s a shopper to do?
Continue searching products on Google? Good luck. Sift through the junk on Instagram and hope for a relevant ad eventually? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Stalk your favorite blogger? Sure, but we know it’s hashtag sponsored. Peruse a never-ending, “curated” directory? Only if you want to open a bazillion new tabs, mindlessly scroll for a few hours, before giving up, and going back to the jungle. Amazon.
The existing ways of brand + product discovery expired years ago and everyone knows it.
It’s no secret. It’s talked about weekly in every newsletter, trade publication, podcast + twitter thread that ever so slightly touches the eCommerce world, but nobody has managed to fix it.
Some have tried, but all have missed on at least one key ingredient. Brands but no products. Products but not the right ones. Curation but too niche. Indexes but limited search. AI but without the human touch.
We’re changing that with BRANDNUDE.
No more endless scroll. No more confusion. No more fragmentation. We’re bringing you the best of everything — brands, products + artisans — in a fun, easy to search place built for the future.
Dreams do come true — peep the launch menu.
Cross-brand Product Search. Indy Artisans, Modern Disruptors, Heritage Brands + Reemerging Labels. We don’t limit BRANDNUDE to one kind of business model because today everything is everywhere. We bring you the best period.
Engaging Design. We show you everything in an easy to digest format that you’re going to love. It’s like traditional eCommerce and social media had a baby…and its name is BRANDNUDE.
Daily Feed Personalized For You. Tell us what you’re interested in and every day we’ll give you a handful of recommendations.
Spot-On Edits. We’re working tirelessly to create collections of standout brands and products for every personality and occasion. Moving forward this will be a joint effort with the community.
Human Concierge. Need something in a pinch? A real-life human is on hand to help. Think of us as your favorite cool cousin.
Good Taste. Lots of brands built with soul. Innovative products that offer more than clever messaging and colorful packaging. Luxury at the right price. Global delicacies.
Always Fresh. We’re starting with a larger set of brands than we’d like. Rather than pretend we know everything, we want the community to decide what stays, what goes, and what’s missing.
Continuous Improvement. We’re going to listen to you and do whatever it takes to make this thing better every single day.
What Now?
We’re working to get something viable in your hands as soon as possible. We want to squash bugs, preview new features + take action off your feedback.
To do this right, we’ll be onboarding new users in waves so we don’t overload the system and drive the devs mad. Go ahead and say hello so we can welcome you to the community in the coming weeks.
Together, we’re going to define the future of what we buy and how we find it.
This is just the beginning.
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Are you with me? Spread the word and get on the list at brandnude.com
For short musings from a tall girl follow me on Twitter @lecoolchick
For eye candy goodness follow BRANDNUDE on Instagram @BRANDNUDE_
P.S. I’m going to publish a second post on, “Why Now.” In the meantime, take a look at the chatter from these people much smarter than me