In the age of online shopping, it's easy to lose sight of the elation that comes from the in-store experience. But if you’re a savvy shopper, you know paying in-store prices is not always the smartest move.
So how do you bridge the gap between online and in-person shopping?
, a startup launched last month, has found a way to combine the experience of trying on clothes with the convenience and frugality of online shopping. App users can take photos of clothing tags while in store, enter their size and color preference, and monitor the item’s price and availability online.
Amanda Latifi and co-founder Valeriia Tyshchenko created Hafta Have as a way for consumers to track items they weren’t immediately willing to buy, while also giving brands a way to retain a customer’s interest after they’ve left the store.
“These days, people don’t have loyalty to the brand, they have loyalty to a department store,” said Latifi. “Basically, what we’re doing is keeping a consumer in the consumer decision journey for that brand. You went into a specific store and for whatever reason you didn’t make that purchase that day — our whole model is to keep [you] in that decision journey until the item goes on sale.”
The former head of marketing for Fahlo (now
) Latifi left her job to pursue her entrepreneurial passion. She is currently consulting at Santa Monica’s as she runs Hafta Have from her kitchen table in West Hollywood.
Latifi and her seven person team began working on the product in June 2015 and launched their public beta three weeks ago. In order to effectively test the product, their initial user base was capped at 1,000 — a number they reached organically within the first week.
The app’s retention rate is over 50 percent and Latifi said the average time spent interacting is between four and six minutes. Most of the user’s attention is directed toward the general “Browse” section of the app in which shoppers can survey the inventory of local brands.
The company currently hosts 14 private label stores with 14 additional stores currently on the waiting list. But with a growing popularity amongst local stores and brands, Latifi says it’s important that the app stay dedicated to the consumer:
“From a positioning perspective, I really don’t want a consumer to ever feel like we’re a marketing vehicle. I always want to fit in the headspace that we’re a utility or tool for them to make the process easier.”
In response to the success they’ve seen in beta, Hafta Have will be rolling out new search filters for their browse section in the coming days. Latifi said the next step for the company will be to pursue funding and find an office.
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