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Shopfeed is an app meant to streamline discovery for web-savvy consumers. The team set out to make it happen last February, went into beta last March to coincide with SXSW, and formally launched this fall, just in time for the holiday shopping blitz.
Shopfeed now has offices in West Hollywood and a full-time team of six, with a boost from outside developers. The concept is based around a little bit of consumer psychology, a whole lot of data, and a fun-loving spirit. But why is Shopfeed so enamored with the 'listicle' format?
1. Lists make mobile shopping fun
“The bottom line is that discovering and shopping products on mobile should be fun, engaging, and easy,” said Kate Pentowski, head of communications for Shopfeed. She said her team is particularly excited for the upcoming gift-giving season. “We couldn't be more excited to roll out wishlists for the holidays!” Pentowski said.
2. They give humans and algorithms a chance to collaborate
The startup's value proposition is pulling in existing lists on the web and matching the content with opportunities to buy the products. “At the moment Shopfeed uses a combination of hand-curation and API technology that pulls content automatically,” Pentowski said.
3. They let the users to shine
Shopfeed wants to get more humans into the mix. “We do feel it's important to always maintain a level of personal curation, and are super excited about producing Shopfeed's own lists and original content.” said Pentowski.
[ibimage==34141==Medium==none==self==ibimage_align-right]4. They're good on the go
Pentowski said one reason Shopfeed has embraced the list format is that “they give you a clear sense of how much time they'll take to read.” Market research suggests that most people scan online content in an 'F' pattern – they read the headline, then scan down the left to gauge whether or not the content will be valuable. Lists cater directly to this tendency. “In our busy lives, they translate great on mobile and on the run,” said Pentowski. “Apparently, humans actually evolved to like lists because they overcome chaos - we won't bore you with the weird geeky books we read about this, but many scientists claim our brain loves numbered lists, particularly odd-numbered ones. Go figure!”
It's worth noting that this research is almost always presented in list form.
5. The money's in the list
Shopfeed is currently finishing a seed funding round.
6. They can do good in the world
Shopfeed wants to be more than a guilty pleasure and actively encourages charitable contributions as part of the shopping experience. "We suggest a user donates while he or she has their wallet out," said Pentowski. "We ease the process by sharing the cause's goals and linking to their donation page."
