Have you ever seen a picture on the Web of an outfit, room décor, or a recipe and thought, “I want that!”? With the new website and app The Hunt, users can discover the brands and products behind these pictures with the help of others in this fashion-savvy community. People start a “hunt” by uploading a photo to the site and asking other users to help them identify the merchandise in the photo by providing links to sites where they can purchase similar items.
The website illustrates the next step in social media-enabled commerce. It moves beyond sharing and liking friends’ pictures to actually helping them purchase items. Like many things in the social space, it democratizes fashion and design advice to make information widely available to all who want it.
Brands and retailers can benefit from the site by exposing users to new products and answering questions to customers’ fashion queries. As a result, they are able to engage with consumers deeper into the purchase funnel with meaningful two-way conversations. Though this is an excellent opportunity for brands and retailers to expand their social footprint, they must be wary and enter the space as a helpful peer and not a pushy salesperson. This site has great potential to aid customers in their shopper journeys by helping them identify and purchase items that they are truly passionate about. What are additional ways that brands and retailers can leverage sites like this to increase loyalty, engagement, and purchase?
Photo Source: thehunt.com
