A SCOTTISH marketplace app is leading the way in the UK as the go-to fashion shopping tool.
Based in Edinburgh, the Mallzee concept was founded in 2013 by Cally Russell, a 29-year-old Dundee University graduate, after he spotted an opportunity to “fix” the broken shopping experience that mobile had to offer.
Despite having no background in the technology sector, he used his natural entrepreneurial flare to bring Mallzee to life and lead it to the success it is today.
Under Russell’s watch, Mallzee has grown to employ 25 people, raise more than £3 million in investment and has received a significant amount of industry accolades. The app has been recognised as “one of six apps that will change the way we shop forever” by Yahoo and was the most downloaded multi-retailer shopping app in 2016.
Russell’s undeniable talents have been recognised by several industry experts. He was recently named by the prestigious Forbes magazine as one of their 30 Under 30 European influencers and featured on the cover of Drapers magazine who labelled him as one of their 30 Next Generation Ones to Watch.
With more than 1.1 million downloads, Mallzee has quickly become the word on every online shoppers’ lips, with its unique BAG feature making it such a roaring success.
Mallzee simplifies the online shopping process through offering the largest range of fashion brands in the UK in one online app. This makes it easier for shoppers to find, compare and buy clothes, shoes and accessories. Mallzee’s BAG function is the most comprehensive universal fashion baskets, allowing users to purchase multiple items from multiple retailers in one quick and simple transaction.
Russell says: “Mallzee users have always loved that we bring hundreds of retailers together in one app and BAG just makes it quicker and easier for them to buy from many retailers at once.”
Mallzee also contains a swipe feature that allows users to express their opinion on items. Users simply swipe right to like an item and left to dislike it; liked items are saved to a user’s unique style profile who will then receive a notification if the item goes on sale. It comes as no surprise that the app has been dubbed the Tinder of online shopping.
While ultimately aimed at increasing user engagement, swipe data also helps to predict future trends. This year Mallzee correctly predicted that blush pink would be the colour of choice and has recently predicted that cherries will be the next big thing on our clothing and accessories, so watch this space.
In addition to user-based benefits, Mallzee also offers B2B insights for retailers to help improve their marketing, merchandising and stock ordering. Launched only this year, the Mallzee team sought to offer an alternative solution to rash discounting in response to market pressures through providing valuable, real-time information on product intelligence and product future.
Reflecting upon this, Russell says: “Because we have 150-plus retailers’ full ranges featured in the app we are able to quickly spot trends in retailer habits.
“Discounting isn’t the only way to handle the current pressures, in fact last year it was estimated by the Business of Fashion that up to $1 trillion is lost in the fashion industry every year via poor discounting and stock ordering.”
While the future of high street shopping is uncertain, one thing is for sure, Mallzee will only to continue to soar on the road to total online shopping domination.
App available on iPhone and Android app stores. To download the free app go to iTunes or Google Play.
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