The Phillips sisters put consumer data to use
Sisters Nicole and Raquel Phillips were tired of searching for hours for the right item when online shopping. That’s why they co-founded Qatch, a platform that gives product recommendations to shoppers via direct message based on personal data.
Nicole Phillips, who serves as the company’s CEO, has her JD and LL.M. in fashion law from Fordham University, and she has worked as in-house counsel at several fashion companies. Raquel Phillips, who serves as chief operating officer, studied at Babson College and has a background in helping small businesses. Now, they have combined their expertise to launch their Boston, Massachusetts-based business, which became available to its initial users in April. Here is what they had to say about their technology and what it offers.
How did Qatch get started? What was the inspiration for the platform?
RP: One day, Nicole was browsing online for a white button-down shirt; sounds simple, right? After nearly three hours of comparing the “whiteness” of 12 different shirts across five different tabs, she gave up. That same week, she went to a boutique to try on wedding dresses. When making her appointment, she answered a few questions about her style preferences, bride inspiration and favorite clothing brands. The sales associate asked her to not look at any other dresses in the store but the eight in her fitting room, and the two Nicole hated right off the bat were replaced with new options. Forty-five minutes later, Nicole walked out with a dress she loved and felt empowered and energized — the exact opposite of how she felt searching for that white shirt online. But buying a wedding dress should not be easier than buying a shirt online. It was clear that if consumers had the ability to share what they wanted to see and how they felt about products as they were presented to them, the online shopping experience would be more enjoyable, less frustrating and much more personal.
How many users do you have so far?
NP: We have nearly 10,000 members on the platform and a growing waitlist, which we opened to the public in April.
How is Qatch different from other data-gathering systems?
NP: Qatch members can immediately appreciate the benefit from the information they’ve shared with us through better, more accurate recommendations.
What role does social media play?
RP: New members have the option to share their Instagram handle with us to help us improve their recommendations. The Qatch Instagram account (@joinqatch) will follow them and learn which brands or influencers they follow to better understand that individual’s style. It’s also a great data source on which brands and influencers we should pursue for partnerships. For example, we noticed a large percentage of our members followed an influencer (@ariellecharnas) who had her own clothing line, so we reached out to get her products on Qatch, and they perform very well.
What does a direct message (as opposed to a targeted ad) do for sales conversions?
NP: Consumers today appreciate authenticity, and they know the difference between an advertisement and a genuine recommendation from someone they trust. While Qatch is a marketing platform, our member-facing communication and content doesn’t feel like they’re being told to “buy now!” Instead, we focus our messaging around discovering their style through prompts like “Since you loved X brand, what do you think of this top?” The result is high engagement and conversion rates up to 6%.
Have you/will you do any partnerships with brands?
RP: All of the brands featured on our platform have Qatch partnerships — large retailers like Shopbop, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Banana Republic, Free People, Revolve, Urban Outfitters and more. If any brands are interested in partnering with Qatch they can reach us at hello@qatchcode.com.
What would you say to consumers who would be hesitant to try Qatch because of privacy concerns?
NP: Privacy is extremely important to us, and personal information is and always will be protected. Consumers can share as little or as much with us as they choose. The more information a consumer shares, the better their recommendations will be, so it’s easy for a consumer to see the immediate value of sharing information with us. We are completely transparent from the onset, including how we will use your Instagram, if shared, and we find it’s crucial to building trust with our members.
What do you hope users will get out of Qatch? How do you think it will change shopping?
NP: We live in a digitally-connected and social world, yet online shopping still feels one-sided and lonely. We truly believe the future of shopping is a two-sided interaction where a shopper’s personal preferences follow them wherever they go. With that, Qatch gives consumers the power to control what they see more or less of when browsing for clothing online — and not just on one brand site, but across all of their favorite brands.
What’s coming up next for you?
RP: We’re launching several new brand partnerships this summer as well as a Shopify app to bring on more direct-to-consumer clothing brands who want to drive awareness to their brand. We are also launching a few exciting features that our members have been begging us for, including the ability to see what other Qatch members are loving from their recommendations so you can shop from the cart of other trendy women.
