Snapette

Snapette was a mobile-first, location-based shopping application designed to bridge the gap between online browsing and in-store purchasing for fashion consumers. Launched in January 2011, the platform acted as a digital tool for shoppers to discover products, stores, and sales in their vicinity. The company was co-founded by Harvard alumni Sarah Paiji Yoo and Jinhee Ahn Kim. The inspiration for the app came from Kim's experience while shopping in London's Notting Hill, where she saw a need for a more efficient way to discover merchandise in nearby boutiques without entering each one. Paiji Yoo brought a strong background in finance and consulting for retail and tech companies, having worked at firms like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Co. Kim's expertise was rooted in fashion, with a degree from Parsons and design experience at Liz Claiborne and Ralph Lauren.

The core of Snapette's service was a mobile app that allowed users to upload photos of fashion items they found in stores, tagging them with brand, price, and location information. This user-generated content created a real-time, browsable catalog of what was available in local brick-and-mortar shops. The platform primarily targeted female shoppers and allowed them to follow favorite stores, receive notifications about new arrivals and sales, and discover trending items. By leveraging GPS technology, Snapette aimed to drive foot traffic back into physical retail stores, a key value proposition for its partners. The business model involved partnering with brands and retailers, who could use the platform to send real-time notifications about special discounts and exclusive items to potential customers shopping nearby, effectively acting as a discovery agent and advertising channel. Before its acquisition, Snapette had partnered with over 200 brands and retailers.

The startup successfully completed the 500 Startups accelerator program and raised $1.5 million in seed funding from investors including Accel Partners, Forerunner Ventures, and ShoeDazzle founder Brian Lee. In August 2013, Snapette was acquired by PriceGrabber, a price comparison shopping site, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was part of PriceGrabber's strategy to bolster its mobile commerce capabilities and reach fashion-focused shoppers. At the time of the acquisition, Snapette had amassed over 1.5 million users. Although the app eventually ceased operations following the acquisition, its model of integrating mobile discovery with the physical retail experience was a notable contribution to the evolution of omnichannel retail.

Keywords: mobile shopping app, fashion discovery, location-based commerce, local shopping, retail technology, in-store shopping, fashion tech, omnichannel retail, Sarah Paiji Yoo, Jinhee Ahn Kim, PriceGrabber acquisition, 500 Startups alumni, social shopping, product discovery, digital window shopping, mobile marketing, retail deals, fashion app, brick-and-mortar retail, user-generated content