Wantering
Better way to search, discover, and shop for fashion online.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor investor investor investor investor investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Wantering operated as a fashion-focused search engine, positioning itself as a central hub for online apparel shopping. Founded in 2011 by Matt Friesen, Nicholas Molnar, Nick Cairns, and Jesse Sherlock, the Vancouver-based company aimed to simplify the discovery and purchase process for consumers. The platform aggregated product listings from approximately 150 e-commerce retailers, allowing users to browse a vast inventory in one location.
The core of Wantering's technology involved using big data and machine learning to analyze social trends from platforms like Pinterest, Polyvore, and Tumblr. This data-driven approach enabled the company to rank search results based on trending items, presenting the most popular products to shoppers first. The business model centered on driving qualified traffic to its retail partners, likely earning commissions on sales. In addition to its search functionality, Wantering offered editorial content and a concierge service to enhance the fashion discovery experience.
Throughout its operation, Wantering secured approximately $1.28 million in funding over three seed rounds from investors including BDC, Yaletown, and GrowLab. A significant milestone occurred in July 2014 when Wantering acquired StyledOn, a U.S.-based social shopping community. This acquisition led to the launch of the Wantering Insider Network (WIN), an exclusive community for style bloggers, integrating Wantering's data technology with digital publishers to create shoppable editorial content. In November 2015, the media and commerce firm Clique Media Group, parent company of the fashion site Who What Wear, acquired Wantering, with the team joining CMG to bolster its e-commerce and technology capabilities.
Keywords: fashion search engine, e-commerce aggregator, social commerce, affiliate marketing, fashion technology, big data in fashion, machine learning, style discovery, online retail, shoppable content, Wantering, Clique Media Group, Who What Wear, Nicholas Molnar, Matt Friesen, fashion startup, Vancouver tech, StyledOn, digital publishing, trend analysis