It’s somewhat fashionable today to give Jeff Bezos a hard time for how he runs his company. But credit where credit’s due, he really paved the way for how we think about and experience eCommerce. Plus, if you watch his first 60 Minutes interview, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for bootstrapped. The truth is that eCommerce is a hard game. You’re literally asking consumers to put their trust in something they can’t tangibly kick the tires on. The companies that start out and keep building are the ones that don’t just understand the importance of experience, they have an incredible empathy for their customers. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 15 eCommerce Startups that we see continuing to snowball in 2018.
TABLE
Going beyond conversational commerce, TABLE allows retailers to provide seamless clienteling and total service solutions to their high-value customers across stores, mobile, and web. So instead of a little chat bot that pops up on your website, a 1-800 number, or email support— customers can interface real time with dedicated and assigned support agents. They can even video chat with them and have help through each stage of the buying cycle.
Bonobos
Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve probably heard of this power house of a company. Bonobos is a clothing brand focused on delivering great fit, excellent customer experience, and a fun approach to menswear. After their eCommerce launch was so successful, they opened offline locations for customers as well. To date, Bonobos has 49 Guideshop locations across the United States.
Headwink
This startup is taking the cosplay world by storm. Headwink helps you browse, discover, and try on costumes to find the perfect look, without any cost to you. All you have to do is download the app, create your best cosplay look in their virtual dressing room, and upload your photo to try it on. Dressing up as your favorite character or trying out classic costumes has never been this easy.
Dope Dog
Dope Dog creates innovative hemp products designed to improve the quality of life for your pets. Harnessing CBD oil, founders Michael and Erin created Dope Dog because of issues their own dogs faced. With no holistic products on the market at the time to help their aging dog’s joint pain or their puppy’s back discomfort, they created a cannabinoid-rich hemp product line formulated specifically for animals.
True Gault
Gone are the days of sacrificing fit for fashion with True Gault. They use 3D imaging technology to scan women’s feet to make shoes that actually fit. According to their LinkedIn, The app’s 3D imaging technology and mobile app captures images of the customers right and left foot into 3D models generating unique measurements. Taking only 10-15 minutes, customers are able to scan and personalize their shoes from the comfort of their own home and have them delivered within just a couple of weeks.
Beardbrand
Beardbrand was launched as a way to unite beardsmen and build a community. It quickly turned into a full blown eCommerce platform. They literally have anything and everything you will ever need to take your beard seriously. On a mission to do more than deliver excellent products, they also focus on providing a wide variety of tools to their customers including education, inspiration, and their beard branded community.
greenRush
Depending on what state you live in, greenRush marketplace is like the Amazon of cannabis. Not only do they offer consumers a selection of thousands of products for delivery or pickup from licensed providers, their eCommerce and marketing platform also enables dispensaries and brands to easily sell their products online.
Everly
Have you you ever looked at the back of those drink mix packets that you pour into your water bottle? You know, it’s kind of like Tang but not. Almost all of them have so many different chemicals and sugar substitutes in them that a lot of health-conscious Whole Foods types think of it as pure poison. But not Everly. They make natural, sugar free drink mixes to help you get your daily water intake down with style.
Real Time Cases
Real Time Cases delivers engaging video-based activities that make it easier for educators to let students address real problems facing relevant companies in the moment, as they’re happening. Basically it’s a collection of videos from experienced business professionals who share the real challenges facing today’s business leaders within a platform that is accessible anytime, anywhere.
Everlane
Everlane is judo-chopping all of the negative sweatshop origins of every piece of your wardrobe. Their on a mission of radical transparency with everything that they do. This includes letting you know who’s making your clothes, where, and what the profit margins are for the company. They even detail out transportation costs. Somehow with all of this they’re still able to offer their clothes at a cheaper rate but with a quality that surpasses most traditional retailers. It’s kind of magic.
Whilo
Short for “what I love,” Whilo is a social gifting platform created to make giving the perfect gift super easy. It’s kind of like a wish list, but way more sleek and sophisticated. According to their LinkedIn, you have the ability to search, save and share your favorite items in one convenient location. Plus, you can find and follow friends to see what’s on their list. What’s really smooth is that whenever an item has been purchased from one of your lists, it’s marked as purchased for everyone else to see but it comes to you as a complete surprise. All you know is that a present is coming for you.
The Date Crate
This startup is more than the Birchbox of fun things that couples can do on a date together. They provide not just the necessary tools, but the creative ideas to go with it. And it’s the idea thing that really sets them apart. Every date crate is a unique experience that really helps busy couples find new ways to stay connected, make memories, and share beautiful moments together. Plus, their aesthetic is very Instagrammable.
Queen of Raw
Today more than $120 billion worth of unused fabric sits in warehouses around the world. Unfortunately, most of it gets burned or buried. Queen of Raw brings these raw fabric materials back to life. They’ve provided a platform where factories, brands, and retailers can post their unused fabric and start selling in minutes. Designers are then able to find the fabric they need, regardless of their location, and buy it.
Chore Leave
For one simple flat-rate per visit, Chore Leave comes to you and does whatever chores you want them tackle. Unlike similar services that put you in touch with someone to complete a specific task, these guys come and take care of your entire chore list in a single visit. There’s really no end to the possibilities here. But what really sets them apart is the trust factor. Instead of being the middle-man between you and a third-party contractor, everyone they send to you is a part of their own team.
Spott
Spott is a social map. They help students find friends, food, and other students right around them. They believe that meaningful relationships are not made face-to-screen, but face-to-face. As a company, their goal is to create real-life interactions between people who would have never met by chance. They’re currently accepting invitations to their private beta.
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