How the ShopDrop App Uses Technology To Help You Score the Best Designer Deals – Exclusive
Do you love scooping up designer finds at amazing prices during sample sales? Do you also wish there was a quick and easy way to organize all of these events so you never miss out on your dream outfit? That’s where ShopDrop comes in! Richard magazine spoke to CEO and Co- Founder Estee Goldschmidt to find out more about the tech-savvy (and free!) ShopDrop app and how downloading it will totally change the way you shop.
What inspired you to create this fashion app that could save thousands of people so much money on fashion trends?
I first developed a passion for luxury items when I worked a marketing associate at Estee Lauder. My salary was significantly lower than that of my counterparts in male-dominated companies, yet the expectation to dress in designer clothing was prevalent. I would live in a closet of an apartment and eat ramen so that I could save up enough money to shop at the end of season 30%-40% discount at BCBG. I couldn’t even dream of more luxurious designers at that point. I attended my first sample sale by chance. After leaving Estee Lauder and starting business school, a classmate who had connections at LVMH sent me to the Marc Jacobs sample sale. After spending $200 on $2,000 worth of items I was on a high – and yet, I didn’t go to another sale for over a year because I just didn’t know how to find one.
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That’s what the ShopDrop app was created for: to give ambitious, smart and luxury loving but budget conscious consumers an easy way to discover and attend sample sales. Rather than subscribing to a myriad of email lists from different brands and bloggers, shoppers could now easily navigate the scene with the tap of a button. I started working on ShopDrop (a defunct pivoted app) in December. We went from 0 active users to 1000 in three months with no marketing. I decided to spend my summer between graduation and work giving ShopDrop my all. After the summer, we had grown our user base by 100% and I turned down a 6-figure job offer so that I could work on ShopDrop full-time. My goal is to flip the way New Yorkers shop: instead of reverting to mass clothing outlets, shoppers should monitor their favorite brands and shop at sample sales instead.
Why should people download and follow this app?
Fashion lovers should download ShopDrop for these main reasons:
1. EASY It’s the easiest way to find out about sample sales, share with friends and add to calendar.
2. By downloading ShopDrop you get access to exclusives such as early access, additional discounts and gifts with purchase.
What are some of your favorite finds from using ShopDrop?
My three favorite sample sales are Marc Jacobs, Etienne Aigner and Tracy Reese. Those three manage to have the most beautiful selection of merchandise at rock bottom prices. I got $1,000 items for under $100.
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What are some of the difficulties you faced launching the app?
The biggest initial challenge was gaining traction on the app. The first three months that I worked on ShopDrop, there were literally 0 users on the app! I had to keep on pushing until we gained a following – and quite a loyal one at that.
Where do you think the future of fashion and tech is heading?
Here’s my projection: physical retail will remain relevant for two purposes. One, experiences. Shops will attract customers for AR/VR events, meet the designer shows and sentimental shopping sprees, such as wedding dress shopping. Two, no-return shops – and that is sample sales. To discard excess inventory, brands will host pop-up sample sales, where people can make final purchases with no returns. All of these will be part of a new, temporary retail model, where brands will use different locations at different times to target different consumers at different price points. 2020 — here we come.
Where would you like to see ShopDrop next or what are your next goals for this?
I would like for ShopDrop to become a real community that answers every offline shopping need, where users share feedback and their experiences at sample sales with each other, where they can pay directly through the app, and earn rewards!
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Do you have any advice for the entrepreneur out there or someone starting out their business?
If you believe in something, keep going at it! Don’t let anyone stand in your way. Keep learning, amending your product, and learning again. There isn’t a day in my life when I don’t hear a rejection, receive a nasty email or meet someone who just doesn’t get it. The users who love ShopDrop and keep on using it to guide them through the fashion streets of New York – they keep me going!