New App Bridges Social Networking and Shopping

In the past couple of years, social media apps including Instagram have launched a dedicated shopping tab, reflecting the way in which consumers are finding their next buy through influencers and online fashion communities. However, there was no sing e-commerce app dedicated to giving equal value to networking and shopping, until now. SEPTis the first social commerce fashion marketplace, and launches today.

'Think social media, but for shopping - and it knows exactly what you like', the brand say. Founded by Yara Al Dhaen, the platform encompasses a digital store which becomes increasingly customised to the user's likes and dislikes the more they engage. Most online shopping and social apps use algorithms to do just this, however on SEPT users can interact with one another, share their purchases and shop one another's wardrobes and fashion wish-lists, and users who have similar tastes and style will be recommended to one another.

'I was always inspired by friends "real and virtual" when it came to fashion, but I grew up at a time when being inspired by someone and trying to figure out what they were wearing felt like a disconnected experience. More than ever, we make our fashion purchasing decisions based on what we see a stylish friend or Instagram cool girl wearing. Fashion discovery increasingly begins online as people look for inspiration from friends and strangers alike, and users want to move fluidly between immersive and personalised e-commerce experiences', Al Dhaen explains.

Download SEPT here.