Group shopping goes virtual

Enabling digital connections can provide insights into shopper behavior
Sandy Smith
NRF Contributor

We’ve taken steps toward virtual “squad” shopping in the past, with smart mirrors and apps that make it easier to share socially — and get input into that outfit. But Squadded seems uniquely timed for success in our “separate-together” lives.

Shoppers add a browser extension and invite friends to a Squadded Shopping Party at participating retailers like Sephora, Nike, Zara and Topshop. Users can add items to their wishlist and solicit input from the squad. Together, they can create outfits. Shoppers can also browse community activities live from the store.

From the retailer perspective, a Squadded Shopping Party can drive sales by providing trusted advice and build interaction between its fans. It also provides insight into how shoppers view specific products.

The pandemic has driven similar activities like Netflix Party, which allows users to watch Netflix online together, and Instagram’s Co-Watching, which lets friends on a video chat browse through feed posts together.

Squadded brings the best of physical shopping into a digital world — and what better time than now for this experiment to work?

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