Retail Designed Differently with Italic
Providing over 800 quality goods from the same manufacturers as designer brands. Could it get any better? How about zero mark-ups.
Italic is a company that has been taking e-commerce by storm recently, so it’s no surprise that the company has been getting a lot of buzz from media outlets like Fast Company, Business Insider, and Men’s Health. Italic is approaching direct to consumer buying, customer interactions, and brand management in unique ways, which sets it apart from other direct to consumer companies such as Warby Parker and Glossier.
Italic first launched in 2018 by Jeremy Cai, who started the company after receiving a Thiel Fellowship and $100,000, which required him to drop out of college, move to San Francisco, and pursue starting his company for two years. Italic differentiates itself within the retail industry, given its promise of wholesale prices from the same manufacturers as designer brands without any markups, an idea worth $13 million in venture capital funding. The company features over 800 luxury items for incredibly low prices, a sure disruption- or at least a rude awakening- for consumers who are used to spending an arm and a leg for almost an identical Prada bag. Italic plays a crucial role in unveiling the high margins that luxury brands are making a huge profit from. However, brand logos and trademark patterns do have their place in retail, given consumer culture’s desire for easily recognized designer items to flaunt to the world. Luxury brands like Goyard, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci have become extremely successful on this very premise. Yet, what about purchasing on the basis of pure quality?
There is no doubt that consumers are doing more research as to where their products are coming from, company sustainability efforts, fair labor practices, and product durability. A longer-lasting, high-quality product has become more of a priority to today’s consumer, allowing for Italic to fill a void in the marketplace- moderately priced, high-value items with full transparency. To Italic, it’s all about style, function, and quality, which Italic is surely delivering and without the price tag.
Considering current trends in consumer behavior, Italic is incredibly smart for making the core of its mission very transparent to its consumer. According to McKinsey’s ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies report, Gen Z consumers “increasingly expect brands to ‘take a stand’” when it comes to brand ethos. The consumer report specifies that it has found that a brand would benefit from choosing “specific topics (or causes) that make sense for a brand and its consumers and to have something clear to say about those particular issues. In a transparent world, younger consumers don’t distinguish between the ethics of a brand, the company that owns it, and its network of partners and suppliers”. For Italic, transparency is so key, which makes its side by side comparison of prices, and highlighting the high-end brands that use its same manufacturers refreshing and alluring. To shoppers, it is evident that Italic takes a clear stance.
Italic’s close connection to its customers also makes the company stand out. It was only the other day that I was scrolling through Instagram when I found a post from Italic asking “ What products do you want us to develop?” with a flurry of responses underneath from Italic fans asking for everything from skincare to furniture. This is just one example of how the company’s openness and eagerness for consumer input have allowed Italic to grow and thrive among the crowded e-commerce marketplace. I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to see what Italic comes up with next.
You can get in on all of the retail therapy Italic has to offer by purchasing a monthly subscription for $8.33 per month, adding up to just $100 a year. It is also worth noting that more than 90% of Italic’s customers breakeven on their first order- the best deal of 2020 I’ve seen so far. So, what are you waiting for? The future of fashion is calling.
Here are some of my favorite items Italic is selling right now:
1. Recycled Terry Cropped Hoodie 2. Slumber Cotton Poplin Pajama Set 3. Cashmere Hoodie 4. Laight Short Puffer 5. Point Dume Cateye Sunglasses 6. Comrade Nylon Backpack 7. Niki Leather Moto Jacket 8. Bowery Teddy Jacket 9. Diamond Pave Huggie Hoop Earring 10. Casey Cashmere Scarf 11. Miles Cashmere Travel Blanket and Eyemask Set 12. Vacuum Insulated Water Bottle
Originally published at http://ursuladedekind.com on August 19, 2020.
