The Computer Will See You Now: 3 Of The Best E-Commerce Shopping Experiences For Men

We get to know three companies successfully revolutionising the shopping habits of men all over the globe.

These days women are not the only ones who like to flex their buying power, men too like to dabble on online shopping. So it makes sense that there are startups out there that are using the power of algorithm to provide an online service that not only offers convenience but also takes all men’s likes and dislikes into account like a good sales assistant would in an offline store.

With quite a few fashion businesses out there taking online shopping to another level, some men are left wondering which company they should turn too for a seamless shopping experience. Well, with advanced technology being a prerequisite for forward-thinking companies, the three that are successfully making buying a pain-free experience for men are:

Apposta: The Future of Custom Shirts

Although there are a lucky few that do, not all men fit the standard shirt perfectly, and this is where London-based shirt maker APPOSTA comes in. Founded in 2010 by Gianluca Mei and Gianmarco Taccaliti, the London based company specialises in made-to-measure and customisable shirts. Combining today’s e-commerce technology with 100 years of Italian tailoring experience, Apposta is successfully giving each customer a traditionally made bespoke Italian shirt that can be delivered within two weeks.

Image Credit: Apposta

Although buying a made-to-measure shirt over the internet could be a risky venture, Apposta guarantees the perfect fit from £69.00. They also believe that the customer should be happy with every design aspect of their shirt which is why they offer a library of up to 3000 fabrics, including limited edition and high-tech options, and the broadest range of collar and cuff styles and the choice of hand-embroidered monogramming.

Recognised by industry insiders, Apposta awards include ‘Best E-commerce of the Year’ in 2012 by the Italian Web Awards and they were finalists at the UK E-commerce Awards 2018. Popular in the press, they have been noted as ‘master craftsmen by British national newspapers and men’s style magazines.

Create Your Shirt

Thread: Building a New Default

Promising to dress you better in 3 mins Thread is a British startup was founded in 2012 by Kieran O’Neill and Ben Phillips. All about helping men personalise their wardrobe, Thread is successfully leading the way to cutting down on exhaustive scroll time for men. Instead, they target what individuals are looking for by offering a service that is complemented by real personal stylists, rather than ‘automata’.

Thread cofounders Ben Phillips and Kieran O’Neill, and style director Shaunie Brett Thread. Image Credit: Business Insider

Kieran O’Neill, Thread’s 28-year-old co-founder, told the Guardian, “All through, my goal with this business is not really to build a niche quirky retail thing. The majority of men want to dress decently, and don’t particularly love shopping that much. So if you can find a way to spend way less time on it, with a much much better result, I think it’s what the majority of men would use. And so I see this as building a new default for how the majority of men buy clothes.”

Another thing that I quite like about Thread is that they work with their partners (the fashion brands) in a way that helps them understand the customer. They do this by sharing the anonymised data they capture from their customers to help them know who their incognito customers are.

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Proper Cloth: No Measuring Tape Required

It is no secret that off-the-rack shirts fit just a handful of people and the rest have to compromise, that is until Proper Cloth. Launched in 2008, the online company leverages its proprietary database of tens of thousands of customer body profiles to create a distinctly better fit. They do this by first asking you ten questions about your body and how you like your shirts to fit. They then calculate your size using their Smart Size data-driven algorithms. This allows them to build a different size for you based on your answers, then voila your new custom size shirt is born.

Image Credit: Proper Cloth

The Proper Cloth team states on their site: “Technology is what enables us to streamline operations, reduce errors and deliver a better value. Technology helps power new and delightful customer experiences. We’re pioneers in 3D visualization, statistical size regression and personalized ecommerce. We look at the future of retail and see massive opportunities“.

Also Read: How to Implement Artificial Intelligence in Fashion Retail

All of Proper Cloth’s shirts are made from premium fabrics, and feature details like shanked mother of pearl buttons and metal collar stays. Starting for just $80.00, Proper Cloth’s design team in New York is continuously releasing new collections that are on trend and in season. They cover the spectrum from relaxed casual shirts to conservative business shirts.

Create Your Size

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Founding Editor in Chief at FashNerd.com | editor@fashnerd.com | Website

Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.