Canadian Startup Stylekick Helps Online Clothing Shoppers Find the Perfect Fit
Meet Stylekick, the comparison and recommendation engine for established and budding online apparel shopping addicts alike. Unlike other complex solutions that include 3D scanners and body measurements, Stylekick is a tool that suggests the best fit with similar brands in an easy two click process.
Cofounded by a trio comprised of two former Queen’s Commerce graduates and a full stack developer (Natalie Gray, Karn Saroya and Anand Dhillon respectively), Stylekick is one of the lucky six startups chosen to work with JOLT Accelerator at MaRS Commons.
We sat down with Natalie Gray, CEO of Stylekick, and she told Techvibes about how studying in the US cultivated an online shopping addiction via Amazon Prime and her marketing experience within the corporate retail space.
“It’s a product that you take with yourself every single day,” says Natalie, on fashion from the retailer’s perspective. “When you’re on the opposite side of the brands that are trying to help consumers fill demands, it’s a really interesting thing.” Having worked with RUSH Communications on product launches and budgeting, Natalie’s background equips her to build a business based on the wants and needs of retail consumers.
In the early days of 2011, Stylekick started off with body scanning technology, but realized that unique asks such as obtaining waist measurements generally make shoppers feel uncomfortable. “Karn and Anand had built a 3D body scanner for less than $1,000 using three Kinect sensors,” describes Natalie of her co-founders’ impressive past project that spawned Stylekick. “Then we realized that it wasn’t a scalable business, so we pivoted to the comparison technology we’re using right now.”
So here’s how it works. After creating an account with Stylekick.com, you would search within the site database that draws from the top 20 e-commerce brands for an item you already own such as a favorite pair of jeans from The Gap. Once you find that familiar item, you would add it to your “closet” on Stylekick.com. If you’re looking to buy a similar jean like your favorite go-to pair, Stylekick would automatically reference the item and recommend a size based on the differences between the two garments.
While Stylekick is currently focused on the comparison feature between two like items, an incoming “Find Similar Fit” function will allow users craving more wardrobe variety to explore different styles. By drawing from specific garment measurements and materials, Stylekick then redirects users to the shop page where items of a similar fit but of a varying style are populated.
Want to start adding to your closet? Stylekick launches its private beta today.
