Ask the Attendees: @Stylinity

Recently, we told you about TechStyle, an event held during Fashion Week that brought together fashion and technology.  The event had a wonderful turnout and attendees enjoyed the chance to celebrate NYC’s fashion week in techsy style!

But just who are the brands that attended the event? What’s their take on the event industry? And what did they think of TechsyStyle? We took the opportunity to interview a few of the attendees and over the next few days will be featuring their interviews, read on for a peek inside the guests’ heads:

– First of all, please tell our readers about Stylinity – what is the company all about?

Stylinity is the first company to make selfies shoppable.  Sharing a picture of yourself wearing or using something is the ultimate positive review and product endorsement – so why not get paid when that leads to a sale? Our social commerce platform and mobile app let users go beyond hashtags to attach clickable product-specific links to the pictures they share on their social media accounts, connecting friends and followers directly with products they recommend – and getting rewarded when they drive a purchase. Currently we’re working with nearly 200 retailers and we add more every day, enabling our users to tag millions of products. Stylinity is also a great discovery site – so if you are looking for a new style, check it out!

– What were the 3 keys to getting the company off the ground -where did you invest your time?

1) It’s all about teamwork. No one has all the skills necessary to build a great company. The most important thing was finding incredibly talented people whose strengths complement one another and then enrolling them in a shared team vision.

2) Failing forward. Although many of our initial assumptions were wrong in some way, we learned from our mistakes. The world is filled with inventions and innovations that were plagued, initially, with setbacks or failure. While our path to success wasn’t always a straight line, through the process we identified a gap in the market and realized the tremendous potential for growth.

3) Perseverance. Any entrepreneur or start up will tell you: Just when you feel like giving up, push yourself further. For us, that’s made all the difference because, despite setbacks and challenges, we kept at it, knowing we’d get it right eventually.

– What was your experience like at TechStyle this year? What was your biggest takeaway?

TechStyle gave us a great opportunity to speak to many potential Stylinity users and demo the product to them personally.  People were incredibly enthusiastic and lined up to see the demos from the moment we began setting up, through the breakdown at the end of the evening. We can’t wait to see everyone’s style on the platform!

Our biggest takeaway?  Nothing beats personal interaction. We love having the opportunity to demonstrate our product to attendees – excitement breeds excitement – and our enthusiasm was contagious. Guests kept bringing friends by to make sure they’d checked out “this great new site that enables you to share your style AND get rewarded.”

– What role do live events play in your overall branding and marketing initiatives?

Events are an integral part of our marketing plans. Being able to interact with new users to see how our brand/product impacts them and getting their direct feedback has proven invaluable.  It’s important to create elements that help extend your reach beyond the specific event to the broader community. That can be accomplished with giveaways, social integration, follow up and more.

– What’s the best outlet for you in addressing your users? Email marketing? Twitter? Facebook? Another vertical?

We use different methods to reach our users – a lot depends on the objective. Strategic partnerships with influencers, media outlets and bloggers have been instrumental in helping to spread the word about Stylinity. Social media channels are a fantastic and efficient way to communicate information in a timely manner while simultaneously building our audience. Typically we use email to share more in-depth information and presentations.

– Finally, what is your favorite app?

Stylinity of course!