Third Wave Fashion // JULY 2013 // THE WEDDING TECH ISSUE | Page 22

On June 12th we saw two incredible back to back events from
Women Innovate Mobile. First up was a  founders’ breakfast called
“Inspiration-Based eCommerce: Getting Customers To Buy ings ey
Didn’t Know ey Wanted.” e panel took a look at how small brands
can compete with the logistics and inventory giants such as Amazon.
Speakers included moderator Veronika Sonsev of InSparq (a TWF
client), Deborah Jackson, CEO of Plum Alley, John Burbank,
President of Nielsen Strategic Initiatives, our founder Liza Kindred, and
Tanja Omeze, eCommerce Director of Marketing & Business
Development at Verizon Wireless.
e overwhelming consensus was that it is possible to
succeed where Amazon lacks. Deborah Jackson pointed out the lack of
curation that smaller brands can exploit. Amazon is the one-stop shop,
but it doesn’t tell an editorial story about what the product is or what is
special about who makes it. Liza commented on the meteoric rise of
influencers and industry tastemakers. People go online to seek
inspiration from the opinion of those they admire and this has resulted
in platforms cropping up devoted solely to inspiring customers based on
who they look up to. e take-home of the morning was looking to
curate and refine the personality of the brand. is can increase brand
loyalty when customers feel like their favorite retailer understands their
style and shows them things they might love.
at evening, Women Innovate Mobile outdid themselves
with a second event entitled Meet the Innovators: eCommerce. 
Moderated by Veronika Sonsev – CEO of inSparq, panelists in
attendance included Selby Drummond – Vogue Accessories Editor,
Emily Hickey – COO of Lolly Wolly Doodle, Chantel Waterbury –
Founder and CEO of Chloe + Isabel, Andrew Mitchell – Co-Founder
and Managing Partner of ZIG Capital, and once again, our very own
founder, Liza Kindred.
e panelists began by discussing unique online commerce
business models. Liza conceded that recommerce companies like
Poshmark lead the way in this new business category, while Chantel
brought Wantful to the discussion, a unique site offering curated gi
books that take the guesswork out of giving.
A tip for entrepreneurs discussed throughout the panel was
to use social media to the best of their abilities in this age of hyperconnectivity. A robust social media presence mak