On the mid-season finale, I revisit MF 357 with a look at features I'd like to see on Poshmark. More at www.bemovingforward.com.
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Poshmark features wishlist (revisited and updated)
Today, I revisit MF 357 with a look at features I'd like to see on Poshmark.
Select all (for bulk listings share): Back on MF 357, I mentioned this was the remaining 10% that would make bulk share, which I rated at 90%, a perfect feature. Since that episode, Poshmark has delivered on this feature and it's made the life of large closet sellers that much easier to share listings to followers and at parties. If I had to add an "icing on the cake" wish, it would be to allow bulk share to run in the background if you exit out of the app. As I've discussed on MF 401, you can only run bulk share while in the app.
A buyer waiver option for the 3 hour hold for full price purchases: This has yet to be added and I still believe this would be a great feature for those instances in which a buyer purchases at full price and needs the item shipped right away. The way I envision this feature is that when a buyer purchases at full price, the seller can use a prompt such as a one-touch button with the option for a buyer to waive the three-hour hold period. This would enable sellers to ship right away.
Multiple colors / patterns for single listings: The ability to list color variations on a single listing was another feature I mentioned back MF 357. While I rated this an "A+" enhancement, today, I don't see it as much of a must have feature and is more of a "nice to have."
Color tags by hex or RGB code: Instead, I think a higher priority change should be the ability to tag colors beyond the basic palette that Poshmark provides in its listing creation engine. While basic colors work for most items, certain colors such as burgundy are much harder to tag. Beyond the description, tagging a blended color can only be done by using two colors such as red and purple. While workable, this workaround sometimes results in buyer confusion. A simple solution would be to have a "color thermometer" similar to what you find on most paint programs that allow sellers to measure the hex or RGB color code of photos. The ability to custom code colors would provide greater accuracy for listings.
Overnight shipping: We still get more than occasional requests to do overnight shipping with customers offering to pay for the upgrade, especially when it comes to wedding wear. Currently, this is not feasible with the way Poshmark structures transactions and shipping. However, as I said back in 2021 and as I maintain today this is a "nice to have," not a must. An overnight shipping option might be cost prohibitive and present logistical challenges for sellers that do this as a side hustle.
Sub accounts: When it comes to working with a partner or tasking an employee with creating listings (in the case of a small business), you can only do so by sharing your Poshmark login. Thus, you're sharing everything contained within that account, including financials, sales data, and other sensitive information. As noted on MF 357 the ability to designate a sub account, in which a designee could only access certain features would make delegating a much easier prospect.
Enterprise level services: Related to sub accounts, it may be time for Poshmark as a whole to explore a separate platform level specific for small and large businesses. Poshmark has proven to be an effective, albeit unorthodox ecommerce solution for my dad's retail business. That said, it's still designed specifically for individual and solo sellers. To capture a significant portion of the small or large retail business market, Poshmark would need to add more enhancements to make this a go-to ecommerce solution. Off the top of my head, sub accounts (see above), the ability to interface with common point-of-purchase (POP) and customer-relationship-management (CRM) systems, and priority customer support are just some features an enterprise version might include. This would require added investment from Poshmark that might necessitate a subscription fee or a higher commission to offset the costs.
Poshmark Live expansion: As noted on MF 425, Poshmark is seeing increased revenue potential with Live. Additionally, Poshmark has enhanced its integration with social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and more recently Snapchat to help sellers with presences on those platforms drive more sales. A natural outgrowth would be to integrate Poshmark's Live feature across social media platforms that also have live stream features. Currently, many Poshmark sellers will run Live shows on the platform and separate ones on Instagram or Facebook. Imagine if a Poshmark Live could simulcast on other social media platforms with the ability for those audiences to bid and purchase listings. This would be a net positive with increased sales for sellers and greater revenue for the platform.
Digital products: Over the past several years, Poshmark has expanded beyond clothing to electronics, pet goods, and home goods. One category that it should seriously consider is digital products such as PDF planners, ebooks, instructional sheets, and more. As I covered on the recent short form ebook series, Amazon has its KDP platform for ebooks, and Etsy has created a significant revenue stream by enabling the sale of digital downloads. The Poshmark interface is an ideal marketplace for sellers that are also creators and teachers to sell digital products.
AI: You can't turn on the news or social media without hearing something about AI and its disruptive nature. Companies and platforms are scrambling to develop AI integrations and offshoots. With regards to Poshmark, AI could be useful in three areas:
Sizing uncertainty: As I've discussed previously, the biggest challenge when it comes to selling (and buying) clothes online is sizing uncertainty. AI might offer the toolkit to help sellers and buyers gain more accurate information and confidence when it comes to gauging size by brand.
3D modeling and rendering: Video in my opinion has made Poshmark a more versatile and effective platform for selling clothes than almost any other ecommerce solution. The next step should be to look at 3D renderings of photos and video to provide even greater contour and context. Facebook already offers the ability to transform photos into 3D-enhanced visuals. AI enhancements could make listing photos and videos a more immersive and effective marketing tool.
Authentication: On the backend, Poshmark could use AI to make authenticating high end or premium items an easier and more accurate process.
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