Google’s new online shopping site, shops for you. It’s still in beta (which means it’s a work in progress), but it works beautifully. In fact, you’ll find that you now have your very own virtual stylist …
Sometimes online shopping can feel like walking into an Ikea on a weekend afternoon. Bombarded with choices, pictures, models, and this-could-be-your-life demos, it’s hard to figure out what you really like before the timer goes off and someone else nabs the deal (yea, we’re looking at you, Gilt).
Well, Google — sacred, all-knowing beast of the digital age — has the answer (as usual): Boutiques.com. Rather than that negative Google shopping experience you might remember, this is a shopping site that’s tailored to your interests based upon preferences you put into the system. It’s an online store that shops for you. Your very own virtual stylist. YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND.
Before allowing you to shop, Boutiques.com poses a series of questions for you to answer. These help the system pinpoint your style so results are according to your tastes. While “creating my boutique” I was asked to choose between magazine covers like Nylon and Black, celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kirstin Cavallari, drinks like a shot of whiskey and a martini, and cities like Las Vegas and San Francisco. All in an effort to pin my style down to 1 of 5 categories: Classic, Romantic, Casual Chic, Edgy, Boho, and Street.
Don’t think they got it right? It’s okay. Boutiques.com allows you to add or delete a style based on what you think you fall under, and yes, you can be more than one style. The personalization doesn’t stop there. The next areas ask you to choose the silhouettes and colors you love and hate for tops, bottoms and dresses. From there you pick your sizes for each and tell the system which designers you love and hate in each of the style categories.
Now that you’ve laid down the foundation, it’s time to start shopping. To judge how well the system pinpoints your tastes, check out “Your Recommended Products.” We suggest starting here just to get a feel for the choices you’ll be seeing and to further train Boutiques.com in what you like. To do this, browse through your selections and “love” and “hate” until your hearts content. Whenever you choose “love” or “hate,” it asks you what exactly it is you love and hate about the item, with choices ranging from the brand, the color, the pattern, the silhouette, the price, or all of the above. By sharing this information you’re in turn teaching the system more about what you wear, meaning the choices it pulls up for you will only continue to be more on target.
See something you love and want more information? Hovering over an item reveals a pop up with description, available sizes, and if you’re still not content, a list of “visually similar” items with pricing. So cool! Or, if this is exactly what you’ve been looking for, simply click the image itself or press the “shop” button in the pop up and it links you straight to the purchasing page for that item. Shopping has never been so painless … or dangerous.
Exploring the endless choices of clothes, bags and shoes sucks you in pretty fast, and it doesn’t stop there. Envy a celebrity’s style and wish you could look more like them? Well, look them up on Boutiques.com and see if they have a boutique you can follow (yup, just like on Twitter, only instead of “just ate a sandwich, it was really good” updates, you actually get information you care about). See all the items they’ve liked online and check out the ones that have been inspired by their style. Browse through it, envy it, or, buy it. You can even follow a style of shoe, a store in SoHo, a brand you love, a fashion blogger you trust, a friend, whatever. We know. It’s crazy.
Before we get more sucked into the awesomeness that is this site, we’re going to tear ourselves away from the computer screen and let you have a go at it. Let us know about your experience on Boutiques.com in the comments section! That is, whenever you feel like coming back up for air.
Modesta@snoety.com
