Boston-based StylePath launches today with the goal of making the experience of shopping for stylish items, like jewelry and chaises, more personal. StylePath mainly differentiates itself from other online stores by providing a patented system that learns customers’ aesthetic preferences and recommends products that cater to them.
The system works by first asking you to rate on a scale of one to ten how much you love or hate a selection of, say, tote bags. It then rounds up items from its network of sellers that it thinks you will find visually appealing. Alternatively, you can manually find a product you like and ask to see other products that look like it. The hope, of course, is that these methods will more quickly introduced customers to items that they will want to buy.
The site also provides a few other, more gimmicky features (at least gimmicky in appearance because the execution is not terribly impressive). There’s a “WindowShop” page that scrolls images of products across the screen, a “3D Decorator” wherein you can change the furnishings in a virtual room, and a “StyleSpace” social network of sorts that pretty much only let’s you share a list of products on StylePath with other users.
For a site that caters towards those with an appreciation for style, it’s unfortunate that StylePath looks like it belongs in the 90s. They could do much more to make the experience of shopping with their technology more enjoyable. Just compare it to Tiffany’s website to know what I mean. Still, the technology underlying StylePath gives the site potential.
StylePath currently sells home furnishings and accessories like couches, faucets, shoes and handbags. They will soon add apparel, art and textiles.