Net-a-Porter’s NetSet app inspires millennial shoppers and reaps results

The popularity of mobile shopping continues to soar and Net-a-Porter’s mobile app has cleverly tapped into the trend.

The etailer, which generates about 40% of its sales through mobile, created a dedicated social shopping community that fits customer habits and offers a unique alternative to other social networks.

The NetSet app was designed for a new generation of Net-a-Porter shoppers by offering them a platform where they could make purchases and be inspired.

It is a fully shoppable social commerce platform that allows users to create profiles, purchase directly and ‘love’ items. The

etailer launched it in May last year as an invitation-only platform, creating a community of high-profile fashion influencers and customers, before opening it to the general public in August.

Real-time data is used to enable shoppers to sort products based on popularity. Users can also upload photos of clothing they covet and the app will find similar products within Net-a-Porter’s product range based on colour, pattern and style using image-recognition technology.

From the ground up

The cutting-edge technology available to users on NetSet was developed, tested and launched in-house and from scratch.

“There is a boldness of vision in developing a product like this entirely in-house, and on a short time frame with minimal spend, which is very inspiring”

Awards judge

Net-a-Porter created a team outside of day-to-day operations to develop the app, led by vice-president Sarah Watson and creative director of social commerce Alexandra Hoffnung.

The NetSet team continually develops the app based on feedback from other employees and a focus group of 5,000 customers.

The judges were impressed by the flexibility and responsiveness of this structure, which they said resembled a disruptive start-up taking on established social media brands.

One judge commented: “There is a boldness of vision in developing a product like this entirely in-house, and on a short time frame with minimal spend, which is very inspiring.”

Since its launch, the NetSet app has had more than 93,000 downloads, four million page views, 900,000 ‘loved’ items and thousands of interactions.

Frequent fliers

While these results are impressive, what stood out for the judges was the fact that the average NetSet user visits very frequently.  

“This app has very high loyalty rates from its existing users already and the potential for growth is enormous,” said one judge. “Net-a-Porter has laid down the gauntlet for its competitors by creating an innovative and highly transactional way to engage consumers.”

“There is a boldness of vision in developing a product like this entirely in-house, and on a short time frame with minimal spend, which is very inspiring”

Awards judge

The etailer wanted to diversify its customer base with the NetSet and reach a younger generation of shoppers. It has succeeded in that aim.

The etailer said the main objective of the NetSet was not to increase sales but to future-proof Net-a-Porter’s proposition by creating an immersive mobile experience for millennial shoppers.

The judges felt that NetSet has accomplished that with “a bold, innovative platform” that delighted and inspired its users.