Week 8: The Buzz on Stylehive

“Ever seen someone on the street who's style is so cool, you just want to follow them from store to store and find out their style secrets? Well at Stylehive you can!”

Ok, Stylehive.  You have my attention.

Marketed to women, ages 18-30, Stylehive is an online community for shopaholics, encompassing fashion and design, and more importantly, deals.  Users can follow other users that they deem stylish, as well as bookmark their favorite stores, items, and brands. 

The social networking side of Stylehive connects fashionistas with one another over shared likes and styles.  The online shopping side of Stylehive connects shoppers with products, and links through to point of purchase sites. 

All retailers are represented on Stylehive, including major department stores and smaller e-commerce sites.  Users can upload their own style creations, as well, opening the market to new designers and artists, and allowting them to create a following.

Stylehive also incorporates a blog, and lookbook site.

Stylehive is free to use, however, users are encouraged to “join the hive” by creating a user profile (also free).  Users must join to participate in conversation, postings, and access the features (wishlists, tagging, bookmarking, or using the site as a professional).  However, browsing is free and membership is not necessary. 

I personally LOVE Stylehive.  It’s a great way to keep tabs on your favorite lines, stores, and products.  Essentially, it functions like a Pinterest board.  However, the online shopping component, and the notification when items go on sale are added bonuses.  Because the demographic is also the same as Pinterest, Stylehive should dive into more brand presence on the site.  For example, most major brands have their own Pinterest page where they share their own content.  While there are specific store pages on Stylehive, the content is still user generated.  If Stylehive allowed businesses and stores to take ownership of their own pages, they could capitalize on the larger shared market. 

A mobile app for Stylehive would also be greatly beneficial.  Stylehive could use proximity marketing and push notifications to notify users on their mobile devices when they are geographically close to a product that they saved or added to their wishlist on Stylehive.

With 80% of online shopping being research, and only 20% being buying, Stylehive can push lookers through a mobile app into the actual store, with the hopeful reward being more advertising dollars from that store.  

Stylehive is on other social media sites to help build brand presence (though notably not Pinterest... hmmm...).  

The Facebook and Twitter pages highlight popular user likes and favorites, as well as contests and promotions.  Stylehive even has a Youtube page to showcase the latest trends from Fashion Week.  

  

While Stylehive already has a strong presence, proximity marketing would take it to the next level, and certainly make me a (more) frequent user.