Page 59 of Hooked
“So easy.” She pulled out her phone. “But I can’t lie. I use my phone to find everything.”
Azim smiled. “Then you are our target demographic.”
Tayla and Kabisa sat, and Azim pulled up a chair. They continued the meeting, talking about the development of the app, which was a fairly open secret in the online fashion world. Kabisa talked about her ideas to create community on the app with chat rooms and profiles where users could post pictures and keep fashion journals.
“I think that’s a great idea,” Tayla said. “Think about how many times you’ve been shopping and tried something on, taken a picture, and had to wait for friends to get back to you if you want a second opinion.”
“Exactly,” Kabisa said. “Imagine if you could join a group on the SOKA app specifically for clothing opinions. It wouldn’t have to be related to our inventory either. It could be for any clothing. But you’d have a built-in community of people ready to give you advice on fit or suggestions if you don’t know what would be good for an event. Things like that.”
“So it’s going to be a combination of social network and shopping app?”
“Yes,” Azim said. “But curated, like it is now, and we’re already working on filters and moderation, because we want the chat rooms and forums to remain positive and constructive.”
“Will people have the option of creating a private profile and limiting what is available to see?”
“Absolutely,” Kabisa said. “I think that’s essential for user trust.”
“We all agree with that,” Azim said. “And since we’re a retailer and we’ll be charging a small yearly subscription for the app after a trial period—we’re thinking under five dollars—we won’t be collecting data for use by anyone but us for internal marketing and suggestions.”
Tayla nodded. “I think most people can live with that.”
“The position we’re thinking about you for would be influencer outreach,” Azim said, “though we’d obviously be looking for input on other aspects as we go.”
“As a social media user,” Kabisa said, “I think some of the metrics companies are currently using for marketing aren’t what we’re looking for. Our customer isn’t always following fashion blogs or influencers. Often they’re following travel. Or photography. Or art. Music. Social justice. It’s not all about the models.”
“I can see that,” Tayla said. “But fashion is still a huge community online.”
“I agree,” Azim said. “And the numbers don’t lie. Inclusive sizing and diversity in marketing are keys to reaching that community.”
Tayla said, “I’m really happy to hear you say that, both from a professional and personal standpoint.”
“We encourage all our retailers to offer clothes in a wide variety of sizes,” Kabisa said. “After all, if all we had to offer was clothing for women my size, my sisters wouldkillme.”
Azim smiled. “You think she’s exaggerating, but I can confirm that. My sisters-in-law have no mercy.”
“Good to know.” Tayla was impressed. More than impressed. For the first time since she’d sent in her résumé, she realized she wanted this job. Reallywantedit. Not just for benefits or salary, but because they were doing something extraordinary, opening online retail to designers and customers of all kinds.
“Okay,” Tayla said. “You’ve sold me on your company vision. Let’s talk about specifics.”
Tayla groaned into her hands.“Tobin, why did you send me this job listing?”
Tobin sipped his margarita. “Told you. And clearly, I want you to move back to San Francisco. That’s why I sent you the job.”
“It’s perfect. It’s like the perfect company.”
“Nope.” He raised a hand. “I guarantee it’s not perfect. No job is perfect. Things you think are amazing right now might eventually get on your nerves. Doesn’t mean it’s not great though. And the two of them are so…”
“Hot?”
Tobin laughed. “Yeah. Pretty much. Everyone is buzzing about working for them. Everyone wants in.”
“Okay, you know I have no problems with my self-esteem, right?”
“I have known this for some time, yes.”
“But seriously, why are they that interested in me? I’m a small-to-medium-level influencer; I don’t have the biggest follower count. Not even close.”
Tobin frowned. “I think there’re two things you’re not seeing. One, you have a business background and an accounting degree. More than one tech start-up and fashion company has been doomed from the start because they can’t balance a basic budget. So that’s one thing you have going for you. The other thing is, look at your friends.”
