Dear retailers, I told you the marketplace would be disrupted once again. This time thanks to The Lobby. This isn’t your typical online shopping retailer; it’s much more than that. It launched nationally on Tuesday, September 29, 2020, and it’s already getting people talking. So what is it exactly?
Well, The Lobby brings the mall shopping experience right to your fingertips. But instead of hanging out with your friends, you are watching videos of influencers and content creators trying on the clothes and giving their honest reviews about the products. What makes it even easier, is that you don’t have to exit from the video and add the product to your cart. You can do it while you’re still watching the video! That’s right, The Lobby doesn’t want your viewing experience to be disrupted at all.
Why so much emphasis on video content?
It’s simple. It’s the world we are living in today. If it’s not on video, does it really exist? The Lobby’s goal is to bring together the shopping experience from brick-and-mortar stores and online shopping. It’s the best of both worlds. The reason why this is so different from other online shopping websites is the 30-90 second videos from influencers. The shopping experience becomes more enjoyable, engaging, and faster. As someone who does most of her shopping online, it does get exhausting and overwhelming real quick. At some point it feels more like a job than an enjoyable experience. That’s what The Lobby wants to avoid. Shopping should be relaxing and fun after all.
Although The Lobby has been in the works for a while now, it’s the perfect time to launch it. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of people going to a physical location to shop has decreased. As much as people love that shopping experience, safety comes first. Now you tie in the fact that we live in a very fast-paced environment, and people prefer video content. More specifically, people prefer short video content. That’s why Founder and CEO Abigail Holtz knew it was the perfect time to launch.
Thanks to TikTok inspiring what is The Lobby today, video commerce may just be the next big thing when it comes to online shopping. The retail industry better hold on tight.
Itzell Ramirez-Lopez is the social media assistant for Worthix. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Marketing, with an emphasis in Digital Marketing. She also completed a certification in Legal Studies.
