Wanelo

Deena Varshavskaya founded the company because she felt frustrated by shopping in physical malls and wanted a social media platform that would allow her to see what her friends were buying. In 2010, she hired a web developer to help her create the website, which underwent numerous changes into 2011.{{Cite web|url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/a-look-at-wanelo-a-social-commerce-site-for-younger-shoppers/?_r=0|title = Wanelo: Social Commerce Site is Big with Young Shoppers|date = 24 January 2013}} The website's name "Wanelo" is a combination of the words "want", "need" and "love".{{cite news |last1=Marikar |first1=Sheila |date=7 May 2014 |title=Like Mall Browsing, With a Click |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/fashion/Wanelo-Social-Media-Shopping-Site-Deena-Varshavskaya-ecommerce.html?_r=1# |accessdate=August 2, 2014}}

The company raised $2 million in seed-funding round in March 2012 from investors including Floodgate Capital and First Round Capital.{{cite web |author=Jenna Wortham |date=August 16, 2013 |title=Hanging Out at the E-Mall |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/technology/hanging-out-at-the-e-mall.html?pagewanted=all&_r=3& |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |work=New York Times}}{{cite web |author=Jenna Wortham |date=January 24, 2013 |title=Wanelo: Social Commerce Site Is Big With Young Shoppers |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/a-look-at-wanelo-a-social-commerce-site-for-younger-shoppers/ |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=New York Times Bits}} In March 2013, Wanelo raised $10 million in funding reportedly raising their valuation to US$100 million.{{Cite web |last=Yarow |first=Jay |title=Online shopping mall Wanelo raised $10 m |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/online-shopping-mall-wanelo-raised-10-m-2013-8 |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} Wanelo 3.0 was launched in 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.fastcompany.com/3009335/tech-forecast/what-style-startups-mean-for-women-in-tech|title=What Style Startups Mean For Women in Tech|author=Lorraine Sanders|publisher=Fast Company|date=7 May 2013|accessdate=October 15, 2013}}

The company was one of several websites whose user data was hacked and sold by GnosticPlayers in 2019.{{Cite web |title=A hacker has dumped nearly one billion user records over the past two months |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/a-hacker-has-dumped-nearly-one-billion-user-records-over-the-past-two-months/ |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}

Wanelo is a social platform where users can share and search for items,{{cite web |author=Rebecca Grant |date=May 7, 2013 |title=Wanelo 3.0 makes e-commerce less 'primitive' by organizing products around people |url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/05/07/wanelo-3-0-makes-e-commerce-less-primitive-by-organizing-products-around-people/ |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=Venture Beat}} which they purchase through the retailer's website.{{cite web |author=John Patrick Pullen |date=August 11, 2013 |title=Giving Ecommerce a Social Twist |url=http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227067 |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=Entrepreneur}} The site does not feature any advertisements{{cite web |title=Startups like Fab, Fancy, Svpply, Wish and Wanelo are using social networks to transform the digital shopping experience. |url=http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/the-report/e-commerce-gets-social/ |accessdate=August 2, 2014 |publisher=Smart Planet}} and is primarily monetized through affiliate marketing.{{cite web |last=Tsotsis |first=Alexia |authorlink=Alexia Tsotsis |date=May 7, 2013 |title=Internet Mall Wanelo Gets Personal With Wanelo 3.0 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/07/internet-mall-wanelo-gets-personal-with-wanelo-3-0/ |accessdate=October 16, 2013 |publisher=Tech Crunch}} Users can create an account on the site by signing up via email or connecting via Facebook.{{cite web |author=Marie Look |date=September 19, 2013 |title=Wanelo is Your Next Shopping Addiction |url=http://iphone.appstorm.net/reviews/lifestyle/wanelo-is-your-next-shopping-addiction/ |accessdate=October 16, 2013 |publisher=App Storm}} The site only allows items which are currently available for purchase to be posted.

Wanelo users can post products or follow stores and people.{{cite web |author=Tomio Geron |date=March 27, 2013 |title=Inside Wanelo, The Hot Social Shopping Service |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/03/27/inside-wanelo-the-hot-social-shopping-service/ |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |work=Forbes}}{{cite web |author=Alexia Tsotsis |date=June 8, 2012 |title=Wanelo Raises $2M … But Is Distilling Pinterest To Products The Right Idea? |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/06/08/wanelo-raises-2m-but-is-distilling-pinterest-to-products-the-right-idea/ |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=Tech Crunch}} Users can also “Save” items others have posted on Wanelo into their own wish lists.{{cite web |author=Leena Rao |date=March 27, 2013 |title=With 6M Users, Hot Social Ecommerce Startup Wanelo Is Seeing 8M Products Saved Every Day |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/27/with-6m-users-hot-social-ecommerce-startup-wanelo-is-seeing-8m-products-saved-every-day/ |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=Tech Crunch}} Users can also search for products via hashtags, like many other social networks.{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/26/now-with-10m-users-wanelo-adds-search-and-stories-to-its-hot-social-shopping-app/|title=Now With 10M Users, Wanelo Adds Search And 'Stories' To Its Hot Social Shopping App|author=Colleen Taylor|publisher=Tech Crunch|date=August 26, 2013|accessdate=October 15, 2013}} The site's layout, which allows users to save and share images of items, has been compared to Pinterest.

Retailers whose products are posted on the website are able to create store pages, which they can organize and manage.{{cite web |author=Jenna Wortham |date=March 27, 2013 |title=Wanelo, Social Commerce Site, Picks Up Speed |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/wanelo-social-commerce-site-picks-up-speed/ |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=New York Times Bits}}{{cite web |title=What's Wanelo? Why small retailers should care |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/whats-wanelo-why-small-retailers-should-care/ |access-date=August 2, 2014 |publisher=ZDNet}} Some retailers, including Abercrombie & Fitch added cross-functionality with Wanelo to their own online storefronts.{{cite web |title=Forget Facebook And Pinterest, Wanelo Is The Hottest Social Network For Urban Outfitters |date=19 November 2013 |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/sapna/urban-outfitters-is-hottest-on-wanelo |accessdate=August 2, 2014 |publisher=Buzzfeed Business}}{{cite web |title=No distractions |url=http://www.internetretailer.com/2014/06/02/no-distractions |accessdate=August 2, 2014 |publisher=Internet Retailer}}

As of August 2014, Wanelo had 11 million registered users, up from one million in November 2012.{{cite web |author=Natalia Angulo |date=July 26, 2013 |title=Wanelo, Next Verb in Digital Dictionary? |url=http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/entrepreneurs/2013/07/26/wanelo-next-verb-in-digital-dictionary/ |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=Fox Business}} As of 2014, 90% of Wanelo's members were women and 60% were under the age of 24.{{cite web|url=https://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2014/05/24/3-brands-driving-future-social-mobile-shopping/|title=3 brands that are driving the future of social-mobile shopping|date=24 May 2014|publisher=The Next Web|accessdate=August 2, 2014}}{{cite web |author=Julie Ma |date=June 25, 2013 |title=Wanelo: The Online Shopping Site Built by a Woman for Women |url=http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/06/new-online-shopping-site-by-a-woman-for-women.html |accessdate=October 15, 2013 |publisher=New York Magazine The Cut}} Along with its website, Wanelo has mobile apps for iOS and Android operating systems.{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2013/05/23/technology/wanelo-deena-varshavskaya.pr.fortune/index.html|title=Why your teen loves Wanelo|author=Colleen Leahey|publisher=CNN Money|date=May 29, 2013|accessdate=October 15, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://gigaom.com/2013/06/12/wanelo-ceo-were-going-to-see-a-shift-in-power-when-it-comes-to-social-shopping/|title=Wanelo CEO: we're going to see a shift in power when it comes to social shopping|author=Eliza Kern|publisher=Gigaom|date=June 12, 2013|accessdate=October 15, 2013}} 85% of Wanelo's traffic is from mobile devices.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2014/05/28/the-power-women-who-are-reinventing-the-way-you-shop-online/|title=The Power Women Who Are Reinventing The Way You Shop Fashion Online|work=Forbes|accessdate=August 2, 2014}}

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• [http://wanelo.com/ Official Website]

Category:Online retailers of the United States

Category:Internet properties established in 2012

Category:Social networks