I'm not exactly sure how I stumbled upon Tictail (Instagram most likely), an e-commerce store, but I'm glad I did. It's filled with incredible brands from all over the world, and puts you in the way of some incredible designers. Tictail is pretty easy to navigate, each store inside the side has a lot of autonomy, and they have an amazing philosophy.
Tictail History
As a fairly recent venture, Tictail was founded in 2012 by a group in Stockholm, Sweden (bless these people). The team was headed by CEO, Carl W. Rivera who wanted to create an online space that would help to business owners to launch global brands. It's a hub for small creators that want to make a global impact, and I for one am eternally grateful.
Their mission is rooted in the fact that it is so easy to start your own shop. It's free to sign up, there's no hidden fees or charges, and the shop gets to keep 96.5% of whatever you sell. It sounds insane whenever you compare it to other e-commerce websites.
Shopping Experience
SALES
With the gloriousness of having shop autonomy. You, as a shopper, are blessed with the opportunities to shop sales. You choose the between 15%, 30%, or 50% off or more. You can narrow down the price range, look within categories, and also change the settings so items can be sorted into "Lowest price." Shops are also allowed to give out coupons and special deals, so if you follow a store and sign up for the Tictail emails you'll be getting a notification whenever a store decides to have a percentage off sale.
Follow/Like Feature
When you create a Tictail profile you have the option of following stores and other users. It keeps everything pretty streamlined, and you get a notification on the bell towards the top of your screen whenever a store you've followed has added a product.
It's a great way to stay up to date on the latest goodies you can splurge on.
If you click on your profile name, and then click on the "New for You," then you're taken to a page where you can view all the newest arrivals from the brands that you follow.
One thing that could possibly be improved is how you find the complete list of how you can find the brands and products that you have liked and followed. So far it seems like the only way Tictail allows you to do this is by clicking on "My Profile" and going from there. It's an itty-bitty pitfall, but worth noting.
Phone App
I can only comment on this as a a droid user (I know... roast me), but the main reason I love Tictail is because of the ability to shop on the go. The app is nowhere near the ease of going on a desktop, but it's serviceable enough so that I can browse with *relative* ease and discover new items.
It functions fairly similarly to the desktop site: has the likes feature, you can visit your profile to look at a list of the brands/shoppers you follow, and can buy from it was well. However, you lose the ability to look at specific reviews on a brand, which is often crucial when wanting to buy something from a relatively unknown entity.
Ease of Transactions
Buying Tictail is super easy, and therefore makes it incredibly dangerous. I buy through my Paypal account, although they do accept major credit cards, apple pay, and assortment of other options.
Future shoppers be aware! Since each shop has such autonomy, they have their own return policies, and shipping costs. Before you purchase make sure that you read and understand their policies before taking the plunge and checking out. If you're buying from multiple stores then you'll have to check out multiple times as well.
Tictail is an overall wonderful venture into e-commerce. They house incredible brands that range from artwork to home goods, and men and women's fashion. It brings together small brands so that they can have a global reach.
Did I tempt you to check it out? If I did then you can check out my profile here. Definitely take a look around you can find some gems. Let me know some of your favorite stores in the comments below!