Locker

We've 10xed in 2 years and we're ready to do it again??? When I joined Locker at the start of 2023, it was a team of two with a Chrome extension and website. Word of mouth about Locker had spread from LA to the east coast in 2022 (where I was living at the time in NYC) and there were 18K shoppers using Locker almost daily because they had heard about it from Kristine Locker herself or a friend who was an avid user. These were shoppers who didn't qualify to join influencer platforms, and had grown frustrated by their notes app and Pinterest boards as a means to track and plan purchases. Locker was the first and only platform genuinely built for the everyday consumer, and unlike other platforms that had come before it, wasn't using flashy referral incentives or huge influencer spend to get the word out. Flash forward to today: over 180K users, a killer mobile app, flourishing referral program, democratized affiliate rewards program, and now growing team of 8. I'm amazed and unsurprised by how growth has remained sustainable (monthly CAC sits around 10 cents???). As it turns out, when you build a solution for the everyday consumer / the OG tastemaker / the "influencer of your friend group", their genuine referral goes a LONG way. But now we are ready to kick things up a notch, and 10x+ again over the next 2 years. If you're part of this 180K community who have saved nearly 10 MILLION products to a Locker profile - thank you for your support. There's been thousands of learnings, hundreds of "nos", and dozens of copycats to say the least (!!), but that only means that our belief in the power consumers is finally catching on. Stick around as we share insights from our playbook that, well if we're being honest, historically goes against all other marketing advice you'll typically hear. We'll be putting on our growth marketing caps, dabbling in the world of paid ads (for the first time!), and rolling out new features worth sharing. Like with all of our other core product decisions, we'll be keeping consumers at the core of what we do. Oh and if you want to help us get to that 1.8M even sooner - here's my personal referral???? Your hundreds of tabs / screenshots / regretful impulse purchases will thank you!? https://lnkd.in/gNsB6NpE

This is why I’m Locker’s biggest fan! This is such a smart approach — heavy on the one-stop-shop concept! As a consumer, this is exactly the type of advertising I WANT to experience. It feels organic, non-intrusive, and most importantly — it's actually relevant to products I'm interested in. So many platforms today are only solving for one part of the shopping journey, when the real magic happens by connecting the dots across the entire experience. And honestly — isn't this exactly how we shop in person? You browse around a store, and based on what you’re looking at, a stylist or sales associate brings you pieces you might love. So why is that same experience still so hard to replicate online? The answer (IMO) is that search + paid ads have gotten so inefficient — they’re constantly serving us irrelevant products because targeting is broken. That means consumers get a poor experience, brands waste marketing spend, and neither side gets meaningful insight into what actually drives purchasing behavior. But platforms like Locker are changing that. When you prioritize what the consumer actually wants — thoughtful, relevant, and timely recommendations — it’s better for everyone. Consumers make more intentional purchases (less impulse, more confidence), and brands get smarter, more effective marketing spend and clearer insights into who their audience actually is. Feels like the future of retail, doesn’t it? ;)

As a primarily B2C product, Locker's roadmap has been clearly defined by our team's own personal struggles and desires for a one-stop-shop shopping platform. We don't fit the mold of influencer platforms, yet Pinterest wasn't satisfying our needs from a consumer POV. Essentially if you were to ask your Gen Z daughter or coworker what her daily shopping behavior and frustrations are, you'd get a pretty clear picture of our North Star. However, while solving these previously-looked over female consumer problems, we also ~unintentionally~ began filling the gaps and solving the challenges that affiliate & brand marketers face as well. As it turns out, many of the same exact pain points that consumers face: -Oversaturation of available products at every turn on social and limited attention span -Browsing across browsers and devices, making it difficult to keep track of interest and convert when ready -Difficulty searching for personalized recs, without interference of inuathentic influencer ads or highest-bidder search results Are the exact 180 of what most brands face: -Inability to cut through noise of social and convert within a tiny window of attention -Browsing across browsers and devices, making it difficult to retarget and understand consumer journey -Increasingly difficult to reach in-market consumers as Google, Meta & TikTok become more expensive with less targeted reach As a two-sided marketplace, we've learned when you solve for one, you also solve for the other... Here's a recent example: A brand partner came to us hoping to promote one of their biggest sales of the year. They've seen the power of Locker firsthand, and know that thousands of shoppers use Locker to plan ahead for purchases. They wanted to target shoppers who had "saved" products from their brand to their own Locker's within the last 6 months, so they wouldn't miss out on the sale. The results in just the first week were INCREDIBLE! We're talkin' an 89% CTR for the in-app content and 1,120+ percentage GMV increase MoM... ...How? The brand's ideal outcome was was also in line with our community's ideals: -Locker shoppers fight the overwhelming pressure to make impulse purchase -They save products while browsing across any browser or device, anywhere & anytime -Because the brand understands consumer behavior, through this campaign they reached the right people at the right time. We sent the shoppers a personalized offer that not only felt non-intrusive, but was highly welcomed. This push notification campaign trial has now become a very regular part of our typical content offerings - through retargeting previously-interested shoppers or even reaching lookalike audiences ?? If you're looking to reach and convert consumers, you have to be willing to actually think like one. Shoot us an email at?[email protected]?and we can chat through how to flip your mindset and start solving for your challenges without being at odds with the needs of your audience.

Last week I had the privilege of joining Maggie Sellers and Hot Smart Rich at the Lancaster prison with Defy Ventures to work with their EITs (Entrepreneurs in Training). The day we spent with the EITs is one day of an eight month program that was created to help rehabilitate the currently incarcerated that will re-enter society and help give them the best tools for their second chance at life. We worked one on one with the EITs to help them refine their personal mission statements, resumes and business ideas. On the bus ride to the prison many of us felt nervous, but Quan Huynh said that the EITs were actually more nervous to meet us than us to meet them. I had heard incredible things about the event but it is hard to put into words just how life changing it was. I spent the day helping others while also learning about myself. I saw first hand the sheer inequity between my chance at life and theirs and I walked out of prison a different person than who walked in. I want to continue to do work in this space so if you are curious to learn more please do not hesitate to reach out! You can also watch the video from our day here! https://lnkd.in/gQrHiTeu Thank you so much for the opportunity Maggie Sellers, Quan Huynh and Bree Viscaina.

Soooooo... my online shopping this month paid for my monthly HBO Max subscription?! Listen up if you occasionally (or like myself, quite frequently) shop online, and want to maximize your points / cashback rewards potential to start paying for your other hobbies and expenses: As part of Locker's Payback program, I am eligible to earn commission (aka $ from inspiring a friend to buy a product I've saved on Locker) AND cashback (aka $ from purchases I make out of my Locker). It's simple girl math... but sometimes seeing an apples-to-apples exchange like these pictures below just truly puts into perspective how impactful Payback can be for the everyday shopper. I was able to cash out my $10 in Locker Payback rewards from last month via PayPal to seamlessly cover my first $10 HBO Max monthly subscription bill also via PayPal. For over a decade, influencers have had access to earn commission from the products they recommend... but meanwhile everyday shoppers have been recommending products to their friends since the beginning of time... yet have never had an incentive to other than out of generosity or joy. At Locker, we believe mindful shopping habits, and authentic, peer-driven recs not only deserve to recognized, but rewarded. Just like using my credit card points to cover travel expenses, or turning airline miles into future trips, shopping with Locker quite literally pays you for being a savvy shopper. Hearing about all of the White Lotus hype from my friends had inspired me to sign up for a Max subscription, which also in-turn inspired me to make some cute purchases out of my Tropical Vacation Locker collection. Now we've come full circle, and those Locker purchases actually paid it forward, and the cycle will continue as I go on to inspire friends to make purchases or tune in to watch together. The future of the creator economy is *real people* recognizing they have *real influence*, and Locker is the only platform out there recognizing and rewarding them for it. I guess you could say it's time for some Payback??? #creatoreconomy #consumereconomy

Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at M13 x Google's Fashion Commerce Innovation Summit. I was honored to be speaking about the future of distribution in fashion with Samina Virk, Melodie van der Baan and Sixuan Li. In today's day of consumer overwhelm, it is more important than ever for brands to be able to reach their target consumers. At Locker we believe brands need to be able to reach their consumers through an intent driven approach - we offer the ability to understand their consumers in real time, what brands and products they are saving, price points and even collection name context such as "Ski vacation" or "Bride-to-be". We also deeply believe brands need to start placing higher value on their consumers as the ones who drive commerce by rewarding them as new and returning customers. We give brands the ability to do all of this through Locker. If you are a brand interested in learning more, please reach out and we can set up a call. Thank you so much for the opportunity Lizzie Francis and Anna Barber. #consumer #consumerinsights #consumertech #startup #shoppingapp #onlineshopping #tech #venturecapital #vc #commerce #socialcommerce

Locker is hiring a Senior Backend Engineer ?? At Locker, we have created the consumer shopping platform that revolutionizes the way consumers shop, and is democratizing curation and affiliate earning to the everyday consumer. Locker was named among the top 5 commerce startups and among the top 50 startups in 2024 by The Information. Our team is growing and we are seeking senior engineering talent to join our team. If you or someone you know is interested, please send them our way or apply at the link here: https://lnkd.in/gfsp8nRi #hiring #startup #engineering #futureofcommerce #backendengineer

"It's organization meets entrepreneurship, a way to turn my slightly excessive shopping habits into a side hustle... It's kind of like running my own personal boutique, except without the overhead or the stress of stocking inventory." There's nothing like a love-letter from a member of the?Locker?community on V Day??? We get tagged in hundreds of organic social posts each week from everyday consumers who are grateful for the chance to turn their taste into taste-making, but I found this user's POV of Locker particularly worth sharing here. We're now in the age of the everyday consumer-turned-curator. Sure celebrities, editors and creators are influential. But it's ultimately the girl next door, the group chat hero, and your most stylish and painfully honest friend, who is influencing fellow shoppers at the deepest level. The creator economy is buzzy, but the tastemakers with real influence and staying power are the ones driving commerce with their own wallets, from the bottom up. It's the loyal shopper who follows their favorite brands on social media and texts their friends when new products drop. We think she deserves a little reward for her loyalty, through Locker's Payback cashback. It's the girl you text when you're going to a spring wedding and need help finding the perfect dress, because you can count on her to send dozens of options, all within realistic price range because she's not just trying to make a buck off of you. We think she deserves a little reward for her thoughtful curation, through Locker's Payback commission. Parasocial relationships and celebrity / creator obsessions help generate awareness - and of course performance to an extent - but they're just a top down, transactional relationship. It's the real relationships shared amongst real normal people that is the greatest, most un-tapped and underserved audience of social commerce. That's why Kristine Locker built a platform just for them - and it's been 5 years and counting. Time and time again, Kristine and I entertain conversations with industry leaders and VCs who are bullish on the already (very) established creator economy, and bearish of the "un-sexy" and underscored consumer curator economy. But that's ok????? because we have the support of the real decision makers here: brands who see the un-tapped value of their most loyal consumer advocates, and the the everyday people single handedly driving social commerce with their word-of-mouth and wallets. It's not often you get a front row seat to watching a social transformation before it sinks in with the greater market, and I'm excited to see who else will catch on and join this ride with us???

Locker is growing ?? We are excited to welcome two new team members to the Locker team and to be hiring a few more so soon ?? Mackenzie Tjogas and I have been tracking each other for almost two years and now I am excited to share she is officially on Team Locker. She joined the team in January and in her first month has already made such an impact. Mackenzie joins us from Honey and is a powerhouse engineer / product manager. We love the female engineer energy already ?? Locker officially has a Head of Engineering ?? Welcome to the team, Nick Locking. Not only is "Lock" in his last name - and don't worry I have already called him Nick Locker multiple times - but Nick brings a wealth of expertise, as he was an impactful early engineer at Grindr and Pray.com. We are so excited for the experience Mackenzie and Nick bring to the table and the impact they will have on the future of social commerce at Locker.?I am beyond honored to have you, Nick and Mackenzie and so excited to see what we can build together ??? ?? ?? #commerce #futureofcommerce #socialcommerce #chromeextension #consumertech

Mary Grace Scully and I just got back from a whirlwind 36 hours at #ASW in Las Vegas this week and it was more productive and special than we ever could have imagined. When Locker got to the affiliate industry scene back in September 2022, I had an MVP and a vision on how I was going to reinvent social commerce. I showed up to my first affiliate conference alone, without any prior affiliate knowledge, a platform that had yet to integrate with any affiliate platform and not one single brand partner or familiar face. Two years later at ASW this week, between a packed schedule of partners that have become close friends, as well as finally meeting with brand partners that have been on our wantlist ?? , we also managed to squeeze in some fun industry bonding too (see pics for proof)! And while we didn't hit the slots, it's safe to say we're betting big on the future of peer-to-peer influence. Stay tuned to see how that bet pays off ?? Julia Schwartz Alexa Hoffman Allegra Jacchia Michael Jaconi Crystal Simile Lindsey Grillot Michael McNerney Emma Katherine Sterry #socialcommerce #onlineshopping #shoppingapp #startup