wearwell is a service in the sustainable fashion sector that enables individuals to rent and trade clothing, contributing to the reduction of the fashion industry’s ecological footprint by fostering a circular fashion economy.
If you’d like to start your own marketplace like wearwell, you’re facing a buy vs build decision. So before you decide to build it in-house on top of Spree open-source, consider using Vendo which is a marketplace SaaS. Go live, start selling, iterate.
Build vs Buy a marketplace?
Open-source offers many benefits, including full ownership and the ability to tailor freely, but these come at a price. The process of developing a complete marketplace solution is both time-intensive and costly, typically requiring several months or even years. This understanding is based on our experiences with a range of marketplace initiatives.
Unless you have a significant amount of funding, it’s generally more advantageous to use a ready-made, all-in-one marketplace solution like Vendo, as suggested by an expert who has long charged for marketplace development work.
Back to the wearwell marketplace case study
wearwell, an online store with a unique approach, is committed to changing the fashion industry by following ethical and environmentally-friendly standards.
They aim to offer customers a way to support important causes through their purchases. Wearwell partners with around 50 brands, carefully chosen to meet strict criteria on workers’ rights and environmental impact.
This platform is not just a store but a system that promotes ethical practices and sustainability. Wearwell ensures fair wages, safe workplaces, union rights, and healthcare for workers. They also provide education and healthcare services for employees and their children.
In terms of the environment, Wearwell is equally committed. They focus on reducing environmental impact in the supply chain, using organic materials and deadstock. Their range includes clothing, accessories, and home goods that reflect this dedication, like reusable fabric face pads, Leah Yoga Mat Straps, and a variety of sustainable jewelry and accessories.
Wearwell’s dedication extends beyond products to their overall philosophy. They are a proud member of 1% for the Planet, committing at least 1% of their annual revenue to approved environmental nonprofits, ensuring each purchase contributes to ecological well-being. Apart from this, they support artisan-made products, anti-trafficking efforts, and carbon-neutral production, upholding a wide array of ethical standards.
Amidst a market full of false claims, Wearwell stands out by thoroughly vetting every brand they collaborate with, ensuring their sustainability claims are genuine. They offer a range of products catering to different values, including vegan style, plastic-free options, and inclusive sizing, making them a comprehensive platform for conscious consumers.
How to emulate wearwell marketplace success?
In striving for success comparable to wearwell, plan to launch your marketplace expediently, within weeks instead of months. Assess the alignment of your product catalog with your audience’s needs and modify your customer acquisition plans based on real results.
Test the market before diving into building it yourself.
Here’s what you’d be getting with a Vendo free trial:
- Book a marketplace demo call: We’ll set up your demo marketplace and populate it with products, so you could give it a try and start selling in 14 days
- Customize your Storefront: Use the drag & drop page builder or custom CSS
- Onboard Brands: Invite your brands or choose brands from our catalog
- Select Products: Curate products and collections manually or automate it
- Embed products: Make your content, newsletters, social media shoppable
- Get Paid: Get paid as soon as products are shipped by the brands
- End-to-end automation: Brands sync, fulfillment, payouts, invoicing, taxes
When you’ve tried all that and it works, start thinking about building your own, custom-made marketplace project based on Spree Commerce. First, by decoupling the storefront and going headless with Vendo marketplace API, and later with your own backend, if you decide you really need it. Just lift and shift the storefront.
Nobody has to know what’s under the hood, right?
