Fashion tech startup Aesthetic has unveiled its AI platform, Alma, which promises to transform social media shopping by enabling users to identify and purchase clothing directly from social media posts.
Often described as a “Shazam for clothes,” Alma uses proprietary AI to analyze visuals and offer direct shopping links, allowing users to easily browse and buy items featured on Instagram and, soon, TikTok.
Aesthetic’s New Social Commerce Tool Gains Early Momentum
Aesthetic’s launch follows a beta phase, during which Alma drew over 80,000 users to its waitlist.
The AI concierge, which works through direct messages on Instagram and other social platforms, responds to users in seconds with curated shopping links.
The process is designed to integrate effortlessly into users’ existing habits, eliminating the need for a separate app download.
According to TechCrunch, CEO and founder LJ Northington explains that this feature aims to “bridge the gap between inspiration and purchase without disrupting the user experience.”
Fashion Creators Find New Revenue Streams on Aesthetic’s Platform
Alma’s AI capabilities go beyond individual shopping. The platform also supports “tastemakers,” a category that includes fashion influencers, stylists, and designers, by monetizing their style expertise.
When followers shop looks directly from a tastemaker’s content or within a similar aesthetic, Aesthetic shares a percentage of the revenue with the creators.
This model benefits both shoppers and tastemakers, who gain new channels for engagement and income.
“We’re giving influencers the tools to own and monetize their unique aesthetic,” Northington notes.
Aesthetic’s team includes key advisors from the fashion and tech industries, such as Reggieknow, former brand head for Yeezy and Off-White.
The platform’s backers include Slow Ventures and Zeal Capital Partners, who view the AI-powered shopping experience as a game-changer in e-commerce.
AI-Driven Style and the Future of Social Commerce
Alma’s AI analyzes user interactions to create personalized recommendations, even evolving based on user preferences over time.
Northington describes this as an effort to “map the human style genome,” using AI to enhance the shopping experience by connecting people with items that closely match their tastes.
Aesthetic’s Alma is now available on Instagram and soon on TikTok.
Feature Image Credit: LJ Northington
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