My presentation from the Commercism conference put on by 500 Startups. Lifestyle commerce requires inspiration. Inspiration requires content. Content requires community. Here are some tips on how we do all 3 at Polyvore.

1.
1
JESS LEE, POLYVORE CEO @ COMMERCISM MARCH 2014
Commerce + Content + Community

2. Hi! I’m
Jess Lee
POLYVORE CEO & CO-FOUNDER /
GOOGLE MAPS PM / STANFORD CS /
MANGA / DRAWING / BACON /
jessyoko.com
@jesskah

3. POLYVORE IS A NEW WAY
to discover and shop for things you love

4. CONFIDENTIAL
Community + Content + Commerce
• Why Commerce + Content + Community Matters
• Building Community
• Cultivating Content
• Driving Commerce
• Q&A
4

5. CONFIDENTIAL
Commerce + Content + Community

6. CONFIDENTIAL
Things you need
Inspired by trends, celebs, brands
Things you want
The Evolution of E-Commerce
ELECTRONICS ($56B) LIFESTYLE ($79B)
Huge # of SKUsSmall # of SKUs
Research specs, reviews, value

7. CONFIDENTIAL
Inspiration & Discovery
Information
Comparison
Buy
Inspiration &
Discovery
Information
Comparison
Buy
ELECTRONICS
COMMERCE
Requires Information
LIFESTYLE
COMMERCE
Requires Inspiration

8. CONFIDENTIAL
Inspiration requires
CONTENT
Inspiration &
Discovery
Information
Comparison
Buy
LIFESTYLE
COMMERCE
Requires Inspiration

9. CONFIDENTIAL
TRAVEL
⌃
LOCAL
⌃⌃
LIFESTYLE
The
Evolution
of Content
Offline à Online
Editorial à UGC
Content requires
COMMUNITY

10. CONFIDENTIAL
COMMERCE
Requires Inspiration
COMMERCE
CONTENT COMMUNITY
Inspiration requires
CONTENT
Content requires
COMMUNITY
P O L Y
V O R E

11. CONFIDENTIAL 11
COMMUNITY
Influencers & Shoppers
20M USERS
COMMERCE
Of Sales & Customers
TOP DRIVER
CONTENT
Created Monthly
4M SETS
Facebook
56%
Polyvore
33%
Pinterest
11%
Twitter
0%
% SOCIAL COMMERCE SALES
SOURCE: RICHRELEVANCE SEP 2013

12. CONFIDENTIAL
Building Community

13. CONFIDENTIAL
Build community into
your culture & DNA
Communicate authentically
with your community
Your community’s
success is your success
3 TIPS ON
BUILDING
COMMUNITY

14. CONFIDENTIAL
Build
Community
into your
Culture &
DNA
• COMPANY VALUES
14

15. CONFIDENTIAL
Build
Community
into your
Culture &
DNA
• NEW HIRE ORIENTATION
15

16. CONFIDENTIAL
Build
Community
into your
Culture &
DNA
• OFFICE DECOR
16

17. CONFIDENTIAL
Communicate
Authentically
with your
Community
• ACT LIKE A HUMAN
• SAY SORRY
17
We’re so sorry about last night’s misfire. Due to
a caching bug, we accidentally turned on
experimental features…
We’re really upset that this upset everyone.
Thanks to everyone for your patience and love.
Love, The Polyvore Team

18. CONFIDENTIAL
Communicate
Authentically
with your
Community
• ACT LIKE A HUMAN
• SAY THANK YOU
18
We want to take this opportunity to
thank the entire Polyvore community.
Every ounce of Polyvore’s success is a
credit to the creativity, passion and
unwavering love and support you bring
to the site everyday.

19. CONFIDENTIAL
Communicate
Authentically
with your
Community
• EXPLAIN WHY
• LISTEN
19

20. CONFIDENTIAL
Your
Community’s
Success is
Your Success
• OFFER THEM
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES TO HELP
THEIR CAREERS
20

21. CONFIDENTIAL
Your
Community’s
Success is
Your Success
• OFFER THEM
UNIQUE EXPERIENCES TO HELP
THEIR CAREERS
21

22. CONFIDENTIAL
Cultivating Content

23. CONFIDENTIAL
Use curation to
set a good example
Build self-sustaining
feedback loops
Use contests to reward
top content creators
3 TIPS ON
CULTIVATING
CONTENT

24. CONFIDENTIAL
Use
Curation to
Set a Good
Example
• SEED WITH GOOD CONTENT
• CURATE YOUR HOMEPAGE
24

25. CONFIDENTIAL
Build
Self-Sustaining
Feedback Loops
• SOCIAL FEEDBACK
• RANKING ALGORITHMS
Feedback
Loop
Create
content
Receive
♥

26. CONFIDENTIAL
Use
Contests
to Reward
Top Content
Creators
• CONTESTS WITH
SOCIAL CRED
26

27. CONFIDENTIAL 27
Use
Contests
to Reward
Top Content
Creators
• CONTESTS WITH
COOL PRIZES

28. CONFIDENTIAL
Driving Commerce

29. CONFIDENTIAL
Good, clean
data is king
Personalization
provides a huge lift
Build great tools
for brands & retailers
3 TIPS ON
DRIVING
COMMERCE

30. CONFIDENTIAL
Good,
Clean Data
is King
• SHOPPERS DON’T WANT TO
CLICK ON BROKEN LINKS
30

31. CONFIDENTIAL 31
Good,
Clean Data
is King
• CRAWL SYSTEM
• AUTOMATED CRAWLER
TRIAGE IN JIRA

32. CONFIDENTIAL
Good,
Clean Data
is King
• GOOD DATA IS THE
FOUNDATION FOR GOOD
RECOMMENDATIONS
32

33. CONFIDENTIAL
Good,
Clean Data
is King
• TRAINING DATA
• MACHINE LEARNING CLASSIFIERS
• EVAL TOOLS
• MECHANICAL TURK API
33

34. CONFIDENTIAL
Personalization
Provides a
Huge Lift
• EVEN THE SIMPLEST
PERSONALIZATION
MAKES A DIFFERENCE
34
+15%
REVENUE LIFT FROM
PRICE PERSONALIZATION

35. CONFIDENTIAL
Build
Great Tools for
Brands & Retailers
• BUILD DASHBOARDS TO
QUANTIFY YOUR VALUE
35

36. CONFIDENTIAL
Build
Great Tools for
Brands & Retailers
• GIVE ADVERTISERS CONTROLS
OVER THEIR TRAFFIC
36

37. CONFIDENTIAL 37
BUILDING
COMMUNITY
CULTIVATING
CONTENT
DRIVING
COMMERCE

38. CONFIDENTIAL
Thanks! Questions?