DTC POD: Al in Style, Transforming How We Discover and Buy Fashion - Sam Rattner, CEO of Showroom

In this episode of DTC Pod, we’re joined by Sam Rattner, Co-Founder and CEO of Showroom, a company that aims to transform online shopping in fashion by using conversational AI to understand consumer intent and give personalized recommendations. 

Previously, at the age of 23, Sam sold Vigtory, an online gambling company to fuboTV for $40 million.

Join us as we talk with Sam about radically changing industries as a founder, the importance of conversational technology in commerce, and the challenges that traditional search engines like Google face. 

Plus, for those interested in joining Showroom, Sam talks about how to get beta access, both for consumers and potential merchants.

• 3 Big Lessons from Sam

  • 1. Why not knowing an industry is a big competitive advantage.

  • 2. The Importance of Conversational Commerce

  • 3. Raising capital or Bootstrapping?

• DTC Job Positions!

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3 Big Lessons from Sam

1. Not knowing an industry is a big competitive advantage.

Sam, who transitioned from online gambling to launching a company in fashion e-commerce, discovered that entering a new industry gave him a 'Zero Inherent Bias', which refers to a mental model where a decision-making process is completely free from preconceived notions, prejudices, or preferences that could influence outcomes which helped him approach challenges with a much better effective problem-solving attitude.

This led him to simplify his naive (but effective) operating mind into:

• What do customers want?

• How can I deliver that to customers?

2. The Importance of Conversational Commerce

How do you search for a clothing item today?

You type into a search bar and sift through endless pages of results. If you don't find what you're looking for, then you have to jump to another retailer, another website, and Google will only show you the advertiser that paid the most, not necessarily what you were looking for.

Which makes the discovery journey feel broken and biased towards advertisers. 

Now, imagine chatting with an AI, telling it exactly what you need. It understands what you're looking for, asks questions to narrow down options, and learns from your responses to improve over time.

This approach not only makes shopping more enjoyable but could also drastically cut down on the time spent searching for products. 

3. Raising capital or Bootstrapping?

Depends. 

Consider this- If you were trying to bootstrap a business, and woke up one day and saw that a competitor of yours raised a $25 million round and hired two senior executives, would you care or not?

Yes- Is it also a big issue? If it ticks both boxes, then do raise capital. It's very difficult to bootstrap a business when all of your competitors are in a market that's moving quickly and are raising significant capital.

No- Then don’t raise.

DTC Job Positions!

Join Lovevery as Design Director

Job Description: Lead the visual direction of award-winning physical products for children, integrating child development science with design. Oversee production design, book design, and graphics.
Responsibilities: Manage and inspire a team of designers and illustrators, guiding color, pattern, and design for physical products.
Salary: Offering a competitive salary range of $115,000 to $150,000, commensurate with experience. Includes benefits, stock options, generous PTO, parental leave, and product discounts.

Join Burrow as Senior Associate, Lifecycle Marketing

Job Description: Spearhead lifecycle marketing efforts to boost engagement and sales through Email, SMS, Referral, and Direct Mail. 
Responsibilities: Lead lifecycle marketing campaigns, managing from conception to execution, including creative briefs, segmentation, and A/B testing.
Salary: Competitive salary range of $65,000 to $75,000, reflecting experience, education, and location. Includes health insurance, PTO, parental leave, a free Burrow sofa, 401k, and professional development opportunities.

Join The Farmer's Dog as Senior Acquisition Associate, Affiliate Marketing

Job Description: Propel our affiliate marketing program to new heights, managing existing partnerships and forging new ones to align with our mission of revolutionizing pet health.

Responsibilities: Oversee the affiliate program, negotiating and managing partnerships. Launch brand-aligned campaigns, analyze performance data for insights, and manage budgets to achieve both immediate and long-term goals.

Salary: Competitive salary range of $80,000 to $95,000, based on experience and location, with equity ownership in the company. Includes comprehensive healthcare, dental, vision, mental health benefits, 12-week paid parental leave, 401k with company match, flexible PTO, and discounted fresh food for your pet.

That wraps up this week’s newsletter!

As always, reply any time with thoughts, questions, reactions, or ideas for future issues. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to unlock new episodes of DTC Pod each week!