Former Prime Video exec launches Trendio, a video procuring app aiming to reimagine magnificence e-commerce

Trendio, a brand new video shopping app co-founded by a former Amazon Prime Video government, is aiming to reinforce the wonder procuring expertise. The procuring app allows prospects to have interaction with customized content material and seamlessly buy magnificence merchandise by means of reside and recorded movies.

The app is the brainchild of Alex Perez-Tenessa, the previous vice chairman of Prime Video U.S. and head of Magnificence at CVS, and startup veteran David Olmos. The pair enlisted Amazon Stay alum Julie Novak and former Glossier head of Make-up Class Administration Leah Grubb with the objective of making a platform that reimagines the way forward for magnificence e-commerce by delivering the customized recommendation historically solely discovered in-store with the effectivity of digital procuring. Grubb now serves as Trendio’s VP of Class Administration, whereas Novak is the corporate’s VP of Content material.

“I had the privilege of operating U.S. Prime Video and I noticed quite a lot of new applied sciences associated to content material creation,” Perez-Tenessa instructed in an interview. “I noticed adjustments in expectations and behaviors of audiences world wide and that made me see there was a chance to leverage all of these applied sciences to resolve an issue I’d seen once I was operating magnificence at CVS, which was that magnificence merchandise are advanced. They must be demoed to ensure that prospects to actually perceive their worth. And the best way that the digital retail setting has advanced has not gone within the route of constructing that simpler, for each manufacturers and shoppers. So I noticed a chance to leverage video applied sciences to create a significantly better method to uncover and store magnificence merchandise.”

Trendio offers each reside and pre-recorded content material from creators to assist customers make knowledgeable selections about merchandise and types. Amongst Trendio’s rising roster of magnificence manufacturers are Advantage, Philosophy, Ursa Main, Nudestix, Kjaer Weis, Joanna Vargas, Coola and Avene.

The app encompasses a TikTok-like feed the place you’ll be able to swipe by means of quick previews of various merchandise. In the event you come throughout a product that you just’re interested by, you’ll be able to faucet to observe the total video. You can too watch a reside video the place you’ll be able to chat with a creator and different viewers about particular merchandise. Customers can browse Trendio’s catalog of movies to see new objects or featured manufacturers, together with creator channels and model shops. Whenever you discover a product that you just like, you’ll be able to try immediately within the app. Trendio then makes a fee on each product that’s bought on the platform.

At launch, Trendio is offered within the U.S. on iOS, Android and Roku. Perez-Tenessa says one of many insights that he took from his time at Amazon Prime Video was that customers are shifting towards linked TV, which is why it was so necessary for Trendio to be obtainable on each cellular and Roku. Though Trendio is initially solely obtainable within the U.S., the corporate plans to launch the app in extra international locations sooner or later.

The entire content material on Trendio is presently manually edited, however sooner or later the corporate says the content material might be routinely edited utilizing AI. Trendio is presently coaching and constructing AI fashions that can be capable of make sure the app surfaces content material that’s fascinating for every particular person.

The concept of reside video procuring has taken off in Asia, but it surely’s nonetheless a reasonably new and experimental idea within the U.S. Perez-Tenessa believes that to ensure that the idea to take off within the U.S., it must be totally different from the mannequin in Asia.

“I believe the expectation concerning the content material that individuals come throughout could be very excessive within the U.S.,” Perez-Tenessa mentioned. “It additionally needs to be a mix of reside and recorded content material. I believe that’s true to some extent in Asia, but it surely needs to be much more the case within the U.S. Individuals have simply tried to only copy the Asian mannequin and duplicate/paste it into the U.S. I don’t that’s going to work as a result of the connection to video within the U.S. and in Asia has alway been totally different. You need to be there for the shoppers the best way they need to devour the content material. We predict we can provide prospects that high quality and expertise that they count on.”

When it comes to funding, Trendio closed a $3 million funding spherical in Could that was led by Madrona. Half of the funding went towards product growth and creating enterprise relationships. The corporate will use the opposite half of the funding subsequent yr for continued product growth and advertising. Trendio can be planning to lift a Collection A in 2023.

Though Trendio is launching within the magnificence e-commerce house, the corporate plans to develop past that class sooner or later. Perez-Tenessa says there may be potential for the corporate to naturally develop into wellness and equipment e-commerce, and past.