New Look Shopping
A stroller-hunting Houston dad turns futile quest into a new shopping app: Price matching to the next level?
All Jason Kaminsky wanted was a stroller, so the new dad and Houston financial planner hopped online to find one that met his needs, but wouldn’t deplete the college savings fund. His search came up empty but in the midst of the hunt, Kaminsky gave birth to an online shopping concept called WorthIt.co.
The concept evolved considerably since 2012 when Kaminsky quietly launched it on Facebook and through email, but after improving, tweaking and expanding it to include a full website and mobile app, WorthIt.co is now fully opening its virtual doors.
There are plenty of price comparing websites in the e-commerce market, but Kaminsky believes WorthIt.co gives shoppers a more personalized way to shop for the exact items they want at the price they want to pay.
“This is all about the user experience. They set their own price. WorthIt.co lets users shop the way they want,” he says.
““Millennials are willing to wait two month to save 30 percent on something, but a mom who wants to buy diapers and knows the brand she wants, just wants the lowest price right now."
Initially Kaminsky poured his evenings and weekends into WorthIt.co before eventually leaving the financial industry to pursue the concept full time. The more he talked to online shoppers, the clearer the vision became for the site.
The site is easy to use and uncluttered. It requires signing up via email or through Facebook and allows you to choose from among a host of well-known retailers including Target, Nordstrom, Amazon, Bergdorf Goodman and Anthropologie.
You choose an item, set the price you want to pay for it and WorthIt.co tracks it for you. When the item reaches your desired price, the site sends an alert and then you decide if it’s worth it. WorthIt.co scans the top 2,000 to 3,000 retailers for the lowest prices on requested items.
“I always tell women who shop at Anthropologie that if you aren’t using WorthIt.co, you are spending too much,” Kaminsky says. It can take between 10 days to two months for items to hit a shopper’s requested prices and you have the option to either wait until an item hits your requested amount, or buy it when it’s on sale or 10, 20 or 30 percent off.
“Millennials are willing to wait two month to save 30 percent on something, but a mom who wants to buy diapers and knows the brand she wants, just wants the lowest price right now,” Kaminsky says
WorthIt.co has about 20,000 users, having grown organically through Facebook and word-of-mouth, but Kaminsky expects WorthIt.co to catch spread more quickly now through both the mobile app and website.
A quick peek at Kaminsky’s own WorthIt.co tracking list reveals sunglasses, electronics and shoes, but rest assured, he did eventually find that stroller.