Kyle
A conglomerate of online stores is nothing new to the internet, heck Amazon’s been doing it now for over a decade, however WallShops, a Eugene Oregon based startup, has reinvented the online mall. We get pitches 24 hours a day here at nibletz and every single pitch is revolutionizing, re-inventing, has the best ever, the most ever, etc etc etc, so when WallShops said they brought the shopping mall experience to the web, we brushed it off as pure startup talk. That was until we started poking around.
Wallshops has literally brought the mall experience online and it’s really about one simple function, a right left arrow at the top of the page. This feature will most likely take the form of a swipe in a tablet or smartphone implementation of the experience but it’s like you’re walking through the mall.
For instance we started with the category “Action Sports”, first I got QuickSilver then with a swipe (well actually hitting the right left arrow) I was at Vans, Element, Volcom then so on and so forth. Now really this sounds really simple, and it is, but there’s no experience like it just yet.
If you go to any of the major mall companies like Simon Malls, you go to a local mall site and then you’re looking at a list of stores and phone numbers. Other online shopping sites with multiple branded retailers make you sift through back buttons,menus, categories and keywords. The Wallshops experience is simplistic, beautiful and makes you feel like you’re in a virtual mall.
We got a chance to talk with Patrick Millegan, one of the co-founders of Wallshops and actually the only one of the founders not in the Kersey family, the other founders are all brothers. Check out our interview below.
What is Wallshops?
Wallshops is a shopping-discovery engine. It is a place to experience the mall online. We have over 260+ stores and we are adding more as we find them.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
The founders are three brothers and a childhood friend. Justus Kersey, 25, is the oldest of 5 boys. He is the web-designer. Jordan Kersey, 21, focuses on user-experience and advertising. Jairus Kersey, 20, is a graphic designer / musician / artist. Patrick Millegan, 21, recently graduated from the University of Oregon, brings marketing and community management
Where are you based?
WallShops is one website owned by JK5 Corporation. JK5 is based in Eugene Oregon.
What’s the startup culture/scene like where you are based? Do you have access to all the resources you need?
The startup culture/scene in Eugene, Oregon is non-existent. If there’s any culture whatsoever, it’s the noise coming from each new feat. on wallshops @ the JK5 Corporation office.
What is the problem that WallShops solves?
There’s two kinds of shoppers, those who know exactly what they want, and those who just want to browse. The internet has many great sites that will help you find what you’re looking for. Wallshops is a place to go when you just want to browse. As you click the next button, we take you to different stores, where you will see different website layouts, clothing items, models, prices, and each stores unique “atmosphere”, which disappears with sites like amazon or google shopping. Then, as you browse, by removing the things you’re not interested in, you begin to see more and more things you are interested in.
What is your secret sauce?
The secret sauce for our business? Fearlessness. We are not afraid to fail. Each failure has been a necessary step to where we are now, and future failures are necessary steps to where we are going. We are not motivated by personal monetary gain. Sure, we want to build a sustainable business and our success is easily measured by our profits, but we do not desire material wealth. We value our time working for ourselves and answering to no-one- higher than any salary or incentive.
The secret sauce to wallshops? Logic. There is a right-answer to every question, and we find it. Our ability to identify the problem allows us to creatively come up with an answer. We have many “general theories” we live by, one of them being: If you can say “this is how it will be in the future…” start building it. So, in the future, there will be a website, that simulates the shopping-mall experience. We are building it.
What is one dilemma you are facing or have faced in the startup process?
One dilemma all start-ups face is, when is it time to launch? Projects are never “done” or “perfect”, and it’s difficult to decide what features are necessary to get to launch. We could build WallShops forever with all the ideas and features we’ve thought about.
What’s next for WallShops?
WallShops next step is simple, traffic and registered users. Patrick Millegan will head our efforts in becoming the talk of the internet. We currently are bootstrapping our way through this start-up, and have little money for paid advertising, so we are being creative to get the word out to our future-users.
Linkage:
Go check out Wallshops for yourself here the password for early admission is @justinbieber (they say don’t ask)
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