Encore: The AI That Makes Online Thrifting a Digital Treasure Hunt
Discover how Encore, an AI-driven platform, is turning online secondhand shopping into a personalized treasure hunt, making it easier than ever to find those elusive pre-loved gems.
If you've ever waded through endless online listings searching for that perfect vintage jacket or a quirky mid-century lamp, you know the digital secondhand market can feel more like a haystack than a treasure trove. Enter Encore—a new AI-powered platform that's about to make your thrifting adventures a whole lot smarter, and dare we say, a tad more thrilling.
The AI Difference: It's Like Shopping with a Friend (Who Knows Everything)
What sets Encore apart from the crowded field of resale platforms? In a word: AI. But not just any AI—Encore leverages a blend of GPT-4 and its own fine-tuned models trained on fashion and ecommerce data. Translation? You can type in insanely specific queries like, "I need a dress like the one Carrie Bradshaw wore in season 6, episode 12, in a size 2," and voilà —Encore sifts through hundreds of resale sites to find your match.
It's like having a personal shopper who remembers every outfit from your favorite TV shows and knows exactly where to find them, secondhand, and within your budget.
More Than Just Clothes: A One-Stop Shop for All Things Pre-Loved
While fashionistas are swooning over Encore's capabilities, the platform isn't just for scoring vintage Dior or that elusive pair of sneakers. Users are also searching for high-end furniture, kitchen appliances, books, power tools—you name it. Whether you're hunting for a mid-century dining table that can seat eight (with leaves, please) or a rare edition of a classic novel, Encore's got your back.
Cutting Through the Clutter: No More Endless Scrolling
Encore aggregates listings from popular resale sites like Poshmark, The RealReal, Depop, AptDeco, Chairish, Kaiyo, Mercari, and Vestiaire Collective, among others. But unlike other aggregators that simply dump all listings into a giant pile, Encore's AI filters and refines based on your detailed prompts. Don't want results from a particular site? Just untick it. Found too many round tables when you wanted rectangular? Add a follow-up prompt, and the AI adjusts on the fly.
The best part? Search results aren't skewed by SEO or paid ads. Encore doesn't play that game. They make money through affiliate links and premium subscriptions, not by pushing sponsored listings. So the only thing influencing your search results is, well, your search.
Free vs. Premium: What's the Deal?
Encore operates on a freemium model. Casual thrifters can use the platform for free and receive 30 to 40 tailored results per search. If you're a serial shopper or just want more options, a $36 annual subscription doubles your search results and offers a few extra perks. Unless you're crafting the world's most convoluted search query, the free version should suffice. But hey, options are nice.
The Future is Conversational (And Encore is Betting Big on It)
Encore isn't just riding the AI hype wave; they're making a calculated bet that conversational AI is the future of online shopping. And they're not alone. Big names like Walmart and Amazon are dipping their toes into conversational shopping assistants—Walmart with "Ask Sam" for its staff and Amazon with "Rufus" for customers. But while the giants focus on their ecosystems, Encore is casting a wider net across the secondhand market.
As Ruber sees it, the goal is to become the "Perplexity of online shopping." In other words, they aim to be the go-to platform where natural language queries meet a vast, aggregated inventory.
So, Should You Give Encore a Spin?
If the idea of sifting through endless listings on multiple resale sites makes you want to abandon your thrifting dreams, Encore might just rekindle that spark. It's user-friendly, efficient, and turns the often tedious process of online secondhand shopping into a personalized adventure.
With 50,000 searches per month and a 25% month-on-month growth since its June launch, Encore is quickly gaining traction. And while they're starting as a web platform accessible from any device, an app is in the works for those who prefer a more mobile-centric experience.
The Bottom Line: Thrifting Just Got an Upgrade
Encore is merging the nostalgia and excitement of weekend flea market hunts with cutting-edge AI technology. It's a blend of old-school charm and new-school smarts, designed to make your search for pre-loved treasures as effortless as possible.
So next time you're itching for a unique find but can't be bothered to leave your couch (or scroll through pages of irrelevant listings), give Encore a try. Who knows? You might just find that vintage jacket you've been dreaming of—or at least have fun looking for it.
