What happened to Polyvore?

Polyvore was a community-based social commerce website founded by Pasha Sadri in 2007.

While decorating his new house, Sadri, an engineer at Yahoo, found himself cutting furniture ideas and color patches out of magazines and arranging them on an inspiration board.

At some point, he considered that these boards could be created more easily online.

The basis for their construction was Yahoo Pipes, which Sadri used with fellow Yahoo engineers Guangwei Yuen and Jianing Hu to launch the first version of the Polyvore platform in 2007.

Three years later, the platform received 6.6 million unique visitors with revenue mostly dependent on affiliate links.

This number had increased to 20 million monthly users by 2016, with the Pinterest-esque curated shopping service amassing some 100 million items.

On April 5, 2018, Polyvore was acquired by Canadian retailer Ssense with operations to cease immediately.

Year	Key Events
2007	Polyvore is founded by Pasha Sadri, utilizing Yahoo Pipes technology to create a platform for fashion inspiration.
2010	Polyvore reaches 6.6 million unique visitors, with its revenue primarily generated from affiliate links.
2016	Polyvore experiences significant growth, boasting 20 million monthly users and offering a curated shopping experience akin to Pinterest.
2018	Polyvore is acquired by Canadian retailer Ssense, resulting in the immediate cessation of operations, which triggers backlash from its user base due to the loss of curated content.

Table of Contents

So what happened to Polyvore?

Ssense acquisition

When Polyvore was acquired by Ssense, the Montreal-based fashion platform and retailer suggested the coming together of both companies was synergistic:

“We believe that Ssense is the right community for the Polyvore members, and we’re inspired by their commitment to offering a directional mix of the most coveted labels in the world.”

Though never publicly confirmed, the company’s motivation to acquire Polyvore was likely its large and devoted user base.

But somewhat ironically, the acquisition angered the very customers it was hoping to secure.

Polyvore users took to social media to lament the loss of friend networks and personal blogs that had taken years to create.

Many also made a promise to never purchase from Ssense and urged others to do the same.

User data

In a statement of its own, Polyvore told users that their personal data would be shared with Ssense so that it could send them promotional information.

However, one wonders why user data was shared between the platforms when the two brands could not be more different.

In one corner was Polyvore, a democratized fashion platform where brand discovery was a crowdsourced community experience.

In the other corner was Ssense, a platform for the uber-cool fashionista with an editorial department writing about arty and intellectual topics such as Croatian brutalism and sound art.

While there was some degree of overlap between the two services, most users of the much more low-key Polyvore were never going to find a home on the suave and sophisticated Ssense platform.

The inability for Ssense management to realize this fact was more or less confirmed when Polyvore fans reacted badly to the acquisition.

At the time of writing, it is unclear whether Ssense plans to bring back the features that made Polyvore such a hit.

Key takeaways:

Polyvore was a community-based social commerce website founded by Pasha Sadri in 2007. Two years after reaching a peak of 20 million monthly active users, the platform was acquired by Canadian retail platform Ssense and shut down almost immediately.
Though never publicly confirmed, the company’s motivation to acquire Polyvore was likely its large and devoted user base. However, Polyvore fans reacted badly to the news that their curated accounts and friend networks would be lost.
Ssense suggested that its community was appropriate for Polyvore members. In reality, however, the two platforms attracted a different sort of customer with limited overlap in content or fashion preferences.

Quick Timeline

Polyvore was founded in 2007 as a community-based social commerce website, allowing users to create fashion inspiration boards using affiliate links.
The platform gained popularity and amassed 20 million monthly active users by 2016, with a vast collection of over 100 million items.
In April 2018, Polyvore was acquired by Canadian retailer Ssense, with the aim to tap into Polyvore’s large and devoted user base.
The acquisition angered many Polyvore users, as they lost their curated accounts, friend networks, and personal blogs, leading to negative reactions on social media.
Ssense’s attempt to merge the two platforms was met with criticism, as Polyvore’s low-key community-based approach did not align with Ssense’s more sophisticated and editorial-focused image.
The future of Polyvore’s features and content on the Ssense platform remained uncertain at the time of the acquisition.

Aspect	Description
Background	Polyvore was a popular social commerce platform and fashion community that allowed users to create and share outfits, mood boards, and fashion collages. It was founded in 2007 by Pasha Sadri, Guangwei Yuan, and Jess Lee.
Key Features	– Fashion Collages: Users could mix and match clothing and accessories from various brands to create stylish collages. – Social Interaction: Polyvore had a strong social component, allowing users to follow each other, like, and comment on sets. – E-commerce Integration: Users could shop for fashion items directly from Polyvore by clicking on items in sets. – Brands and Retailers: Brands and retailers partnered with Polyvore for marketing and sales.
Acquisition by Yahoo	In 2015, Yahoo acquired Polyvore for a reported $230 million. Yahoo aimed to leverage Polyvore’s user-generated fashion content and community to enhance its e-commerce and digital advertising efforts.
Closure by Yahoo	Unfortunately, Polyvore’s journey took a negative turn. In April 2018, Yahoo announced the closure of Polyvore, which came as a shock to its loyal user base. The decision led to the deletion of millions of user-created fashion collages and sets. The closure was met with disappointment and frustration from users who had invested time and creativity on the platform.
User Backlash	The closure of Polyvore resulted in a significant backlash from users. Many took to social media to express their disappointment and anger, as they lost access to their created content and the vibrant fashion community they had been a part of. Users felt that Yahoo had not adequately communicated the decision or provided alternatives for preserving their content.
Aftermath	After Polyvore’s closure, some users migrated to alternative fashion and style platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to continue sharing their fashion inspiration. The incident highlighted the importance of data portability and the potential risks associated with relying on third-party platforms for content creation and curation.
Impact on E-commerce	The closure of Polyvore also had implications for the fashion and e-commerce industry. Brands and retailers that had partnered with Polyvore for advertising and sales lost a valuable platform for reaching fashion-conscious consumers. It underscored the volatility of the digital landscape and the need for diversification in marketing and sales strategies.
Lessons Learned	The Polyvore case serves as a cautionary tale for both users and businesses in the digital era. Users learned the importance of periodically backing up their content and being aware of the terms of service of platforms they engage with. For businesses, it highlighted the need for clear communication with users and robust strategies for preserving user-generated content.
Legacy	While Polyvore itself is no longer operational, it left a lasting impact on the fashion and social commerce space. It demonstrated the potential of user-generated content in e-commerce and the power of online fashion communities. Several startups and platforms have since attempted to fill the void left by Polyvore, emphasizing fashion curation and user interaction.