Depop is an app launched in 2012 designed to help people sell clothes to one another. This is the sales pitch and probably a good one but the unique selling point of the app is its target market. Young people who want to find clothes no one else wears, a digital treasure trove of vintage goods that’ll make you cooler than everyone else. Simon Beckerman knew he could profit from teenage mentality and has. What no one banked on, though, is the users profiting from it as well.
As with any app. You have to first make an account and then gain followers and then you might get some offers. The goal is to offload any clothing you might have and whilst some might see this as a way to make quick bit of cash for some unwanted garments, it can be utilised and turned into a very lucrative cash cow for those seasoned veterans that know the apps ways better than most.
Knowing your audience means that it is a case of young people profiting from young people and as such those who know where to dig in charity shops and parents houses can earn a fortune. The price people are willing to pay for individuality is a lot apparently, with people able to bid on items that breeds a healthy competition and, naturally as a by product, more money.
The reason Depop and apps like it have proven to be so successful is due to the millennial deconstruction of what constitutes a job. The current wave of teenagers and 20 something’s, it seems would rather invent a job than get one and that tactic has led to some inspiring innovative and bold professional choices.
This is a day job and one that only really requires you to have access to a smart phone. This reductive statement of course wouldn’t be accepted by anyone who has made a lot of money out of Depop, mainly due to the time and effort it takes to create a business, all be it an unconventional one.
It’s important that because the screen you’re working with is so small, your profile and account is eye catching and professional, with a heavy emphasis on image quality. You have to sell what is essentially a second hand item of clothing and make it seem desirable. Not a hard task when the majority of users are there for that reason but considering the market is getting competitive, photography skills are necessary if you want to grow your brand.
It works as a hobby or pastime at first and so breaking into the world of Depop is easy as its Instagram-like community spirit ushers you into the fold and you can learn the ropes from in a safe user-friendly way. After you’re a seasoned pro, the evolution from hobby to business can sometimes be seamless, it’s using what you know to earn money, something all of us do, really, made easier by sites aplenty, dare I mention: Emocto.
