Karmaloop
Karmaloop is a trendy store that specializes in street fashion, and caters to those on the cutting edge. Founded in 2000 by Greg Selkoe in his parents’ basement outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and sold to Shiekh shoes in 2016, Karmaloop was born from Selkoe’s love of graffiti art, break dancing, and fashion. He wanted to give people a place to purchase the latest trends in “street” fashion, with an eye to music and entertainment. In 2005 a brick and mortar store was opened, which often served as the testing ground for new items, but according to Selkoe it never made any money and closed in 2011. What the brick and mortar store could not handle, the online store managed to flourish with, and Karmaloop continued to grow.
Karmaloop itself thrived, growing its online reach with websites capitalizing on the Karmaloop online store, flash-sale site PLNDR, women’s fashion site MissKL, and independent marketplace Kazbah. Karmaloop also included the subscription service Monark Box, which charged a monthly fee and sent exclusive gear to members each month. KarmaloopTV was created in association with music producer Pharrell Williams and former AMC president Katie McEnroe. Karmaloop continued to build its brand as the years went on.
Karmaloop is still going strong and building its brand. It appeals to digital natives who are on the cutting edge of trends in fashion, music, and entertainment. The marketers refer to this as “Verge Culture.” They have a large marketing email list and showcase Livestream events periodically to drive their sales and keep fans of the company coming back. The technique continues to work as Karmaloop stays vital in the street fashion realm.
Although Karmaloop no longer has a brick and mortar store, their website will make the shopping experience very satisfactory for all. With a Men’s, Women’s, and New arrival section, it is easy to hone in quickly on the merchandise you want. The sections are further divided into Clothing, Footwear, and Accessories, where shoppers can easily locate the exact category of what they are looking for without wasting a lot of time scrolling through every piece of merchandise. In addition, there is a separate Sale section, and another section if you want to shop according to Brands. The entire website makes use of Filters, so shoppers can filter by color, size, and gender without a lot of hassle.
Shopping on the website is an easy experience, and there are also some perks along the way. The website offers a generous 20% student discount, and a Reward’s Program where customers can earn loot that can be later redeemed for merchandise. They also offer free domestic ground shipping with a minimum order of $35. The reasonable return policy makes returning products that are not quite right very easy.
According to the Karmaloop website, “We rock the same styles as you and we share your passion for the hottest emerging trends! That’s why all of us here want to make sure that your experience on the site is the best you’ve ever had shopping online! Our top priority is consumer advocacy.” And with that customer-centered approach, Karmaloop continues to make its mark.