Revolutionise the way you shop with Sept founder, Yara Al Dhaen
Are you sick of the way you shop? Where you shop? And your shopping habits in general? Well, so was the Bahrain born entrepreneur Yara, so she created Sept. The social shopping platform that is challenging the way we shop, and revolutionising what we buy.
What prompted you to start Sept?
If you look back to the early days of online shopping, it hasn’t really changed much. It’s a grid with an endless scroll and search based experience. Fashion is an industry that is driven by communities of taste and style. People are inspired by other people, and increasingly they are using websites/apps as fulfillment centers. As discovery has already happened somewhere else. SEPT is here to connect commerce, community and personalization.
How did you decide on the unique shopping style of Sept?
If you look at how social media made everyone an influencer to someone. Everyone has an opinion, a recommendation and they voice it using the medium of social media. More than ever we trust strangers ‘ recommendations online as much as loved ones. If you think of the Netflix shows you watch, the Spotify music you listen to – probably it was recommended to you by “real or virtual friends”. Our online world is being shaped by taste communities that we subscribe to. I really believe that online shopping is a broken experience as it hasn’t really changed since inception. SEPT is here to reinvent the shopping experience by connecting commerce, community and personalization.
What was important to you when you launched Sept?
Creating an experience that puts our community at the center of it.
What was the biggest challenge you faced when straying Sept?
Not being a technical founder!
Did you always see yourself working in the fashion/tech sector?
Yes. I have a legal background having studied in Law in the UK and being admitted to the California Bar Association. But I was always fascinated by fashion and how it operates as a brand/marketing driven industry. I just really saw the behavioral changes when it came to other industries i.e beauty in how users connect, recommend and shop through each other. The same thing was happening in fashion, but the experience was broken.
What advice would you give to anyone starting their own app?
My advice to anyone starting any business is that it would take twice as much and it will take double the time to execute!
What is one thing you wish you knew before starting Sept?
Ignorance is bliss!
What is next for Sept?
Continue to expand our brand partnerships, network and reach more people!
Tell us about the Sept algorithm, and what sets it apart from other fashion retail curation apps?
It takes into account every interaction you have on the app. From the brands you like, the friends and influencers you follow every tap of like and dislike
Who is Sept’s target market?
Our target market is women between 25-35 having grown up on social media with money to spend online. We really view our users as SEPT ambassadors and reward them to spread awareness of SEPT. We believe that we are building brand SEPT as a grass root movement that would not be possible without our community.
What is next for you?
Continue to build SEPT and revolutionize how we shop by connecting commerce and community.
What challenges have you faced as a female founder/female in tech?
VC funding is a challenge for most female founders, only 2% of funding goes to women. That’s a very grim reality. The problems are deeper than “because females are solving female problems” that male investors do not understand. The problem is institutional and starts at the top. But if we don’t start investing in female founded businesses, our future won’t look any different. Capitalism and social responsibility can go hand in hand.
