Do I Know You? Do I Need To?

What the fuck do you sell?

Bespoke Post isn't interested in dealing with you if you don't give them your email.

I was a little curious in a conspicuous-consumption type of way about, as they tout it "choice goods, themed boxes, and stories from around the world." That open-ended curiosity ended pretty quickly. I couldn't even see what they were selling without identifying myself. Themed boxes and stories? Huh? So you're a bookstore?


A really annoying trend is gaining ground and I'm publically getting all huffy and bitter about it: ecommerce sites that will not let you get past the first screen without registering.

TheFind.com is another glaring example. As are many, many other ill-thought-out fashion ecommerce websites that do not allow browsing anonymously. Pro tip to said marketers of said sites: I really don't share my shopping list.

You Never Hear About "Social eCommerce"

The reason is, I really don't want to know what the fuck you buy and more importantly, what I buy is none of your damn business. Straight up. Do you seriously think that my friends are going to be swayed by what toilet paper I buy? Or what clothes or deodorant or underwear I select? I'm pretty sure that they would just ask me, since, like, they're my friends and all. If my association to a person is so remote on social media that they don't ask me those opinion-changing questions in person, what makes you think that my FB post is going to influence such a personal purchase?

eCommerce, like a lot of things, is not a "social user experience." It's me going online to purchase the shit I need with the least amount of interaction possible. If I wanted "social," I'd go to the mall (if they still exist). If you, as an eCommerce retailer put this wall in front of me, I will very quickly ignore you.

Brand Nonsense

Sites that play this game are making a bet that their brand is so enticing that you'll give up the last of your dwindling privacy just to walk through the door.  This thread sums up the "user experience" quite well. And by that I Mean an experience of being really turned off.