Although I love online shopping, it can get stressful, especially when you have different sites open on different tabs with baskets full of clothes you can’t decide on.
Shopping is supposed to be fun and in an age where the majority of us do our clothes shopping online, it’s pretty surprising that new app, ‘Clinch’ is one of the first online shopping assistants around.
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What is Clinch?
Clinch is an app, only available on the ipad for now, that lets online shoppers browse, compare and consider from a variety of online retailers. It helps shoppers make informed decisions by allowing them to create an outfit, event or even design a room on a canvas using items they find online. Once your items are saved you can even shuffle them around to reveal ideas you may never have thought of before.
Not only can you clinch items from online stores, you can also upload pictures of items you own or have seen on the high street. After testing it out myself, I’ve found that the app is not only fun, it’s also really great for helping you make some of the big decisions in life, such as what to wear to the office party.
My first Clinch experience
The first thing I noticed was the stylish interface. On opening, it looks similar to the Google homepage, only orange. Its simple design and straightforward nature meant there was no messing about. I just got stuck in. It’s as easy as browsing the web.
As said previously, the app lets you Clinch items from websites of your choice, take a photo or import your own pictures. I chose to shop entirely through the web. I’m attending the races soon and everybody knows how incredibly important it is to look good at the races. My goal – to find a stunning outfit that will last the whole day.
I typed my go-to website when shopping for clothes online – ASOS. It opened up like a normal browser would with an orange tool bar at the top that enables you to clinch items in one simple click. To my delight there was a 70% off sale on ASOS and after browsing like a woman possessed, (which is how I usually do my shopping) I chose to clinch a statement, off-the-shoulder red dress which was down £45 from £70.
I clicked the spanner on the top right and chose the picture. It then came up with its price and description. After that I managed to clinch another dress, a skirt, a cami, 3 pairs of shoes, a fascinator, a hat, a headpiece and a bag. A girl has got to keep her options open.
So what now?
It took me a while to figure out how to use the shuffle deck. It was then that I realised the importance of tags. When you clinch your items, you need to tag them. In order to be able to shuffle you need at least three sets of three tags, for example, 3 dress tags, 3 shoe tags and 3 hat tags. This meant I had to rename some of my items.
Once I did though, I clicked shuffle and it automatically generated an array of different outfits based on the items I had. This was pretty cool, because some of them that I never thought would go together, I loved.
In addition to the shuffle deck, there’s also an option to compare items. If you have similar dresses for example, you can see them all on the same screen, along with the price and details to help you make a well-informed decision.
The Canvas
My favourite feature of all on this app is the Canvas. It allows you to create canvases (similar to mood boards) of items that you think would look great together, and puts you further down the line to choosing your final piece. There are some editing options on the canvas but a word of advice, try clinching pictures of items without heads, feet or arms on. Otherwise your canvas could end up looking a little strange and nothing like the fine example they set you. See below.
I know, it’s creepy. However, from this slightly disturbing image I managed to figure out my final outfit choice. I just needed a couple more accessories. I’m quite proud of this one, and it definitely looks more professional. Now I just need to find the money to buy it all.
Verdict
Once I got used to this app, I really started to like it. You go through a bit of a learning process initially, but when you figure things out, it’s really fun. You can even share your creations with friends once you’re finished.
It’s not just for choosing outfits either. You can plan anything you like on it. I‘ve just gotten engaged so I can definitely see me using this as an addition to Pinterest when I start planning the big day.
The app is only available on ipad for now. To download it and try it out for yourself, head here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clinch/id919810058?ls=1&mt=8