In 2010, a new exciting and bold form of online shopping was created called Wish. While having a slow start, the app Wish has grown over the past five years into a major sales generator.
Today Wish has been valued at around one billion in American dollars. So, what has allowed Wish to grow into the huge shopping experience that it has become?
There are a couple of contributing factors as to why Wish has done so well. For starters, the source of their products really helps to keep the app running.
Wish works by connecting shoppers from western countries such as the United States and United Kingdom to East Asian retailers and wholesalers. According to A. Roggio in “Ecommerce Lessons from the Wish Shopping App,” these Chinese businesses sale through Wish for an extremely discounted price.
The second reason for Wish’s success is their wide selection of products that customize to specific users. Roggio also states that Wish is an app designed to not only allow users to browse for whatever they are looking for, but also creates pages of products that they believe app users will be more interested in.
Finally, the app sees so much success due to the fact that it is free to download and create an account. These factors have caused Wish to sky rocket in company worth.
Here at Southern Nazarene University, several students have made purchases off of Wish and had their own opinions to share about the shopping app.
When asked about his shopping experiences with Wish, Noah McKinney, sophomore and Mass Communications major here at Southern Nazarene University, had several things to say about it. “You can get T-shirts, scarfs [and] camera equipment, sometimes for below ten dollars,” said McKinney.
I asked McKinney about some of the items that he has ordered from Wish, he replied, “I ordered a T-shirt that was too small, because I didn’t understand Japanese sizes, so I had to send it back, but I have also ordered some camera lenses off of there that I really like, and a pair of shoes I’m satisfied with.”
I further questioned McKinney about the T-shirt, asking him how reliable Wish seems to be for him so far. “You really have to watch yourself on there. They have customer reviews, and those tend to be reliable…If you don’t get what you like (something is wrong with the item ordered), then they have a really easy return policy.”
McKinney went on to say that when he returned his T-shirt, he received a full refund with no trouble at all.
However, not all students have had wonderful experiences with Wish. Nathan Black, a sophomore and Graphic Design major here at SNU, had a less than great experience with the app. “I ordered a t-shirt in August… and it was supposed to be here nine days ago,” said Black. “I contacted the supplier and they said it’s still on its way, but its shipping tracker hasn’t done anything in the last few weeks.”
So far I ordered a few items off of the app myself, such as clip-on phone camera lenses, and they have worked great. I thought that the overall feel and usability of the app has been excellent.
Before downloading Wish, I would like to give fair warning to users; while researching Wish and reading reviews, I found several people complaining about adult content on the app. I have not run into any of this content, but I felt that I should warn those looking to download this app that it is a possibility.
As society becomes more intertwined with technology, apps such as Wish will continue to transform the shopping experience and how every other daily activity is performed. “I think that someday, everything that can be done on a cell phone, will be done on a cell phone,” said Black.
For additional information about the app, visit http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/78359-Ecommerce-Lessons-from-the-Wish-Shopping-App.
[author image= “http://echo.snu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/marshalljonesreedit.jpg”] Marshall Jones, Staff Contributor
Marshall was born in the great city of Houston, Texas. Currently Marshall is a sophomore at Southern Nazarene University, studying Mass Communication. Marshall has a love for all things bluegrass, coffee and outdoors. [/author]