The Belgian ‘social shopping’ fashion platform Avail is no more. The ambitious project saw the light of day in 2019 with support from Schoenen Torfs and 9.5 Ventures. However, that light was turned out by the Covid crisis.
Shopper as influencer
While 2020 may have been the year of e-commerce, it was not the year of ambitious start-up Avail. The Belgian fashion platform promised to bring together influencer marketing and ‘social commerce’ in a new kind of marketplace, focusing on both young labels and young consumers.
Social shopping has been big in China for years, but Avail would be the first to put it on the map in Belgium. Customers could open their own micro-store, where they share what they wear and like. The idea was to turn consumers into curators and to give emerging brands a presence without having to pay for expensive models and online marketing.
To launch the platform, top woman Noëmie Haverhals joined forces with a series of micro-influencers from Belgium and further afield, including interior designer Justine Kegels and DJ Lola Haro. This meant that Avail also had to be on the international scene right away, from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom and Denmark.
“The beginning of the curve”
We are writing in the past tense here, as the plug has now been pulled from the project. During the Covid crisis, co-investor Torfs withdrew, meaning there were no longer sufficient funds to continue. The initiative was both conceived and financed by Schoenen Torfs and 9.5 Ventures.
The start was nevertheless promising, according to Haverhals: the predefined KPIs were achieved. Even though it was all still very early days. Consumers here still have to become familiar with social commerce, the entrepreneur believes, and Western social media are not yet sufficiently equipped for that.
Many shoppers are discouraged because they have to leave Instagram to complete the payment process. “We are at the beginning of the curve,” believes Haverhals, who does not allow herself to be thrown off balance and is already working on a new project.
