Every shopaholic knows the struggle of an uneducated online purchase. Sometimes, no matter how cute that pair of pants might look on your screen, you just need more information about the brand before making the decision to add it to your shopping cart. But what if, rather than scrounge the Internet for product reviews, you had your own personal shopping assistant to offer guidance every step of the way.

Nestled at the intersection of tech and fashion is ModeSens, a digital startup that streamlines the online shopping process. The network-driven service aims to help users spend wiser by directly connecting them with top luxury brands. It’s like a simplified online mall: ModeSens uses patent-pending technology to pull product info from the racks of global luxury retailers, and then aggregates the information all in one place.

[Photo: via ModeSens]

“ModeSens is the premier shopping assistant for designer fashion and accessories. As a company, we are committed to innovating a new way to shop and always placing our members at the center of the shopping universe,” Chief Marketing Officer Krystle Craycraft told Dallas Innovates.

Craycraft, a retail veteran, was brought on last year as a third partner to founders Brian Li and Jing Leng. Li and Leng founded ModeSens in 2015 in Seattle, but to formalize the business and set it up for growth, the trio recently decided to make a big move down south—so ModeSens now calls downtown Dallas home, with the entire leadership team and office headquarters based here.

“ModeSens assists not just Dallas residents, but luxury shoppers around the world. Consumers are more global than ever before and are constantly on-the-go,” Craycraft says. “We believe no matter where you are in the world and how much time you have to shop, you deserve easy access to the product information you desire and the power to choose where you purchase from. Our members are in control and we are here to serve them, so we are constantly evolving our platform to best suit their needs.”

Shopping with ModeSens

The ModeSens platform can be accessed online or via the mobile app on iOS or Android. There’s also a browser extension that can be installed and used on partner sites to create wish lists, compare pricing, and view store offers.

“As a startup, we are always adding new features and functionality in an effort to make shopping even easier.”
Krystle Craycraft

Once a user creates an account (which is free) to become a member, the luxury shopping can begin—shopping that Craycraft describes as simpler and smarter than ever before, with no gaps left at any stage of the journey.

Members are able to search for any item to get an idea of which stores carry it, sizing available, pricing differences, and shipping costs. The search also generates reviews from other shoppers, and shows how the item could potentially be styled. If a purchase is made through one of ModeSens’s partner stores, a ModeSens Protection is offered that allows members to submit a claim if anything goes wrong.

“Because of our partnerships, being a ModeSens member is like being in the front row of every designer presentation because we compile the curated collections of our partner stores all in one place,” Craycraft says. “We put the power in our members hands to discover full designer assortments, choose the product that best fits their style and needs, and decide from where and when they wish to buy.”

[Photo: via ModeSens]

ModeSens currently has around 200 premiere luxury partners that were chosen based on customer service and quality of product. This includes multi-brand retailers that Craycraft says many Dallas members enjoy, like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and direct-to-consumers like Gucci, Burberry, and Christian Louboutin.

Beyond shopping, members can choose to create a “digital closet” where they can upload looks and create collections of both what they own and what they want to own. Similar to a social media platform, the looks and collections can then be shared within the ModeSens community for others to discover.

This year, ModeSens plans to add more shopping tools and features, along with new partners to its growing network.

“As a startup, we are always adding new features and functionality in an effort to make shopping even easier, and we do our best to educate our members as we continue to grow,” Craycraft says. “As we look to the future, we are actively developing new technology that continues to break barriers and take the frustration out of shopping with just one click.”