One thing you can say about hipsters is that they are not terribly good consumers. The New York Times has a weekly column called “The Apple Chronicles” to keep you up to date on the latest developments in the hipster world. To wit:
America’s pledge to show respect is a strange notion to hipsters and men like Will and Jake Rudnick, who make bicycles from old baseball cards, LEGO and dominoes. They call themselves the iBuying Brothers and present nearly 250 pages of their iPhone phone cases and case covers and many other items—ranging from tchotchkes to bras and watches to groceries.
But it is the first item on their website that should serve as a cautionary tale: the iBuying File Shops, where you can purchase things from feminist petitions to signed petitions.
All they need now is a fridge cover.
Is the iBuying movement on the decline? Some say so. There are blogs like iBuxi, which clearly uphold the value of transparency. And various media are reporting on the rise of “hipster startups” outside of hipster retail. Even Instagram is on the case.
Read more: The Debate Over the Summer’s Coolest Trends
The potential of wearable tech to impact personal well-being and efficiency was the topic of one of our recent book tours. Attendees of every event – from HGTV to Glamour to Forbes – asked me the same question: Will iBuying ever become mainstream?
My hope is that it will, and my focus for the next several years is making sure that products designed by my partners Sean Flavin and Jerilyn Welch that innovate and challenge norms become reality. I want to help retail evolution through iBuying and through conventional retail.
In 2019, I will be looking for newer ways to integrate that disruption, including improving loyalty programs and building data analytics and consumer insights capabilities. And I’ll continue to create new ways for retail to give back to society and to individual consumers.
Read more: New York Fashion Shows Ranked From Worst to Best
Brian McCullough is the co-founder and CEO of iBuying.