How People Actually Want to Shop. Spoiler: Not in Your IG DMs
What 100 shoppers said they want (and what they’re tired of pretending to like).
You drop new items on Instagram. You write “first come first serve.” Someone replies 6 hours later, says “still available?” and ghosts.
Shocking news from my latest poll: most people don’t want to shop like they’re at a garage sale hosted on a phone screen.
Let’s talk about what they said they do want.
THE MOST BORING OPTION… IS THE MOST POPULAR
Most people said they want to add to cart and check out. No DMing, no waiting, no mystery.
That’s not sexy. It’s not curated. It’s not “drop at 7PM sharp.” It’s literally just: product + cart + done. Like how normal stores work.
We all love the thrill of the hunt… until it takes three days, two Venmos, and one unread DM to buy a $38 skirt.
BUT MAKE IT LOUD 📣
The preferred way to see new arrivals (ranked):
Email
TikTok
Text alerts
Instagram Stories
Your static feed post is not doing the heavy lifting. Neither is that vague caption that says “new drop” with no link in sight.
If you’re not showing pieces in motion (TikTok), or directly nudging people (email/text), you’re probably not even getting seen. People want it to show up in their space, not live on your grid waiting to be found like some spiritual test. And you? You want to be seen.
NO SHADE TO CURATED DROPS… BUT ALSO, KIND OF
Only a small percentage of people said they like scheduled drops. That’s fewer than those who want bundles or auctions.
So if you’re spending hours making a collage graphic for your “7PM Friday Drop,” just know: the majority of people are not that excited. They want convenience, not suspense. This is resale, not Coachella.
Vintage doesn’t have to be mysterious. Or cryptic. Or hard to buy. People want the magic of the piece, not a scavenger hunt to claim it.
If your checkout process requires a cipher and Ben Franklin’s bifocals, maybe rethink it. This isn’t National Treasure and no one’s stealing the Declaration to buy low-rise Miss Sixty.
More poll breakdowns coming soon.
Until then, I’m still building the site that lets you check out like a normal person. For now, we suffer together.
❤︎ C
