A brief Q&A about social media website, Fancy.

1. Q: Why all the fuss about Fancy?

2. Q: Why all the fuss about Fancy?
A: Read on, my friend.

3. Q: OK, so what is Fancy?

4. Q: OK, so what is Fancy?
A: Fancy is a website (http://www.thefancy.com)
which brings together images that its users have found
across the internet (or uploaded) and ‘fancied’ and
which then allows other users to fancy them too.

5. Q: Umm, isn’t that a lot like
Pinterest?

6. Q: Umm, isn’t that a lot like
Pinterest?
A: There are certainly similarities between stuff I fancy
and stuff I pin, that’s for sure. The main difference with
Fancy, however, is that it’s built on an ecommerce
platform, so many of the products you see on Fancy
you can buy directly from the site.

7. Q: Interesting. So what sorts of
brands are selling on Fancy?

8. Q: Interesting. So what sorts of
brands are selling on Fancy?
A: Well, at the moment only people in the US can sell
on the site, but that should change soon. Anyone can
set themselves up as a seller, so it’s potentially a great
way for small, independent businesses to give
themselves an online shop-front with a genuine social
layer on top. It’s a great place to discover quirky and
ingenious products.

9. Q: What about brands that
already have ecommerce sites?

10. Q: What about brands that
already have ecommerce sites?
A: There are plenty of those as well, it’s just that when
you click on the ‘Buy it’ link on their products, you’re
taken to the relevant site. Fancy is already starting to
become a significant traffic driver to brand and retail
ecommerce sites.

11. Q: Why would I shop on Fancy
rather than anywhere else?

12. Q: Why would I shop on Fancy
rather than anywhere else?
A: For one thing you’re going to
potentially see a great range of products
in the same category from different
manufacturers. For another thing, many
of the brands selling on Fancy have
created special deals only available on
the site and which get unlocked when
you fancy their products.

13. Q: But what if I’m not really looking
for something specific to buy?

14. Q: But what if I’m not really looking
for something specific to buy?
A: That’s cool. Fancy’s a great place to
browse…it’s like the ultimate place for window
shopping! And it’s not just about products.
People add loads of inspirational images, from
travel destinations to food, from vintage cars to
animals. It’s just full of really nice stuff.

15. Q: Anything else I should know?

16. Q: Anything else I should know?
A: There’s a lot of content on Fancy, so to narrow
things down you can look at specific categories and
follow people who post things you like. You can also
‘show’ other people things on the site you fancy by
email or their Fancy username, which might be useful
around, say, birthdays or Christmas…

17. Q: Worth a look then?

18. Q: Worth a look then?
A: Absolutely. But be warned, it can be pretty
addictive…

19. Mark Pinsent
Twitter: @markpinsent
Fancy: mpinsent