Buying clothes for your kids is a bit of a strange activity knowing that they will be out-growing them sometimes less than year. Instead of having to schlep all around the mall with your kids, forcing them to try on everything they might like, and having them outgrow it in less than a year, try Rockets of Awesome. The company is addressing this pain with their online marketplace that sends personalized deliveries of clothing four times a year so you can always be up to date on style while saving a little bit in the wallet department. With the ability to send clothes back that you aren’t thrilled with this startup truly is Rockets of Awesome.
Today we sit down with founder Rachel Blumenthal and to discuss the launch of this new venture which is already backed by $7M in seed funding.
Tell us about the product or service.
Rockets of Awesome is the smarter way to shop for kids. It simplifies the process of shopping for well-designed, high quality kids clothing at a great value – because parents shouldn’t have to choose between the two. After parents sign up, Rockets of Awesome will ship personalized deliveries each season (4 times a year) with no upfront cost, commitment or membership fee; parents can keep what they love and send back what they don’t.
How is it different?
Rockets of Awesome isn’t just another kids apparel brand – we are the shopping solution for parents. We combine the best of personalization, membership cadence and on demand e-commerce; all through a vertical brand. Our truly personalized experience simplifies the process of shopping for kids clothing – from end to end.
What market are you attacking and how big is it?
The global children’s clothing market saw $150B in revenue last year alone and until now, it has lacked innovation and a highly customized, stylish and simple solution for parents.
What is the business model?
Rockets of Awesome is a vertically integrated company, which allows us to easily engage with customers both through membership deliveries and on-demand e-commerce. Our team of in-house designers will design four seasonal collections each year that are tied to new box deliveries each season. Parents and kids can then keep the clothes they like and send back what they don’t. With each delivery, we learn more about your style preferences so that each box delivery gets even better. In between seasons, parents can also come back to shop individual items in a personalized shop that is curated based on kids’ style preferences and what they like most.
What inspired the business?
As a mom, I’ve always believed shopping for kids shouldn’t be a chore and parents shouldn’t have to sacrifice style for value. It was the insights and learnings from the Cricket’s Circle community, in addition to my own experience as a mother that inspired the idea for Rockets of Awesome. I knew I could create a solution for parents that answered the need for a highly personalized, thoughtful experience vs. the disjointed, time-consuming process that had previously been the only option.
How does your platform collect and understand a kid’s preferences?
Rockets of Awesome is pioneering dynamic retail. The first step is for customers to sign up on RocketsofAwesome.com. From there, parents will complete the style file, indicating their kids’ preferences from style to color to fit and more. The Rockets of Awesome team then combines behavioral patterns (what shoppers are buying) with kids’ preferences (based on the profile parents create before their first shipment) to provide a highly personalized e-commerce experience and a curated delivery of kids outfits each season. The team is able to quickly cater to customers’ wants and needs using data from their preferences and purchases to inform future deliveries and collections. We get smarter every time you shop, learning more and more about what you and your kids love. In between your seasonal deliveries we unlock a personalized shop to purchase new styles and more colors and sizes of your favorite items. Your Rockets of Awesome shop is personalized just for your kids – if you don’t have girls, you’ll never see girl clothing on the site; if your son hates red, you’ll never see red featured in your shop.
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
The next 6 months will be all about capturing feedback from our customers, learning and improving the experience. With that feedback, our algorithm will continue to get smarter, making each customer’s experience even more precise.
What is the one piece of startup advice that you never got?
I was so young when I started my first business so fortunately nobody ever told me how hard it is. I believe the greatest secret to my success to date has been willpower, passion and naivety.
If you could be put in touch with anyone in the New York community who would it be and why?
I admire passionate founders with defined points of view that naturally know how to connect with their customers. Leandra Medine (AKA Man Repeller) is one of the most authentic people I know and represents this better than anyone. Luckily for me, she’s become a good friend.
Why did you launch in New York?
Rockets of Awesome is launching nationwide. Our team is based in NYC.
What’s your favorite rooftop bar in NYC to unwind?
I love the rooftop at the Soho House. We take our kids there first thing in the morning on the weekends for a swim and breakfast before it gets crowded. They also make the best strawberry lemonade champagne drink when I’m there at night.
