Softly (YC SUS Summer 2022)

Hacker News

Share card

Softly (YC SUS Summer 2022)

Hi HN- Mollie and Kathy here with an update on Softly – a browser extension that helps you find more sustainable products when you are shopping online! Simply add our extension on to your browser, tell us what your value preferences are and as you shop online, our recommendation engine will suggest SWAPS that help you tread more softly on our planet! We are looking for feedback on our extensions functionality. More details can be found here: https://www.shoppingsoftly.com/getsoftly Download the extension here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/softly-extension/p... Right now we are available through the Chrome Web Store. The extension works on Amazon with personal care products and some household cleaning products at this time. You can submit feedback directly through the extension. The problem There are over 230 million online shoppers in the United States, and 77% of them say they are willing to change their purchase preferences based on environmental friendliness. Yet only 26% of those wanting to buy purpose driven brands that advocate sustainability do, with 74% indicating that they don’t know how to identify eco-friendly products. Additionally, consumers who do shop sustainably spend a significant amount of time researching a product to determine if it matches up to their value preferences. We’ve found in our customer interviews that many who try, quickly give up. They become overwhelmed as they travel down a rabbit hole of unending questions. Does the product have a low carbon footprint? Was it manufactured using fair labor practices? Where is it made? Who do I trust to provide the information I need to make a decision? Researching and finding products that align with your value preferences is a hassle! The solution - Softly makes it simple to support products you believe in and shop sustainably. Tell us what you care about in a product, such as if it's low carbon, organic, or cruelty free. Softly will then work in the background as you shop on any online site to suggest sustainable alternatives to the products you're already looking to purchase. Simple. Sustainable. Softly. Our customer interviews have shown that climate change and sustainability issues are overwhelming concepts, so our goal is to make it easier to be actively involved as a consumer. Softly will change the way we shop through simplicity and convenience, so we can purchase products we believe in. Many thanks, Mollie and Kathy www.shoppingsoftly.com