Are You Reading This, Amazon? Fab.com's Secret Retail Sauce

In a little over a year, Fab has pivoted from being a social network for gay men to the online destination for 4.5 million design fanatics. In just 11 months, they've sold over 1 million products -- that's 2.6 per minute. Bradford Shellhammer, Fab's co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, attributes the success to having great products. But stocking great products doesn't always ensure escape velocity, so we asked Shellhammer to tell us exactly what makes a product "Fabworthy"?
Image may contain Vehicle Transportation Car Automobile Car Trunk Cushion Human and Person
Bradford Shellhammer, the Eames of Ecommerce, scouring the web for the next great design star.

In a little over a year, Fab has pivoted from being a social network for gay men to the online destination for 4.5 million design fanatics. In just 11 months, they've sold over 1 million products -- that's 2.6 per minute.

Bradford Shellhammer, Fab's co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, attributes the success to having great products. But stocking great products doesn't always ensure escape velocity, so we asked Shellhammer to tell us exactly what makes a product "Fabworthy"?

Shellhammer relies heavily on the curatorial eye of his team to find products that will catch fire with consumers. "The key values were looking for in brands, products, and designers, is do we like it, do we love it even? I want to create a brand that’s as big and loved as Herman Miller, Apple, or Ikea. With Ikea you know what it is and there's an emotional connection. It's not for everyone, but for those who it is, it's loved."

At first, Fab's list of designers who met that bar was a pretty short list. "I was calling every designer and artist I loved and begging them to do business with us," says Shellhammer. Today, the process is more streamlined -- the company has enlisted 30 scouts who spend their days scouring the globe in search of new designers.

Fab sales feature the product and the story of the designer who created it.

Fab sales highlight products and the designers who created them.

Talk about a dream job: Fab scouts are tasked with attending all the key fashion and design shows, traveling to exotic locations to visit shops, and reading magazines and blogs to find the next generation of design stars. (Yes, they're hiring.)

Even designers who are barely out of school have a shot at Fab fame, Shellhammer says. "Our real bread and butter is finding people below the mainstream who have a small following, maybe just an Etsy store."

__Want your wares to get Fabbed? Shellhammer offers this tipsheet:
__

DO: Design Well
"There has to be something interesting in style, color, or an irreverent nature. We ask is there something good about the form or function?"

DO: Tell Stories
"It could be a tea cup or a woven blanket; the sky is the limit to what we can sell on Fab as long as there is a story behind it."

DON'T: Steal Designs
"Knockoffs exist in every category on Fab and we won't carry them. The main reason people buy on Fab is because they’re buying stuff they love, not stuff that’s cheap. We try to find stuff they haven’t seen before."

DON'T: Sell Old Merchandise
"We’re a primary sales channel, not a place you can unload crap you couldn’t sell."

Fab offers tremendous value to designers beyond dollars and cents.

Fab offers tremendous value to designers beyond dollars and cents.

Fab's Value

Fab has scaled astronomically over the past year, but unlike flash sale sites, they create value for both their customers and suppliers. "We're not like Groupon where designers lose money to get future customers, every designer who sells on Fab makes money," says Shellhammer.

And Fab's value for sellers goes beyond a bump in sales. They share data -- something few retailers will -- so designers can make more informed decisions about products in development. Fab's broad reach also brings great exposure.

"Fashion and design are very political, cutthroat businesses where only a couple retailers and magazines matter," Shellhammer says. "We're bringing an audience to people who are doing interesting things."

Fab helps designers transform from service providers to product developers. Photo: Anderson Design Group

Designers are elevated to brands on Fab. Photo: Anderson Design Group

A Case Study of Fab's Impact on Sales

The Anderson Design Group in Nashville, Tennessee, is a regional firm that creates corporate identities for local business as well as a line of retro-themed travel posters. Founder Joel Anderson didn't know about Fab when they first called, but a Fab scout convinced him to try a sale.

Selling four times more posters than expected in their first outing on Fab, Anderson is now a believer. Prior to Fab, 90 percent of his company's revenue came from design services, with the remaining 10 percent coming from posters. After Fab, the posters have become half of their business.

"Fab is a great way to test our designs," Anderson says. "It's one thing to show a new design to a few people, but Fab puts them in front of millions." He credits that exposure to helping his company land higher-profile design clients like diner giant Denny's.

Anderson's story is just one of many. Shellhammer says Lady Gaga gave an exclusive commission to a jewelry designer whose work she saw on Fab, and Tommy Hilfiger personally hired a designer he saw in a Fab e-mail.

Ultimately, Fab aspires to be more than a storefront -- they want to be the place where inspired people meet. "When I think of the brands we share a kinship with, it's Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram," Shellhammer says, "brands that allow you to be creative. People just want to make stuff."

*Photos Courtesy: Fab.com *