#30: We're back baby!
The Beni team has been busy busy busy and admittedly the newsletter fell off for awhile but we've gotten a number of request to bring it back sooooo let's do it! We missed you too!
From a team offsite in Joshua Tree to panels at SXSW in Austin, we’ve been all over the country spread the word about Beni. We’ve recruited nearly 50k shoppers and have made a ton of updates to the product in the past few months. Psst…if you haven’t use Beni in awhile, please stop reading and go test it out again - we’ve made A LOT of updates and want your thoughts!
While we’ll definitely sprinkle in some thought pieces about the resale industry at large (go check out the Resale Puzzle series we did last year if you haven’t already), we’re going to use this forum more as a place to share our journey of building Beni — we’ll ask questions, answer questions, give you a behind-the-scenes look at our journey of starting this company. Come along for the ride, and let’s have some fun building the future of fashion together!
In case you missed it:
Check out this podcast episode featuring our CEO, Sarah Pinner.
Or watch watch the presentations from the KQED event we just participated in with the Re/Make team. Hot tip: Sarah starts around the 40-minute mark.
We were also featured in a Deloitte industry report, which is pretty sweet! If you’re interested, check out the full report: Pathways to New Zero: Circular Strategies for Climate Action
Beni users, we want your thoughts:
You asked. We answered.
Something we were asked at SXSW: What is the purpose of the app?
Answer: Mobile extensions are relatively new and the only way to add Beni to your Safari browser on your phone is by first adding the app and then going back into Safari settings to toggle it on. It’s a little wonky to get onboarded and we’re actively trying to make it easier to get people properly set up.
Aside from helping you get the extension set-up, you can also use the app to view your saved searches and keep track of your favorites and we have a feature in beta where you can start your search with Beni if you know what you’re looking for! Check it out and let us know what you think.
Have another question? Just ask. Simply reply to this email and we’ll get back to you and potentially include it in a future newsletter. Someone else is probably thinking the same thing and they will thank you for it!
Beni Finds: March Madness Edition
Whether you’re rooting for the underdogs or the favorites — check out our collection of resale finds from your favorites college teams.
Note: If you clicked on the shop button you realized that it just went to the website. It’s not broken, we’re just testing whether people want to shop collections — and apparently you do (yay!).
Why we do what we do (reason #123)
Getting this text from a friend yesterday. It’s not just about buying secondhand via Beni. We are on a mission to transform the norms of consumption and help people realize that secondhand is a great way to get quality items at better prices. Texts like this one make me smile — whether you find it through Beni or not isn’t the point. The point is that more shoppers are realizing that secondhand is a viable option. And the deals are pretty sweet too!
Coming up…
April 11th: Kate speaking on ‘Future of Shopping’ panel at Neuehouse in LA
April 11th: Celine speaking on ‘Building a Regenerative Economy’ panel in LA
April 17th-18th: Sarah and Kate are heading to Sustainable Fashion Forum in Austin
April 26th: Sarah speaking on ‘Solutions for Sustainable Living’ panel in SF
June 4th: We’re co-hosting a clothing swap in Brooklyn during NY Tech Week
TBD: Where else should we go??
It’s almost our birthday…
May 17th: It’s our company birthday, which feels like a great excuse to celebrate! Anyone want to meet us for happy hour in Chicago, LA, or SF?
Other happening in the life of team Beni:
Celine is training for a triathlon in June 🏊♀️
Kate got engaged and is getting married in New Zealand in January! 💍
Sarah’s golden retriever, Griffin, continues to be the best!
Cath just hosted an epic weekend at the Houston rodeo 🤠
Love this newsletter!! Voting is very fun as well
I love voting for all the thingsss! Go Beni!