Continuing our Marketplaces 2018 series, today we look at Trouva. To find a full list of marketplaces we’ve written about already, visit our Marketplaces 2018 page here.
Web address: Trouva.com
Marketplace Overview
Trouva is an exclusive shopping website that specialises in beautiful and high-end homewares, objet d’art, clothing and gifts. It is a curated marketplace with a team making sure that the range they offer is current and responds to the trends of discerning shoppers. This isn’t a bargain basement marketplace full of tat, that’s for sure. But it does seem to fulfil a valid niche, even if it so far lacks brand name recognition. Take a look and you’ll see the kind of items they like. You can search in the usual way or let them help you find something you want to buy with their curated guides and inspiration.
Seller registration and requirements
They say they seek boutiques with a bricks and mortar shop, with fixed opening hours and do not accept applications from online-only shops. They want outlets and good quality products with a distinctive, cohesive style. They seek “boutiques selling brands (or making products) that are as interesting and unique as our customers. It seems like they are highly selective.
You can find and fill in the application form on this page.
Product listings and fulfilment
Trouva will help you create winning listing, they expect top-notch imagery, and fulfilment is undertaken by the merchant. In some cases click & collect can be made available. Such is the relatively modest scale of the marketplace, it looks like they will assist you in creating engaging product pages for discerning shoppers. There is no information freely available on the costs of selling.
Tamebay’s take on Trouva
There is no doubt that Trouva is a beautiful website selling beautiful things. But it’s clearly keen to retain control and the cache of being a smartly curated website. They also boast a strong social media presence on all the usual channels, including the likes of Pinterest too, and thats a smart move for pretty objects
It’s hard to make a judgement about how successful they are, and if it works for sellers, but if you’re trendy shop with fantastic goods already for sale in your offline shop then it could be a good fit. Although they do appear to be rather picky.
If you want to find out more about Trouva, then you will be interested to hear from CEO and Founder Mandeep Singh in this video from IRX 2018.
