Lyst: Deconstructing a Fashion Discovery & Affiliate Powerhouse

Streamlined Entry: Onboarding Focused on Personalization

Lyst understands friction is the enemy. From the outset, the signup process is smooth, offering multiple familiar options: Apple, Google, Facebook, or the traditional email route. This immediately caters to user preference and speeds up entry. 🍎 G+ f

The onboarding flow, though concise (around 6 key steps), is laser-focused on one thing: personalization. After basic account setup, users are immediately asked to define their shopping preference – Menswear or Womenswear. This simple binary choice is the first crucial step in tailoring the entire experience.

Next comes brand selection. Lyst presents a curated list of popular high-end and contemporary brands (Gucci, Prada, Nike, Adidas Originals, etc.). Users tap their favorites, instantly seeding their future feed with relevant items. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about building a relevant product graph from the first interaction. ✨

Crucially, Lyst introduces its notification system early, framing it as a benefit: "Never miss a sale or a new drop from your favourite brands." Price Drop Alerts, Back In Stock Alerts, and Lyst Tips are positioned as essential tools for savvy shoppers, driving engagement and urgency. 🔔

The Core Experience: Where Personalization Meets Discovery

Lyst's true power lies in its relentless focus on filtering the noise of online fashion. The "Save your sizes" feature isn't just a convenience; it's fundamental to the app's value proposition.

Recognizing the complexity of sizing across different categories and brands, Lyst employs a multi-step process covering:

• Shoes
• Tops
• Bottoms
• Dresses
• Outerwear
• Bra Band & Cup sizes

Users select their preferred sizes for each category. This data becomes the backbone of the personalized shopping experience, ensuring the "Recommended For You" feed primarily shows items available in the user's specific sizes. This immediately eliminates the frustration of finding a desired item only to realize it's out of stock in your size. ✅

The product discovery feed itself is clean and image-centric. Each item listing includes the brand, name, price (often showing sale discounts), and essential interaction icons: a search/similar products icon and a heart icon to save items to a list. Low stock and sale indicators add urgency.

Filtering is robust. Beyond the automatic size filtering, users can refine searches by:

• Category (dresses, sneakers, bags, etc.)
• Price range (using a slider)
• Color
• Specific Brands (beyond initial selection)
• Stores
• Sale items only
• Free shipping

This granular control allows users to quickly narrow down Lyst's vast catalog (mentioning 18,000+ brands) to precisely what they're looking for.

The Product Detail Page (PDP) is optimized for the affiliate conversion. It features multiple high-quality images, clear product information, the crucial size selector (pre-filled based on saved sizes), and often a "Lowest price" tag highlighting the best deal found across different retailers. The prominent "Buy Now" button is the key conversion point, directing users to the partner retailer's site. Options to "Add to List" and set "Back in stock alerts" for unavailable sizes further enhance utility and retention.

Wishlists, or "Lists," allow users to organize saved items thematically (e.g., 'Sneakers', 'Holiday Wardrobe', 'Bags'). This encourages curation and provides Lyst with more data on user intent, while giving users an easy way to track items they love. ❤️

A standout feature is "Shop your Screenshots." 📸 Users can upload images from their photo library, and Lyst's visual search technology attempts to find matching or similar items within its catalog. This brilliantly bridges the gap between offline inspiration (seeing an item on social media or in real life) and online purchase intent.

Monetization: The Affiliate Conversion Machine

With $0 direct monthly revenue, Lyst operates purely on an affiliate model. The entire app experience is geared towards driving qualified traffic to partner retailers like Farfetch, Mytheresa, SSENSE, Boohoo, and official brand stores (like Gucci).

Key elements supporting this model:

• Price Comparison: Highlighting the "Lowest price" encourages users to click through, trusting Lyst to find the best deal.
• Retailer Transparency: PDPs clearly state which retailer (e.g., "From TheDoubleF," "From Cettire") is offering the product.
• "Buy Now" CTA: This is the primary funnel exit point, leading directly to the partner site where the transaction occurs. Lyst earns a commission on these referred sales. 💰
• Sale & Stock Alerts: Notifications drive users back into the app and directly towards potential purchase opportunities, often with urgency (sales) or fulfilling a previously unmet need (back in stock).

Lyst also runs ads, likely using paid user acquisition channels to feed the top of their affiliate funnel, banking on the personalization and conversion features to generate ROI through commissions.

UI/UX: Clean, Focused, Fashion-Forward

Lyst employs a clean, minimalist aesthetic that puts the focus squarely on the fashion items. High-resolution product imagery dominates the interface. Navigation is straightforward, primarily relying on a standard bottom tab bar (though not explicitly shown in detail, inferred from typical app structures) and prominent search/filter functionalities.

Subtle touches enhance the experience: smooth transitions, clear confirmation messages ("Item removed from Wishlist," "Saved to 'SNEAKERS'"), and intuitive prompts for features like list organization. The visual language is sophisticated and aligns well with the target audience interested in both high-end and contemporary fashion.

Key Takeaways for App Builders

Lyst demonstrates how an app can thrive without direct user payments by mastering the affiliate model.

• Deep Personalization is Non-Negotiable: Especially in verticals like fashion, tailoring the experience based on user preferences (brands, sizes) is crucial for relevance and retention.
• Reduce Friction at Every Step: From onboarding to checkout (referral), streamline the user journey. Offer multiple signup options and make core actions intuitive.
• Build Trust & Utility: Features like price comparison, clear retailer information, and robust filtering add tangible value beyond just browsing.
• Leverage Notifications Strategically: Use alerts for sales, stock, and tips to re-engage users and drive timely conversions.
• Innovate Around User Behavior: Visual search ("Shop your Screenshots") taps into how users discover fashion outside the app, creating a powerful unique selling proposition.

While Lyst's download numbers might seem modest for an established app, its focused strategy on personalization and affiliate conversion likely translates to a high-value user base for its retail partners. It’s a compelling case study in building a sustainable business by deeply understanding user needs within a specific niche and optimizing relentlessly for a targeted conversion goal. Understanding these intricate flows and feature decisions is key to building successful apps in any vertical.