Down to Shop

About Down to Shop

Down to Shop (DTS) was an e-commerce platform that created an interactive and gamified shopping experience primarily targeting Gen-Z consumers. Founded in 2018 by Cyrus Summerlin and Maximillian Hellerstein, the company aimed to make online shopping more entertaining by producing humorous, shoppable shows featuring various characters selling curated products.

The platform operated through a mobile app where users could watch daily live-streamed episodes, discover new products, and purchase them directly within the app. A key feature of the user experience was a rewards system based on points called "clout." Users could earn clout not just by making purchases, but also by engaging with content through activities like watching shows, playing games, and taking quizzes. This system was designed to drive user retention and engagement. The business model involved partnering with brands and sharing customer data, with a revenue stream based on a cut of sales. By May 2019, the app had garnered over 250,000 downloads with users reportedly spending an average of 15 minutes on the app daily.

However, in late 2019, the founders announced a pivot, stating that the content-driven model was too expensive to sustain. They shifted their focus to a new consumer finance product, a debit card called Extra, which incorporated the successful rewards and loyalty components from Down to Shop. Sometime after January 2020, the Down to Shop app and website became non-functional.