ShopRunner CEO Sam Yagan, one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the world, had a hand in revolutionizing online dating through both OkCupid and Tinder, and is now looking to take on Amazon's shipping dominance with a new partnership between ShopRunner and Apple Pay.
"I think through OkCupid and Tinder, both of which I was involved with, it was all about using data," Yagan, co-founder of OkCupid and current vice chair of Match Group, explained in a Cheddar interview Wednesday.
"One of the powers of Amazon is they have so much data on you they're able to make these good recommendations," he added.
ShopRunner has a lineup of more than 140 top retailers, including Neiman Marcus and Jimmy Choo. Yagan is betting that combining the power of those kinds of brands with the instantaneous nature of Apple Pay will give shoppers another option besides Amazon.
"One of the best parts about a shipping program is you want the entire experience to be seamless, and of course Apple Pay is the best at having that one-click checkout, so we thought bringing shipping plus seamless checkout together would make a great e-commerce experience"
Yagan would also go on to compare the simple swipe mechanic of the Tinder dating app to what he wants the new partnership to provide consumers.
"The Tinder experience is just so beautiful," Yagan said. "One click to log in, you just start swiping and you're on a date instantly. That's the kind of experience I want to give people in e-commerce."
While ShopRunner has a membership fee, its benefits are free to anyone using Apple Pay where ShopRunner is accepted.
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