Beni is a browser extension that makes it easy to buy specific items of clothing second-hand. The extension works by intercepting online shopping searches and pointing users toward the same products on the main resale sites. For example, when searching for a designer bag, a user can click on Beni to bring up a series of options for buying the same bag (or a similar one) in a second-hand store.
While most people now understand the financial and environmental benefits of second-hand products, it still takes time and effort to find the pre-loved objects they want. Beni wants to solve this problem. During the shopping phase, Beni appears in the shopping window and the browser bar and, when users land on a product page, the extension searches a database of over 200 million listings for the most similar second-hand article. The suggested resale sites can be viewed simply by clicking on Beni.
Created in the United States in May 2021, the browser extension was made available for public use in the US and UK in September 2023. Beni has access to the inventory of partner sites and, thanks to artificial intelligence, can display this to users when they are shopping online. Users also have the option to refine searches thanks to the “Filter” function, which takes colour, size, brand, and resale platform into account when displaying second-hand options.
Currently, Beni collaborates with and integrates over 40 fashion resale websites. These include second-hand retailers such as Vestiaire Collective in the UK, US-based sites that ship internationally such as The Real Real and Rent the Runway, online marketplaces for high-end clothes and second-hand toys like Kidizen, and even eBay.
Website:
Name:
Beni
Sector:
Sustainable fashion
Pros:
Artificial intelligence system that displays second-hand articles available online as an alternative to purchasing a new version of the same product
Features:
Browser extension that helps users easily buy second-hand items
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano
Image: Sincerely Media, Unsplash
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