Tictail: Why we love the 'Tumblr for e-commerce'

Launched back in 2012, Tictail is built to simplify the creation and running of online stores.

Its no-frills interface, great-looking sites and friendly branding led the Swedish-based startup to be dubbed “Tumblr for e-commerce” by Wired last year, which seems to have stuck ever since.

So what makes Tictail so appealing?

Well, for starters its totally free. Anyone with stuff to sell can sign-up and build their own site. Tictail then makes its money by selling on apps to its users that they can then add in to their shopping experiences. Top apps currently include analytics, discount tools and codes, custom domain names and live chat services, but there are plenty more to turn a basic shop into an all-singing, all-dancing e-commerce experience to rival the biggest of brands.

Just like Tumblr, with a little love Tictail’s sites look fantastic. Users can customise the design of their store and it’ll be mobile and tablet friendly too. Although, there’s definitely a move towards sparse, clean design rather than garish colours and clutter, which makes sense on a platform where the products should really be doing all of the talking.

The team don’t just give you the tools to set up your shop and send you on your way, they provide constant support and advice about how to make your business thrive, teaching retailers how they can better run their sites on an ongoing basis.

If you look at some of the example sites on Tictail’s website it’s clear the platform could be a valuable asset for lone designers and small hipster brands looking for a way to flog their stuff.

But does it have the potential to compete with the likes of eBay and Etsy?

Well who knows, but with more than 35,000 stores on its platform to date, an $8m Series A fundraising round announcement earlier this week and ambitious plans to expand into the US, Tictail is definitely one to watch.