CafeMom Launches The Prowl, a Social Shopping Destination That is Truly Social

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today CafeMom launched The Prowl (www.theprowl.com) a social shopping destination that gives women a new way to discover and share products they love in a truly social environment. The Prowl takes the convenience of online shopping and adds a layer of community on top to recreate the experience of shopping with friends in real life. On both mobile devices and desktop users can scroll through the fashion, home and kids' items others have added for inspiration and then shop together by asking questions and suggesting items to each other.

"As a mom I do most of my shopping online for the convenience factor, but I miss the experience of shopping with a friend who's standing by to give me help and honest opinions," explained The Prowl Co-Founder and EVP of CafeMom, Tracy Odell. "With The Prowl, online shopping is no longer a solitary experience. You can post a question and a whole army of personal shoppers (aka The Prowl community) will help you with your shopping. As a real world example, I was recently invited to a wedding and wasn't sure what to wear. I posted a question on The Prowl and my whole outfit – dress, shoes and jewelry – was picked out with the help of our beta testers."

The Prowl focuses on the whole experience of shopping, not just the final transaction. The Prowl allows users to:

• Ask the Prowl community for help finding that perfect something.
• Play the role of personal shopper and help others with everything from accessorizing a dress or finding the perfect artwork to hang on an empty wall.
• Explore the products others have "prowled" for shopping inspiration.
• Add products they covet to their boards with the "Prowl It" feature.
• Follow trendsetters and style icons to see what they're lusting after.

The site is fully responsive allowing users to take advantage of all this functionality on their mobile phones and tablets.  Apps for iPhone and iPad are projected to launch later this month with Android apps to follow.

The site will feature content from prominent fashion and lifestyle bloggers, including Real Housewife Alex McCord, Lindsay Ferrier, and Linda Sharps. Bloggers will share their boards full of fashion trends, home decor, and seasonal favorites.  They will also participate in the community by asking questions and adding suggestions to users' shopping dilemmas.

The launch of The Prowl is led by Odell and Co-Founder Kate Ward, SVP of CafeMom.  These digital industry veterans have spent their careers leading women's properties, including CafeMom, Oxygen, and TheBump.com.

The site is the newest addition to CafeMom's family of properties for moms, which reaches an audience of more than 20MM users every month. The Prowl extends the company's offerings around community and content into the shopping space.

"At CafeMom, we look to serve all aspects of a mom's life," said CafeMom CEO Michael Sanchez.  "CafeMom gives moms a meeting place to connect for conversation and friendship.  The Stir provides a one-stop destination to get all the news moms are talking about.  MamasLatinas extends our offerings to the rapidly-growing audience of Hispanic moms in the U.S.  We believe there's a need for The Prowl in an age where moms are increasingly shopping online, but the experience of online shopping doesn't meet the social needs of many women."

About The Prowl:
The Prowl (theprowl.com) is a social shopping destination that blends community and commerce to give women a new way to discover and share products they love.  The Prowl focuses on the whole experience of shopping, not just the final transaction, allowing users to explore new products for inspiration, get opinions before buying, and enjoy the thrill of the hunt.  The Prowl was launched by the team from CafeMom in August 2013.

About CafeMom:
CafeMom is the leading digital media company for moms, reaching an audience of 20MM users every month.  CafeMom's family of properties includes CafeMom.com, MamasLatinas.com, TheStir.com, and TheProwl.com. CafeMom is the leader in developing custom programs for top brands, making it the premier strategic marketing partner to brands that want to win with moms. CafeMom lead investors are Highland Capital Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. The company was founded by Andrew Shue and Michael Sanchez.

SOURCE CafeMom