Founded by Ellie Konsker & Sreya Halder, The Mall uses AI and web scraping to build a personalized feed, solving fragmented digital commerce.

• The Mall, a new app founded by Ellie Konsker and Sreya Halder, is revolutionising online shopping by creating a universal, personalised feed for tracking favourite brands and sales.

• Solving the fragmented digital commerce experience, the platform uses advanced AI and web scraping to offer unparalleled product discovery and real-time updates for consumers.

For Ellie Konsker, the endless tabs and scattered newsletters of online shopping represented more than just a minor annoyance; they were a significant barrier to a truly enjoyable retail experience. Having worked in the fashion and marketing space, including stints at Tom Ford and Karla Otto, Konsker witnessed firsthand the frustration consumers faced trying to keep up with their beloved brands. This personal frustration, coupled with a keen understanding of the market, sparked the idea for an innovative solution that would transform the digital shopping landscape.

The moment of clarity arrived as Konsker observed shoppers navigating what she described as "20 tabs at once," meticulously signing up for countless email newsletters, all in a bid to piece together real-time information about products, sales, and new drops. It was a laborious and often frustrating process, making online shopping feel less like a joy and more like a chore. Konsker knew there had to be a better way to centralise and simplify this overwhelming digital journey.

It was this shared vision for a more streamlined shopping experience that brought Konsker together with Sreya Halder, a computer science graduate from Stanford, through a female founders circle in Los Angeles. Halder, drawing inspiration from platforms like Letterboxd for movies, Goodreads for books, and Spotify for music, envisioned creating a similar comprehensive database, but for the world of fashion and shopping. "We were both super aligned on creating this world where everyone has access to all of the brands that exist on the internet," Halder noted, underscoring their ambition to build a 'Spotify for shopping.' This foundational alignment set the stage for their venture, The Mall, which they officially founded in October 2025.

The building phase of The Mall was driven by a commitment to technological innovation, designed to overcome the limitations of traditional e-commerce aggregators. Unlike many platforms that rely on cumbersome API integrations with individual brands, The Mall adopted a more direct and scalable approach. Their proprietary technology actively scrapes retail websites, meticulously pulling in entire product catalogs and tracking crucial information such as product availability, pricing, and promotional updates directly into their app. This frequent and robust scraping mechanism ensures that users receive timely alerts about sales, restocks, new product drops, and other promotions via push notifications.

On the back end, The Mall leverages large language models (LLMs) alongside its own custom-built AI models to intelligently label and categorise every item pulled into its system. This sophisticated indexing allows for powerful search capabilities, enabling users to quickly find specific products or discover new drops across a vast array of brands. The founders understood that for the app to truly deliver on its promise, it needed to be intuitive and user-centric. What started as a small idea to solve personal frustration quickly evolved into a robust technological solution designed for a global audience.

Currently, The Mall is making significant strides in its mission to redefine online shopping. Upon signing up, users are empowered to create their own personalised virtual mall by simply adding their favourite brands. The platform boasts an impressive database of more than 10,000 brands at launch, offering a rich initial selection. However, the true genius lies in its flexibility: consumers can add any other brand they desire by merely sharing the brand's Instagram or TikTok account. The Mall's intelligent system then determines if a matching e-commerce site exists and proceeds to scrape its catalog, seamlessly integrating those items into the user's personalised feed.

The user experience is designed for discovery and convenience. While The Mall functions primarily as a discovery tool, when users are ready to make a purchase, a browser page conveniently opens within the app, directing them to the brand's original e-commerce site to complete the checkout process. The company emphasizes that there is no traditional affiliate model involved; their focus remains squarely on enhancing the consumer's ability to track and discover. As users curate their collections of brands, they have the option to make these collections discoverable by others or keep them private. The founders envision this feature fostering a vibrant community where users can discover new brands through friends or by following creators known for their fashion sense. Konsker highlighted this aspect, stating that "as you dig in, you'll end up going down this rabbit hole and finding more and more things from brands that you never would have seen or heard of unless they delivered an ad to you."

Beyond brand tracking, The Mall also empowers users with intelligent comparisons. Konsker explained that users can look at a specific product and then "see what is similar to this piece across any brand in the world," allowing them to compare prices, find lower-priced alternatives, or explore different colorways. This level of granular insight is invaluable for consumers. The app is currently free for consumers, making it accessible to a wide audience. The Mall has been in early beta testing with 4,500 testers, gathering crucial feedback to refine its offerings. It is now launching on an invite-only referral basis, with plans for broad availability by the end of the summer, a strategic scaling approach for managing growth.

The business model for The Mall is a dual-sided one, addressing both consumer needs and brand challenges. While the consumer-facing app remains free, the company plans to generate revenue by developing a robust data tool for brands. This B2B product, anticipated to launch later this summer, will allow brands to anonymously and aggregately analyze clicks, observe how other brands are approaching their seasonal assortments, and gain insights to inform their planning strategies. This data-driven approach holds immense promise for brands, offering them valuable market intelligence in a highly competitive landscape. Halder articulated the long-term vision: "Over time, we see those two paths crossing, where once we have enough shoppers on our consumer product, then it becomes a really great advertising platform for brands to have sponsored billboards and weekly or monthly subscriptions, where they show up in these recommendations and in your feed." This innovative monetization strategy positions The Mall not just as a consumer app, but as a vital ecosystem player for the entire retail industry.

The Mall's journey signifies a pivotal shift in how we perceive and engage with online retail, offering a compelling vision for the future of shopping. For shoppers and brands, The Mall offers a potent solution to the fragmented digital commerce landscape. It promises to transform a once frustrating experience into a seamless journey of discovery and convenience, fostering greater accessibility and smarter choices. This pioneering spirit from Konsker and Halder not only addresses a universal consumer pain point but also sets an inspiring precedent for aspiring entrepreneurs, demonstrating the power of innovative technology to solve everyday problems and build impactful, globally relevant platforms.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Mall app?

The Mall is a new app founded by Ellie Konsker and Sreya Halder that creates a universal, personalized feed for online shopping. It aims to solve the fragmented digital commerce experience by tracking favourite brands and sales in one place.

Who founded The Mall app?

The Mall app was founded by Ellie Konsker and Sreya Halder.

How does The Mall app personalize shopping?

The Mall app uses advanced AI and web scraping to create a personalized feed based on user preferences and tracked brands.

What problem does The Mall app solve?

It solves the fragmented digital commerce experience, where users have to visit multiple sites to track brands and sales.

What technologies does The Mall app use?

The platform utilizes advanced AI and web scraping technologies for product discovery and real-time updates.

Where can I track my favorite brands with The Mall?

You can track your favorite brands and sales within a single, universal feed provided by The Mall app.