Net-a-Porter, the luxury internet retailer that’s set to merge with Yoox and, in the process, create a high-end online giant, has yesterday launched its own mobile-app-based social network – The Net Set.

The Net Set combines social media with fashion buying to create a social shopping platform.

So is The Net Set the next big thing in fashion-tech? 

Intuitively, social shopping makes a lot of sense.

Already, people love to share their latest purchases with their friends.

Since The Net Set is designed for the purpose of facilitating fashion socialising, users are able to talk about fashion in as much detail as they like without fear that they are “overdoing” it (as they may if they acted thus on existing networks).

There are still very few companies that fill this social shopping space. 

In 2013 Net-a-Porter released Netbook, an invite-only iOS app that sought to build a community of fashion-minded individuals – designers, stylists, bloggers, etc. – but the platform never experienced mainstream success, because, presumably, it was designed as an experiment to test the idea that paved the way for The Net Set.

A lot of the functionality is the same, for example the ability to ‘admire’ Net-a-Porter and indeed other products / images as well as other users who may be your friends or fashion influencers. However, in comparison with the Netbook, The Net Set is explicitly aimed at the general public.

With over 4 million followers across Net-a-Porter’s social channels, there shouldn’t be a shortage of people eager to sign up.

So the demand seems to be there, the next question is design.

Natalie Massenet opted to use her in-house team of fashion-conscious female designers and developers to ensure that the app is finely-tuned to the needs of fashionistas.

And it’s not as if Massenet – a self-proclaimed fashion fanatic – doesn’t have a good insight into what her customers want herself.  This is an app that has been created by women, for women.

That’s design, then. The final question is competition.

What if Instagram, the current leading social fashion platform, say, added a “buy” button? 

It’s certainly a possibility. Companies like rewardStyle are already making Instagram shoppable and turning a "like" into a "buy" with their Like To Know It app.

They way it works is: once you create an account, visit Instagram and 'like' (double tap) an image with a #liketkit, you receive an email with all the links to the products for you to buy. Fashion bloggers, Vogue and even I use it. 

I am certainly a fan. It's simple but effective, although still quite US centric. 

What will be interesting is to see whether (or how) The Net Set evolves to include shoppable images of products not sold through the Net-a-Porter sites (which seems to be the current focus). However, with the recent merger, this could potentially open the door for brands being sold through Yoox’s other sites such as The Corner and Shoescribe. 

So far, for me, the app still feels like an elaborate Net-a-Porter shopping basket, albeit a more engaging, discovery led and content driven one.

Do you think The Net Set will be a success? Or do you think their competitors can do it better? 

Email me your thoughts.