Personalized services have become standard expectations in this era of web and mobility, and when it comes to retail, flash sales, daily deals and custom recommendations have taken the stress out of bargain hunting, comparison shopping and more.  Sara Morgan, co-founder of a new site Tailor.co, has been a pioneer in this converged sector for years, combining the best of emerging trends for projects that extend a personal touch for event-planning, search and shopping.

Launching today, Tailored offers custom recommendations for brides-to-be based on their taste, budget and wedding planning needs.  Part of the 500 Startups collective, Tailored represents a well-represented initiative that’s at the bleeding edge of entrepreneurship.  In today’s Snapshot Series interview, Morgan discusses her latest launch, the best thing about being a girl in tech, and her secret indulgences.

How does Tailor.co (Tailored) differ from Weddzilla?

Tailored is the only place where brides can find and collect inspiration, browse wedding products selected just for them, create lists of their favorite finds, and share their picks with friends and family, all in one place. Tailored gives brides personalized shopping recommendations based on their taste, budget, and wedding planning needs. Tailored is where content and commerce meet.  All items that are shared on Tailored can be purchased. No more gathering ideas for items you like and then having to track down where to go to purchase those items.

The best thing about being a female tech entrepreneur?

Oh… that’s a toughie!  Not to sound cheesy, but I love being a female entrepreneur so it’s difficult to narrow it down to what the “best” of being a woman founder is.  I love being able to bring a different perspective to the table.  As the founder of Tailored.co, I think it is a real asset to be able to understand the mentality of the female user, what her pain points are, what problems we can help solve, and use this insight to learn how we can become invaluable to her during her shopping and wedding planning experience.  I also love the idea of being different… I don’t think I fit the stereotype of a what a “tech founder” is supposed to look or be like… and I love that.  In my opinion, women entrepreneurs are setting out to change the tech landscape for the better, and I love being a part of it.

Editor’s note: see more on Morgan’s views of females in tech here.

What recent trends have paved the way for Tailor.co’s personalized approach?

Discovery and personalization is what the web is all about. Static directories and traditional storefronts are old school. People want a customized shopping experience that is tailored (pun intended) to them, and to not waste time or energy sifting through hundreds of products or services to the find the one thing they are looking for.

Personalizing a user’s shopping experience online is something that is extremely valuable in the wedding space as wedding shopping is an extremely thoughtful, personal process for brides.

With Tailored and some of your past projects, you have to anticipate users’ needs. What’s “balancing the future” mean to you?

Anticipating users needs is key to building a successful company. If you aren’t anticipating your users needs, someone else will be, and you never want to be caught behind the eight ball.  If you want to be able to best anticipate your users needs, just go straight to the source. Watching how your users behave on your site, analyzing which features they use most (or least), and keeping customer service core to your company mission, will ensure that you will always know your audience better than the competition. Industry trends and predictions are helpful, but always make sure that no one knows your users better than you do and anticipating their needs will become second nature.

Let’s get personal!

What’s the view from your office/desk?

We are currently working out of the 500 Startups office in Mountain View and we are on the 12th floor. It’s the tallest building in Mtn. View and we’ve got the whole floor with a 360 view of Silicon Valley. On a clear day, you can see all the way to San Francisco… so I’m not complaining. It’s going to be hard to find an office space that can compete with this once we move our after Demo Day  :(

What’s your secret indulgence?

Well, it isn’t that secret but I am obsessed with sushi… and gum. Honestly, I could east sushi every day of my life and go through a pack of gum for desert ;) I also love a good mani/pedi with the latest copy of Us Weekly Mag in my lap.

What’s your go-to host gift?

I would have to go with wine! I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t like a good glass of red… so I feel like it is a safe bet.