A new text message based e-commerce site only lets you join if you fit the bill

“Stefan is a dealer of things, and the only way to get them is if you’re on his list,” says Michael Kushner, co-founder of Stefan. Once you text Stefan (646.759.0904), he'll text you back and gauge whether you’re "right" for his exclusive list. Stefan asks for a social handle (twitter, insta, tumblr), but if users don't have any of them he usually asks for their favourite photo. “It's not a matter of age, sex, religion, race, or sexual preference,” continues Kushner, “It's a matter of being interesting in some way and also not being an asshole.”

When you get a text from Stefan about a new product or piece of clothing up for sale, you're sent a link to the product on Stefan's Head website. You enter your size and credit card information the first time you make a purchase and Stefan will remember it for future reference.

“People are just sick of downloading new apps -- learning a new interface, creating an account, giving up their information - all for an experience that tends to be pretty generic,” says Kushner. “Text message is easy and intuitive. We want to use texting to build something super personal - making meaningful customer relationships is our priority.”

The text-a-number-to-get-something market is on the up. Fetch Me and Magic are both concierge-like text services that claim they'll deliver anything you want (within reason).