While a simple Google search will present you with expert and amateur views on almost any subject, those opinions are generally scattered across thousands of websites, blogs and forums. Online polling sites like Ask500People and BuzzDash offer a centralized alternative, allowing you to gauge popular opinion on almost any topic and see the results within hours.
Ask500People ("World opinion while you watch") gathers votes on its own website and through widgets on thousands of other sites. Registered users suggest new questions and those that receive the most votes from other members are moved to the homepage. While in beta mode, Ask500People is limiting itself to 100 people. Each question is open until 100 votes are in, which generally takes less than 15 minutes. Incoming votes are displayed on a map in real time, with 'yes' or 'no' markers indicating where respondents are based and what they voted. (The voter's location is retrieved from the IP address of the computer he or she is using. IP tracking also allows the website to limit votes to one per computer.) Recent questions range from "Is America ready for a female president" to "Does honey help to heal a wound?"
Although sophisticated formal survey tools offer organizations a more in-depth look into their audiences' minds, they're also expensive and take weeks to prepare and execute. No surprise then, that Ask500People is offering premium services. For USD 100-500, a company can poll 500 internet users on any topic, and have the results within hours. Survey results for corporate polls are private, and the company's identity isn't visible to the respondent.
BuzzDash, meanwhile, takes a more elaborate approach to online polling. While Ask500People's strength lies in its simplicity (one question at a time, open for a very limited time span), BuzzDash offers an entire dashboard of questions, which can run for months. Visitors and voters can choose from categories like Entertainment and Business & Finance, and can also create 'buzzbites' to publish on their own websites, asking their own visitors the questions they want answers to. BuzzDash lets users suggest questions, but editors decide which question will make it to the homepage, "looking for those most likely to reflect the interests and breadth of opinions of users in the given topic areas." BuzzDash isn't currently offering premium services.
Business opportunities? While global polls are fascinating, there's definitely value in local versions of Ask500People or BuzzDash, addressing topics that matter in your part of the world, asking questions in your native tongue. And, of course, allowing corporate clients to poll local markets.
Websites: www.ask500people.com — www.buzzdash.com
Contact: www.ask500people.com/contact.html — support@buzzdash.com
Earlier this month we wrote about RedesignMe, a Dutch site that offers a place for consumers to share complaints, offer suggestions and try their hand at redesigning the products that are part of their lives. San Francisco-based Satisfaction, which just recently entered beta, takes the concept one better by giving the marketers behind those products a chance to be explicitly involved.
Working on a notion it calls "people-powered customer service," Satisfaction lets consumers participate in conversations about customer service issues specific to particular companies or products. A recent post in the Twitter section, for example, describes a problem one consumer had getting a Twitter application to update in Facebook. In the Timbuk2 section, another contributor asks for advice about laptop messenger bags. Participants in the conversations can include both customers and company employees (clearly labelled as such), and the posts ranked as most useful get propelled to the top of the list. Discussions are controlled by the community, free of impersonal contact forms or company censorship. Marketers who choose to join in, meanwhile, are freed from repetitive support tasks and able to engage their customers in a more collaborative way. The service is currently free for those on both sides of the equation.
"Customer service is the new marketing," the people behind Satisfaction like to say. And it's true: customers who are motivated enough to spend time talking about you are almost certainly worth getting to know—if you don't interact with them, your competitors will. Next, how about bringing this model down to the local or niche level, focusing on regional offerings or products in a particular category?
Website: www.getsatisfaction.com
Contact: info@getsatisfaction.com
Couture gets personal with StyleShake—a new online venture that lets creative customers design their own duds, picking from a selection of quality fabrics and putting together dresses from virtual pattern pieces to create truly personal pieces that can be delivered to their doors (in Europe or the United States) in as little as 10 days, with prices starting at GBP 139. What's more, the garments are produced in London, so customers need not worry about sweatshop labour.
Winning points for user-friendliness, the StyleShake website is so intuitive that 95% of visitors start designing dresses. Virtual mannequins allow them to see their designs come to life as they choose the colour, bodice cut, neckline, sleeves, waist panel, lower bodice and sleeves—a process that can be downright addictive for those with a flair for fashion. Lucky for them, the site allows users to store their designs as part of their profiles. Members are encouraged to rate and comment on one another's designs or simply browse through other users’ collections for inspiration.
While would-be Stella McCartneys may go a long way before they run out of dress design ideas, an obvious next step would be to expand clothing options to include pants, suits, swimsuits and more—including men's and children's wear. Fashion forward entrepreneurs eager to get on board with this or other DIY concepts might take a hint from Crushpad and consider offering e-commerce marketing solutions to facilitate customers who would like to start selling and branding their designs.
Concepts like StyleShake appeal to consumers who love unique, handmade goods, and eagerly buy them from 'pro-am' creators through online marketplaces like Etsy and Supermarket, but lack the technical know-how to construct their own clothing or other products. Business opportunities? Provide an outlet for the average person's creativity and enable them to wear or use one-of-a-kind pieces that they have 'made' themselves. Think of it as ADIY (almost do it yourself). (Related: Customized lingerie.)
Website: www.styleshake.com
We first wrote about Zipcar in 2003, applauding the company’s innovative approach to the staid car rental industry. Catering to urban dwellers in North America and the UK, Zipcar’s car sharing fleet is rentable by the hour, gas and insurance included. Which allows customers to use the vehicles whenever they need them.
Zipcar’s culture of innovation didn’t stop there. In April 2007, we noted that it had partnered with ParkAtMyHouse.com. The UK company acts as a clearing house, allowing people with parking spaces for rent to link up with those looking for a place to stow their cars. The savvy alliance meant Zipcar’s fleet could now be stashed in more locations, hopefully within walking distance of its customers.
To make finding those cars easier, this fall Zipcar unveiled a mobile tracking system. How it works? Suppose a Zipcar member buys an expensive antique chair at a shop in Soho (be it New York or London). To find a car to haul it home in, they simply access Zipcar with a GPS-enabled cell phone to find the nearest vehicle and make an instant reservation, unlock the car by pressing the company’s membership card to the windshield. Customer takes home the chair. Returns the car to a designated parking space. Presto! An urban logistics problem that would have caused severe headaches just a few years ago is made simple thanks to the mobile web and an innovative business idea. Entrepreneurs take heart: plenty of similar everyday hassles remain, crying out for solutions.
Website: www.zipcar.com
Contact: info@zipcar.com
Spotted by: RK
Following our coverage of Bizzyboard, a whiteboard calendar for coordinating family schedules, one of our spotters came across Cozi—one of those solutions the web was born to provide.
Launched about a year ago, Cozi Central is an online service that helps busy families manage schedules, appointments, shopping and communications from wherever they are—the kitchen, car, office or even the grocery store. Available both as a software download and in a online version, the service gives the entire family access to shared calendars, shopping lists and reminders from any computer or mobile phone. Cozi's colour-coded calendar module tracks appointments for everyone in the family, while the message function helps family members coordinate via phone or e-mail. A downloadable Cozi Outlook toolbar helps parents stay connected while at work. Centralized shopping lists are available for access remotely, and a photo collage screensaver lets family members enjoy and share their digital photos. Best of all, the service is free for users, funded by Cozi's relationships with co-branding, advertising and affiliate partners.
“The American family has never been busier,” explains Mari Baker, former president of BabyCenter and a board member for Seattle-based Cozi. “In the majority of households, both parents are working and kids are involved in so many extracurricular activities that moms spend much of their time coordinating, chauffeuring and juggling. Cozi Central is family-ready—it can handle the hectic nature of family life and provides an easy method for managing the day-to-day madness.”
Cozi families have an average of 2.8 computers in the home and a median household income of USD 91,375; their moms are part of a group (women 25-44) that controls USD 2.1 trillion in annual US household spending, the company says. While Cozi Central can be used anywhere in the world, functionality is limited outside the United States. How long before this gets fully rolled out elsewhere, catering to the specific needs and wants (and media opportunities) of families in other parts of the world?
Website: www.cozi.com
Contact: partners@cozi.com
Spotted by: Margaret Czeisler
Launched yesterday, Martinair's mobile travel guides combine several not-so-new elements to create a helpful tool for their holiday-bound customers. The Dutch charter company is the first airline to offer its passengers a travel guide they can install on their web-enabled mobile phones. Customers can buy a destination guide for EUR 6.50, and they're free for anyone booking in December. A link is sent to the user's phone by text message, and they can download the entire guide—approximately 400 KB—within minutes. Since all of the information is copied to their phone's memory, travellers are able to avoid expensive roaming charges when they want to look up a local hotspot.
The travel guides are based on content provided by Leads2Travel's travel editors and include local tips from Martinair crew members. Current destinations on offer are Curaçao, Miami and Havana, with two dozen other cities to follow over the next few months. While Dutch people won't have much trouble getting by on the primarily Dutch speaking island of Curaçao, the guides for Miami and Havana offer an extra tool—a talking vocabulary. This service, built by Steape and accessible from within the travel guide, offers a host of useful phrases shown in Dutch and English or Spanish. Users who have trouble communicating with the locals can let their phones do the talking. Click on a button, and a friendly voice speaks the selected phrase.
Mind you, talking translation devices and applications aren't new. The Lingo Voyager 3, for example, is a dedicated talking translation device that looks like an old-fashioned BlackBerry, and can translate and utter over 400,000 words and 46,000 phrases in twenty languages. LonelyPlanet teamed up with Sony to offer PSP Passport guides, which also include audio phrasebooks, and Sony's TalkMan for PSP is a voice-activated translation app that operates in a range of languages. On the mobile front, British travel business lastminute.com offers a Talking Translator—a free service that provides text and audio translations of holiday phrases from English into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and German.
Still—we like Martinair's integrated approach, bundling tailor-made travel information with a talking translator, and offering it to customers when they book their tickets. Other airlines to follow? (Related status skills concept: In-flight education.)
Website: www.martinair.com
There are more than 50 million adults with disabilities in the United States alone, but so far, as a specific market, they’ve been largely unrecognized and underserved. Disaboom, which just launched last month, aims to change all that with a social network aimed specifically at consumers whose lives have been touched by disabilities.
Disaboom was founded by J. Glen House, who graduated from medical school after a skiing accident left him quadriplegic at the age of 20. Its mission is to develop the first interactive online community dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities or functional limitations. In so doing, it aims to serve not just those who have disabilities themselves but also caregivers and families.
The Denver-based site brings together content and tools ranging from specialized health information to social networking to daily living resources, including medical news, career advice, dating resources and travel tips. Ford, Netflix and Johnson & Johnson are among the advertisers that have enthusiastically flocked to the site, which also features video, chat and city-by-city accessibility reviews. Disaboom recently acquired Lovebyrd—a dating site for disabled singles—and just before launch it raised more than USD 5 million in a common stock offering. The site already boasts a network of more than 180 million people.
As populations age throughout the industrialized world, the number of people with disabilities of one sort or another will only increase—and so, too, will their collective spending power. Marketers, take note!
Website: www.disaboom.com
Contact: info@disaboom.com
Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
Earlier this year, we wrote about a small start-up that had found an interesting niche: buying broken iPods from consumers. BuyMyBrokeniPod.com offers people a very simple way to sell their broken or unused iPods: after indicating which model they'd like to sell and what condition it's in, the website gives an instant price-quote. Send it in, and payment is transferred via PayPal within 24 hours after the iPod has been received.
Now, six months later, the company's founder is expanding the concept to offer the same easy sales service for game consoles. Again, users indicate which item they'd like to sell and what condition it's in, and are instantly given a quote and sent shipping instructions. For example, a good condition Nintendo DS Lite will net its seller USD 61.50 (new DS Lites are currently retailing at USD 129). Other electronics, including cell phones and laptops, will follow within the next few months at BuyMyTronics.com.
Offering consumers a simple alternative to selling broken or unused gadgets on eBay? Still a smart concept, in our book. The challenge now is for the company to retain its ease of use while expanding to other products.
Website: www.buymytronics.com
Contact: brett@buymytronics.com
We've written about social commerce before, with such sites as Fundable and ChipIn tapping people’s collective buying power to raise funds for a variety of purposes. In case you weren't convinced this trend is taking hold, now there's CrowdFunder, a Colorado-based site that picks up on the same basic idea but adds a local twist.
CrowdFunder recently launched a beta site focusing on the Boulder area that aims to make it easy to collectively fund many kinds of community projects, charitable and otherwise. Fundable endeavours can range from giving to local nonprofits to refurbishing a playground to hosting a big party—only investment and business uses are prohibited. Current examples on CrowdFunder include establishing a scholarship for a local Boulder school, helping an artist finish recording her CD, installing bus-stop benches and supporting a 7-year-old local gymnast. People posting projects indicate a financial goal and deadline, and the site tracks how much is raised over time. As with Fundable, if the goal amount is not met by the deadline, all contributors get their money back. The entire process is free during the startup phase, but eventually CrowdFunder will charge a transaction fee of 7.5 percent of the funds raised for each project that succeeds in meeting its goal.
CrowdFunder's founders are banking on the site's local focus to set it apart. They explain: "CrowdFunder is a platform that we believe works best locally, where people who know each other and can vouch for each other and see and enjoy each other's works will have more confidence to make financial contributions to members of the community."
Though its pilot version is focused on Boulder, CrowdFunder ultimately aims to expand both geographically and topically in other directions. One to bring to a community near you? (Related: Crowdfunding software projects and Crowdfunding a cultural hub in Liverpool.)
Website: www.crowdfunder.com
Contact: help@crowdfunder.com
Spotted by: Theresa Duffy
Websites like Monster and Craigslist handle a large share of recruitment for skilled workers. But most jobs that need to be filled require very little training at all. And finding good store clerks, housecleaners, dishwashers and other menial workers can be as hard as a finding a good lab technician or XML programmer, even in developing nations. That’s because those seeking work frequently have no means of connecting with those wanting to hire. It’s a problem Babajob, based in Bangalore, hopes to solve. The site helps the city’s legions of unskilled workers find work using an online social network.
Historically, giving India’s poor a means to log onto the web has been especially tough, since people of low social status are often barred from even touching someone else’s computer, and may not be able to read or write (adult literacy in India is estimated to be 61.3%). Babajob uses intermediaries like charities and owners of internet case to help job seekers post their online profiles. The go-between helps create a resume, typing up details as dictated by the jobseeker, and takes his or her picture to add to the profile. To gain the attention of potential employers, Babajob utilizes a system where those who connect job seekers with employers receive a small fee based on their success.
The site mimics the intricate social networks that already exist in India. Traditionally, the head of a family in need of a cook might ask the cooks currently working in the household for a referral. The cooks in turn will send word out through their extended families. The time-proven system of close connections helps insure that job applicants are trustworthy.
Babajob was launched by a former Microsoft employee who was transferred from the company’s Redmond, Washington, headquarters to India. The website resulted in part from the software company’s efforts to encourage India’s high tech workers to explore ways to use technology to help the poor, and has plans to expand throughout India. (Related: Referral community for domestic help.)
Website: www.babajob.com
Contact: info@babajob.com
Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
Offline, shoppers have often sought out mentors to help them make the best choices, from fashion-forward department store buyers to a favourite magazine's über-curators. 3LUXE presents an interesting online twist to this behaviour, highlighting just three items in each of its many product categories, from the best bathroom cleaner (Mrs Meyer’s Clean Day Toilet Bowl Cleaner) to the site’s top pick motor yacht (an 83-foot Ferretti for USD 5.9 million).
3LUXE was founded by Doug Worple, who has a background in advertising. Each selection is based on research via magazines, online reviews and personal use. Of course, not everyone will agree with 3LUXE’s top choices. So the site lets visitors post their own reviews and give products a summary thumbs up or down rating.
Worple explains that 3LUXE’s chief aim is to help eliminate what’s been called search-engine fatigue, which is the chore we all face each time we enter a search term on Yahoo! or Google and are faced with millions of results. That aim is in sync with other online shopping services we’ve seen recently. Wize, which we wrote about in September, rates products on a simple 1-100 scale. Other sites we’ve featured such as Stylehive and Crowdstorm use social networking tools to rate products. While those websites offer a curated view of what’s available, 3LUXE goes a step further by limiting the choice in every category to three items, saving consumers the hassle of endless research: “We want you to think of us as the friend you turn to when you’re about to buy something. Not just any friend, but the friend (who’s perhaps a bit obsessive/compulsive) that relentlessly researches a category. Not making a purchase until they’ve become an expert. Our goal is to research everything, so you don’t have to.”
Ultimately, the success of any ‘shoposphere’ site may depend on how well the tastes of its active users mesh with those of its more casual visitors. And helping those two key constituencies find each other will be a critical task for the sites’ organizers. For entrepreneurs, however, the takeaway is that concepts used by 3LUXE and its competitors can be replicated in myriad ways: from B2B sites that identify the best suppliers within industries to city-service portals that recommend the best local doctors, landscapers or restaurants.
Website: www.3luxe.com
Contact: www.3luxe.com/contact_us
Spotted by: Jacqueline Zenn
It's a well-known fact that at least half of all drivers—those with a Y chromosome, in particular—abhor having to ask for directions when they're on unfamiliar ground. Fortunately, help may soon be at hand with new, Google-equipped gas pumps that can tell you which way to go.
Announced earlier this month—and already covered fairly widely in the technology press—Gilbarco Veeder-Root's new Applause media system lets consumers display maps, find local listings, and print driving directions and money-saving coupons right at the pump. The technology is an extension of Gilbarco’s SMART Merchandising System for delivering promotions and coupons at the fuel dispenser, and brings the power of Google to gas customers through a live internet connection. Users can view maps on the pump’s screen, search Google’s local business listings by category (restaurant, hospital, gift shop, etc.), and print easy-to-read driving directions to go right on the pump's receipt printer.
The technology is expected to start appearing in gas stations throughout the U.S. next month, and could result in increased sales for those that use it.
"Getting directions at the pump is safer than using internet-enabled devices from the driver’s seat and far more reliable than just asking a stranger," explains Kirsten Paust, vice president of global retail systems at North Carolina-based Gilbarco Veeder-Root. "We believe consumers will prefer convenience stores that deliver useful information and ultimate convenience. Retailers who use these tools will make themselves more valuable to consumers and gain the competitive edge."
U.S. fuel retailers: You won't want to be late on this one. Those in other countries: time to start making enquiries!
Website: www.gilbarco.com
Spotted by: Kundan Sen
While there are plenty of reminder services online that help people remember anniversaries and birthdays, few connect to the physical world. Which is where Boston-based Jack Cards comes in: a company that delivers pre-scheduled, ready-to-go greeting cards to the card sender, just in time for them to add a personal message and drop the card in the mailbox.
Customers register on jackcards.com, enter important dates for their family and friends and select cards for each person/date. Jack Cards offers a range of cards created by over 40 independent designers. Members schedule when they'd like the cards delivered—1, 2 or 4 weeks in advance—and select whether they would like the envelopes to be pre-stamped, pre-addressed, or both. Jack Cards takes care of the rest and even sends an email reminder to make sure customers don't forget to post the cards they've ordered and received. Membership is free and cards start at USD 1.50, plus postage and delivery (normal shipping rate is USD 0.99 per shipment).
While entering all of the necessary data might be a bit of a chore, it's a one-off time investment that helps customers unload the worry of letting an important date slip by unnoticed, and turns them into thoughtful, organized people who recognize the personal touch of a handwritten paper greeting. Since this is the kind of business that demands localization (language, local holidays, national postage), it's an enticing opportunity for entrepreneurs in other parts of the world. Basic requirements: a knack for logistics and a good eye for design. And, um... major greeting card manufacturers—why aren't you already doing this? (Related: Talking gift tags.)
Website: www.jackcards.com
Contact: info@jackcards.com
The internet, which has succeeded in democratizing so many other parts of life, has now set its sights on one of society’s most stalwart professions: democratic lawmakers. A recently launched Australian political party called Senator On-Line promises to let its members vote on every bill that comes before the nation’s parliament. The party’s representative then votes in accordance with the majority. Talk about direct democracy!
Anyone enraged by the power of special interest groups, back-room deal making and partisan bickering will be struck by the compelling alternative Senator On-Line presents. The party has no political agenda or platform, remains independent of lobbying groups and vows to help its members decide how to vote on issues with impartial online information detailing the pros and cons of any particular stance. Some might argue that such an extreme form of direct democracy could easily take on a dark side. What’s to prevent party members from voting against needed taxes, for example? Similarly, could they vote to strip away the rights of minority groups?
An FAQ on the party’s website attempts to answer these questions. To prevent a malevolent majority from taking over the country, Senator On-Line will only field candidates in Australia’s Senate (upper house), whose powers are limited to approving and rejecting bills. Under Australia’s parliamentary system, it’s the lower house, the House of Representatives, that proposes and debates bills.
Still, web-based democracy is an untested idea. And like all social communities or networks, Senator On-Line and its imitators will likely evolve in unexpected ways. Special interest groups might shift their efforts from lobbying legislators to reaching out directly to grass roots party members, who—for good or ill—may be more susceptible to their message. Candidates and their parties have traditionally provided a check when their rivals make false statements. With a web-based democracy, that role would likely fall more urgently on the press and on watchdog groups.
On the other hand, the gridlock that exists in many of the world’s legislative bodies remains in dire need of new thinking. And as the web continues to grow in importance, political parties are bound to rely on it more and more. No direct business opportunities connected to this concept (for now), but the model should be of interest to anyone tracking the workings of online crowds and communities. And anyone who'd like to start their online party ;-)
Website: www.senatoronline.org.au
Contact: www.senatoronline.org.au/contact
As featured on BBC's Dragons' Den last night, young entrepreneur James Halliburton is bringing an innovative solution to market for boaters who are worried about losing valuable items overboard. Waterbuoy is a tiny device that combines a miniature gas tank with a trigger mechanism, a balloon and a light. Once the Waterbuoy hits the water, the gas inflates the balloon and the submerged item is pulled up to the water's surface. Aiding retrieval at night, an integrated LED light switches on and keeps flashing for 24 hours.
Despite its diminutive size, the Waterbuoy can lift up to 1 kg in weight, making it useful for more than just keys. Anything—cameras, phones, GPS units—can be stored in a dry bag attached to the Waterbuoy's snap-on hook for safe retrieval. So, what happened in the den? Dragons Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones agreed to invest GBP 100,000 each for a combined equity stake of 20%. Their interest was piqued not only by the current Waterbuoy product, but also by the possibility of designing larger versions that would be able to help keep pets, people and even entire boats afloat.
Waterbuoys are sold for GBP 12.99 from water-buoy.com, available for dispatch later this month, and are set to be stocked in UK stores early 2008. Time to get in on distribution!
Website: www.water-buoy.com
Contact: enquiries@water-buoy.com
In most of the medical community, house calls disappeared years ago, scheduling can be a nightmare and fees are mysterious things that typically get revealed only after a service has been performed. Not so with Dr. Jay Parkinson, a Williamsburg, Brooklyn doctor who aims to turn traditional doctoring on its ear.
Dr. Parkinson only just hung up his virtual shingle in September, but he's already received press coverage nationwide (sadly, we're admittedly late to the game on this one). And with good reason: he has no office; many consultations are by e-mail, video chat or IM; and he only treats residents between 18 and 39, preferably in Williamsburg. For all face-to-face visits, 31-year-old Parkinson goes to a patient's work or home ("no more wasted time surrounded by coughing people in waiting rooms"). He also treats patients with an eye toward finding the most reasonable health care prices. Patients pay an annual fee of USD 500, which includes an initial consultation plus two additional face-to-face visits as needed. For each extra service, Parkinson's rates are clearly spelled out ahead of time for those with and without health insurance.
Much like the mobile warriors we've written about, an office-less lifestyle affords Parkinson a certain level of freedom, and saves him money on rent and staff. His doctor bag contains his iPhone, MacBook, stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, otoscope, opthalmoscope, thermometer and blood drawing supplies, which is enough equipment to perform a sound diagnosis in most cases. (Other symptoms of a thoroughly modern MD: Parkinson built his own website, blogs about health care issues and is a popular photographer on Flickr.)
Why did he choose to set up his practice this way? Parkinson explains: "First, I feel an easily accessible physician is the best way to optimize your health. Second, healthcare and traditional health insurance is too expensive in NYC. I’m doing my part to make it more affordable for you. Third, I feel that the healthcare industry profits largely by keeping cost information from you. I think this is extremely unethical. The industry takes advantage of people when they are in need and willing to pay anything to get back on their feet. I will absolutely not let this happen to you when you are my patient." Combining the benefits of an old-fashioned, small-town doctor with the convenience of web technology—sounds good to us! Doctors in the rest of the world: How about you....?
Website: www.jayparkinsonmd.com
Contact: jayparkinsonmd@gmail.com
One of the first lessons in Entrepreneurship 101 is to find an underserved market and serve it, and that's just what BreakAway Games and Quirkat have done with their Arabian Lords PC video game.
Inspired by the rise of Islam between the 7th and 13th centuries, Arabian Lords is a bilingual strategy game targeted specifically at Middle Eastern players. Gamers take the role of an enterprising merchant lord, and through a combination of strategy and city-building, they try to grow their influence from just one palace to an entire ancient empire. As they gain prestige and wealth, they must engage in competition and shrewd diplomacy against rival factions while keeping their own customers and citizens happy and their communities thriving. Beggars, thieves and vandals can be sent to sabotage an opponent, for example, while musicians, poets and bards can be used to help a market flourish. Players are rewarded for successful negotiation and leadership, not military might or violence.
Arabian Lords just launched in August, and is available across the Middle East. BreakAway is also considering launching the game in the US to tap into the Arab American market. Both Arabic and English versions are included on the CD, and gamers can match wits with up to four other players online or via a local network. Eleven scenarios are included, with detailed graphics and real-time action.
Mahmoud Khasawneh, CEO of Quirkat, explains: “This is the first time an established player like BreakAway has expanded its development effort in partnership with a Middle Eastern studio like Quirkat, to bring to the region a unique blend of gaming quality and cultural and historical references. We are proud to be part of this pioneering effort and we hope to continue this partnership by producing more titles with Middle Eastern flavour. The demand is certainly there, and it is refreshing to see a game of this quality address regional storylines.”
There are almost 200 million consumers in the Middle Eastern region today, and more than 33 million of them are online, according to Internet World Stats.* Where else are these savvy consumers being underserved....?
Website: www.arabianlords.com
Contact: info@arabianlords.com
Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
* Note that Internet World Stats uses a fairly narrow definition of the Middle East, including only the following countries: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine (West Bank), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
We've featured music industry innovators SellaBand several times over the past year and a half (1, 2 and 3), so we were pleased to hear that they've just reached a new milestone.
To recap: fans sponsor unknown bands and artists by buying one of the band's shares, or parts. Once a band has raised USD 50,000 by selling 5,000 parts, SellaBand sets up a professional recording session. The recorded songs are sold to new fans, and both the artists and owners of their parts (Believers) receive a share of the income generated through music sales and advertising revenues.
This week, Believers who own parts in Cubworld, Nemesea, Second Person and Maitreya will receive their first payout. The money is transferred to their Believer Balance. They can use it to buy parts in new bands, or have the money paid into their PayPal account. While the first payout isn't massive (in SellaBand's words: "Enough to buy a beer at the pub, or maybe even a round or two"), it's a sign that SellaBand's crowdfunding and crowdrewarding model is working as planned. Ad revenues are expected to grow over the next few months, as SellaBand is working on deals with media agencies for countries outside their main three markets—the Netherlands, United States and United Kingdom. Time for other crowdingsourcing and crowdfunding ventures to start rewarding their faithful followers and 'citizen marketers'?
Website: www.sellaband.com
Contact: info@sellaband.com
In this perpetually time-crunched era, it's no secret that finding time for personal grooming services like haircuts and manicures can be a challenge. We've already covered a few examples of the quick haircut solutions that have emerged—HairPODs are the most recent one—and now there's :10 Minute Manicure for those whose nails need some speedy attention.
Unlike Nail Taxi, which brings its nail salon to consumers on demand, :10 Minute Manicure is focusing on areas where consumers are likely to be, such as airports and busy commercial centres. It opened its first salon in January 2006 in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport, and has since opened 10 more salons in airports and commercial locations throughout North America. Services available range from 10-minute manicures all the way up to 90-minute full-set services, along with add-ons like waxing, massage and reflexology. :10 Minute Manicure's sleek, contemporary airport salons are designed specifically for travelling customers, with features like secure luggage storage, comfortable seating with a view of the terminal, a clean air/aromatherapy environment and retail cosmetic products geared for travellers.
Lorraine O’Neil, CEO of the Miami-based company, explains: “Business and leisure travellers are always looking for ways to save time by taking care of personal needs once they arrive at the airport. :10 Minute Manicure is addressing this growing nationwide demand by offering high-quality personal care for the most underserved airport passenger segment: women business travellers.”
It seems to be succeeding, too: the company's Cincinnati airport salon quickly became one of the airport’s highest-grossing concessions, averaging USD 1,800 per square foot in its first year. :10 Minute Manicure now operates salons of various sizes in some of the world’s busiest airports, including JFK International and Toronto Pearson International, and it plans to add six more locations in the next six months. It also hopes to roll out a franchise program soon. One to bring to an airport near you...?
Website: www.10minutemanicure.com
Contact: info@10minutemanicure.com
Spotted by: RK
Now that the YouTube era of internet content is well under way, with video playing an ever-increasing role in everything from social networking to political elections, it's time for verticalization to usher in the next stage. Right on cue, Magnify has launched a service that helps web publishers bring subject-specific video channels to their own websites.
Launched in beta version about a year ago, Magnify features a meta-search tool that combs the web for videos matching a site's specific focus, such as aviation, soccer or college life. Users can also upload their own video content, and the resulting mix is available for sharing, rating and ranking by the community as well as integrating into playlists. Magnify provides the templates and controls publishers need each step along the way, including site design and customization; video search, uploading, storage, bandwidth and sharing; and advertising, community, statistics and network tools. The service is free to users and its business model is based on shared advertising revenue with the websites that use its service. Magnify has grown from 20 sites to more than 2,000 user-generated video channels since its launch.
The site's creators explain: "We built Magnify because we believe that everyone has a story to tell and we wanted to give you a platform to tell that story with video. We wanted to make it easy for you to get video and easy for you to share video with the people that make your site or blog so great—your members and visitors."
By enabling video and fostering increased user interaction, Magnify brings critical functionality to sites competing for attention in a rich-media Internet environment where the bar is higher every day. It also marks the next stage of the video era: general sites have had their day—now it's time for the niche, vertical contenders to take hold. Let the diversification proceed! (Related: Launch your own mobile network.)
Website: www.magnify.net
Contact: www.magnify.net/company/contact
Spotted by: Peter Yu
Megaphone has devised a novel way to make mega-screen advertisements draw crowds. Anyone within view of a large video display managed by Megaphone can join in a simple video game by calling in with their cell phones, with their phones serving as makeshift game controllers. As a video on Megaphone’s website demonstrates, those linked into the game can fire weapons at space-alien attackers while seeing their own avatar along with those of other players.
The graphics look like vintage ’70s video games, which has a certain retro appeal. And keeping the games simple makes it easy for anyone to join in. Megaphone’s founders note that their current games offer only a hint at what’s possible. They see applications for their interactive displays in clubs, concerts, movie theatres, sports stadiums and world-famous urban locations such Times Square in New York or the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo. Among the possible features: crowds playing at two separate locations could compete with one another. Besides gaming, the displays could also serve as makeshift voting booths or a way for concert goers to select a performer’s next song.
The essential appeal is audience participation on a massive scale. Participants get a sense they’re contributing to a larger effort, in the same way stadium goers continue to enjoy creating the wave during sporting events. With multitudes of users participating, everyone also retains some needed anonymity. If you play poorly, no one will know. ;-) And Megaphone is yet another example of harnessing cell phones to enhance a marketing effort. Last September we profiled a feature at VFestival that let festival goers download applications such as blinking screens intended to help people find each other. Similarly, a UK ad firm we wrote about in August lets cell-phone carrying pedestrians download product information, songs and ring tones from the company’s storefront video displays. No doubt there’s a long list of major advertisers the world over who are eager to see more.
Website: www.playmegaphone.com
Contact: contact@playmegaphone.com
Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz
It appears there are no limits on consumers' desire for exclusivity, and Claseo is making the most of that trend with an invitation-only line of clothing. Launched earlier this year, Claseo bills itself as the world's first closed shopping community, where purchases can be made on the site only by those who have been invited. Each member of Claseo is given a limited number of invitations to share with friends, who must enter an invitation code and make a purchase in order to become members themselves. Once they've done that, they gain access to Claseo's fashion label and an online lifestyle portal; the inviting member, meanwhile, is credited with a EUR 10 discount on their next purchase.
All Claseo items are emblazoned with a unique, visible identification code. Not only does that code allow members to recognize one another in a crowd, but it also enables them to learn more about each other. By entering the code seen on another member's shirt on Claseo’s website (or mobile site), a user can learn that person's name. Members can connect through Claseo's online portal, which features profiles, messaging and photo galleries, as well as exchange information and tips on a variety of fashion and lifestyle topics.
Claseo also picks up on the customer-made trend by inviting members to submit design suggestions and vote on new collection ideas, thereby helping to shape the brand and its products; those whose design ideas are adopted get a share in the profits. The site's product line so far includes just its summer collection of polo shirts, but dress shirts, rugby shirts and dinner jackets are on the way. Claseo is currently also forging partnership arrangements with leading clubs and fashion stores around the world for extended member benefits, beginning with Munich's P1 Lounge & Club.
We've written about shopping-oriented social networks before, but Claseo's combination of exclusivity and customer input take the concept to a whole new level. If Claseo can charge EUR 79 for a simple polo shirt, just think what this model could do for you!
Website: www.claseo.com
Contact: suggestions@claseo.com
Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
Home buyers typically have relatively easy access to a wealth of information on house prices in an area—even by text message, as with HouseFront, which we featured recently—but for renters, such comparative data can be harder to come by. Now Rentometer offers a map-based tool to shine a light on rent prices by neighbourhood.
Rentometer was launched by Massachusetts-based Investment Instruments' iiProperties site about a year ago to give property managers a way to calibrate the rents they charge, but it may be even more useful for consumers. Users simply enter the rental address, monthly rent, number of bedrooms and units in the building, and Rentometer tells them if they are paying too much, too little or just the right amount according to the local market. It uses data already available from public sources, but it mashes it up with Google Maps to make it conveniently accessible and useful. A set of application programming interfaces (APIs) lets property managers and others put the Rentometer tool on their own sites, and listings can be advertised on the Rentometer as well, free of charge.
Rentometer currently serves just the United States, Canada and London, but the potential for this type of service clearly extends worldwide. It's a great illustration of how combining the right pieces of information in the right place can make them infinitely more useful than they would be otherwise. It's becoming a mashed up world out there—next, how about combining Rentometer with something like Hubbuzz for a 360 view of the rental climate...?
Website: www.rentometer.com
Contact: aa@iiproperty.com
Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
Anyone who's ever had a song stuck in his or her head (and who hasn't?) but was unable to place the title or artist is bound to think Midomi pure genius. Users need only sing, hum or whistle a few bars into their computer microphones, and this online search engine can match the tune against its evergrowing musical library. The customer then has the option to purchase the track and can connect with others who share the same musical interests.
Like any rich Web 2.0 venture, the Midomi experience is enhanced by its members. Users can create profiles including information on their favourite artists or genres. Members can send messages, pictures and videos to one another and make recommendations to others with similar tastes. They also can perform and rate one another's renditions of their favourite songs, making Midomi a platform for not just discovering the name of a particular tune that keeps rattling through your head, but for discovering new talent as well.
Currently available in six languages and with more than two million licensed music tracks and a growing collection of user-created files, Midomi still has lots of potential for further enhancements, such as allowing for customers to call in from and download songs directly to their mobile devices—sort of a cross between Midomi and Shazam, which we featured several years back (Shazam didn’t recognize hummed renditions; it needed to ‘hear’ the original version). There could be some potential for partnerships as well, not to mention widgets to promote the site through personal web spaces and blogs. Moreover, once customers get spoiled by a site that allows them to look up songs based on just the snippets they can remember, one has to wonder if there might be room for similar databases for looking up movies, television shows and even commercials by just saying a few lines.
Website: www.midomi.com
Contact: inquiries@midomi.com
Spotted by: Peter Yu and Theresa Duffy
A new form of in-store marketing lets advertisers place their messages right between shoppers' hands, on shopping cart handles that have been modified by Modstream.
Messages are wirelessly streamed to a small screen in a hard plastic case that replaces the standard shopping cart handle. Advertisers and retailers log on to modstream.com to enter their messages, selecting stores where they want their message to appear. Messages can be run across a complete chain or targeted to specific regions, stores or times of day. Since the messages can be changed on the fly, it's easy to adapt the ads for short-run sales or clearance items.
Since a majority of purchase decisions are made by consumers while they're shopping, it makes sense to target them while they're rolling down the aisles. Other companies have tried video screens on carts, but while those might serve up more engaging ads, they're also expensive to purchase and maintain. Modstream's message handles, meanwhile, stand up to rain and snow, and have a 5-year battery life. The system is currently being tested at Home Depot stores in eight states. One to partner with and distribute to other parts of the world, creating a new media space for advertisers and an additional revenue stream for advertisers? (Related: Next-gen shopping cart.)
Website: www.modstream.com
Contact: sales@modstream.com
Small companies can readily compete with major players by refining the experiences they provide customers. For Picnics on the Piste, a new catering business operating at ski resorts in the French, Austrian and Swiss Alps, those experiences are bound to leave lasting memories. After shushing through the crisp mountain air to a clearing offering a majestic mountain view, they can break for a buffet of hot soup, foie gras and aged cheeses with champagne chilling in a snow bank nearby. Or ski down a trail to an igloo gleaming in the sun, with a waiter inside, ready to serve lunch. Then after the meal (or before it, if they have sensitive stomachs), clients can opt for a brisk jaunt on a skimobile or a short ride in an ultra light plane.
Adding to the service’s appeal, British-French Picnics on the Piste’s spreads are affordable. A light gourmet lunch on a beginner’s slope starts at about EU 15 per person. Meals catered for expert skiers on more difficult-to-reach black slopes cost about EU 69 per person. Wine and other extras come at an additional cost.
True enough, hotels and resorts have long offered similar high-end services. However, Picnics on the Piste is likely one of the first companies to brand its mountainside meals by making them available at a growing number of resorts. The company has partnered with local villa and chalet management firms at several locations. A wise move, since those companies are experts at bundling lodging, meals and activities into the kind of customized vacation experiences their clients desire.
Naturally, peak experiences needn’t be confined to the ski slopes. A gourmet meal on a canyon trail in the American Southwest or a secluded beach in the Canaries could prove every bit as memorable. For the entrepreneurs doing the catering, the benefit is a low-cost way to start a company in a place where most of us can only dream of living.
Website: www.picnicsonthepiste.com
Contact: www.picnicsonthepiste.com/contact.htm
Spotted by: Bertjan van Dijk
MyFootballClub, which we've been tracking since they launching in May 2007, just announced that they've agreed to buy a controlling stake in Ebbsfleet United FC, with the option to buy the the remaining share in the future.
To refresh your memory: in less than three months, MyFootballClub signed up 50,000 people willing to pay a GBP 35 membership fee to buy and manage a football (soccer) team with a crowd of other dedicated fans. MyFootballClub members will vote on player selection, transfers and all other major decisions.
When it got down to picking a team to buy, MyFootballClub was approached by nine football club owners and also sought contact with several others. Some of the crowd's favourite clubs didn't make the cut, because they had too much debt or were too regional. One of the reasons for picking Ebbsfleet United is that it stands a good chance to reach the national Football League.
Ebbsfleet United's manager, Liam Daish, seems to be pleased with the deal: "Everyone has worked wonders to get this club to in the top half of the Conference. We all agree the club needs something extra to take it to the next step. As a football fan, I think the MyFootballClub idea is fantastic. And as the coach, I look forward to the challenge of working with thousands of members to produce a winning team."
Website: www.myfootballclub.co.uk
Contact: contact@myfootballclub.co.uk
Spotted by: Sam Kelly
Advent calendars have long helped build excitement and anticipation on the countdown to Christmas, typically revealing a pretty picture or piece of chocolate behind the cardboard door for each December day along the way. Charles and Marie's Holiday Calendar, on the other hand, apparently aims to blow all others out of the water by delivering luxury gifts to one's front door instead.
Available for preordering from the German-American shopping curators between October 22nd and November 16th, Charles and Marie's Holiday Calendar service delivers "a very, very large" gift box containing 24 wrapped gifts, one for each day through Christmas Eve. The products contained are were selected for Charles and Marie by euro design duo Alissia Melka-Teichroew—best known for her acrylic jewelry and her InsideOut Bar-ware collection—and Jan Habraken, of Flow Chair and Trestle Table fame. Planned scarcity is also part of the service, as the products included are available through the site only in this holiday package. Pricing is EUR 1350 / USD 1800 for the luxe version, or EUR 500 / USD 600 for the more accessible Cosmopolitan Edition, with delivery available around the world.
As we're fond of saying, there's nary a thing in this world that can't be upgraded and made more exciting for consumers who are spoilt for choice. Upscale advent "calendars" are a case in point, and you can bet there are consumers willing to pay the far-from-trifling price. What other holiday traditions can be super-sized, luxified, gravanitized, massclusified, or otherwise elevated to new heights?
Website: www.charlesandmarie.com
Contact: contact@charlesandmarie.com
Spotted by: Emma Crameri
After featuring Paste magazine's pay-what-you-want subscriptions last month, one of our Springspotters alerted us to a restaurant in Vienna where diners decide how much they'd like to pay. Located on the Liechtensteinstraße, Der Wiener Deewan serves five different Pakistani curries daily, three of which are vegetarian. Prices for drinks are fixed, but customers decide how much they'd like to pay for the food. Most pony up a fair price, and the restaurant doesn't seem to suffer from its unusual pricing plan.
A bit of research shows that Der Wiener Deewan isn't the only restaurant to take a laissez-faire approach to prices: Melbourne's Lentil As Anything also lets customers pay what they can afford or what they think the meal was worth. The business now runs three locations in Melbourne and provides space for artists and writers. The One World Café in Salt Lake City and the SAME Café (So All Might Eat) in Denver operate on a similar basis, and also let customers specify portion sizes (which isn't a bad idea for any restaurant).
While a few customers might take advantage of a restaurant's altruistic motives, most are happy to shell out a little extra to cover free meals for those who can't afford to pay. Could be just the thing for restaurateurs looking for a way to combine social entrepreneurship with a love of cooking.
Websites: www.falter.at/web/wwei/detail.php?nr=5266
www.lentilasanything.com — www.soallmayeat.org — www.oneworldeverybodyeats.com
Spotted by: Martina Meng
Keeping kids at the head of the class often involves a joint effort by teachers, students and their parents—so it makes sense to get them all on the same page. The HotChalk Learning Environment does exactly that, using the convenience and versatility of an online community to complement the classroom experience for grades K-12.
Teachers can create websites for their classes and can log on to manage lesson plans and grades, post assignments and announcements for students, including attachments and even video clips. They can also collaborate with other teachers and take advantage of continuing education opportunities, available through a partnership with McGraw-Hill. Students can receive and submit homework, view handouts and reference materials, access grades and, of course, pose questions and comments as needed. And parents can keep a watchful eye on their children's progress and stay in touch with teachers. HotChalk is free of charge, so schools and parents can take advantage of all of its features without breaking the bank.
Funded in part by corporate sponsorships, the site does accept money from advertisers, but it does so very selectively, using the HotChalk Community Standards Engine. The company doesn't accept any ads they deem inappropriate. Moreover, ads are never displayed during the school day or to children younger than age 13. One of the fastest growing internet properties in the US, HotChalk may well be a model worth adapting to other regions or professions.
Website: www.hotchalk.com
Spotted by: Bill McMahon
Visitors to Sydney who want the scoop on where all of the best boutiques, cafes and galleries are need only point their browsers to Urban Walkabout to download attractive, pocket-sized walking maps in PDF form, complete with a detailed listing of shops and other attractions—for free. Maps are clean and concise and include information on buses, trains and other public transit. What's more, customers can take advantage of special offers, such as discounts at certain establishments, just by showing their guides.
The Urban Walkabout Sydney Shopping Guides are published twice a year. Versions are currently available for five areas—Bondi, Double Bay + Potts Point, Paddington + Woollahra, Surry Hills + Darlinghurst, and the Sydney Central Business District. In addition to downloading them from the web, customers can pick up copies from every retail establishment listed on the website and in hotel lobbies, tourist information booths and visitor centres. In addition to the guides, there also is a wealth of information on the Urban Walkabout website, including a listing of special offers and events.
While city maps and shopping guides obviously are nothing new, Urban Walkabout wins points for simplicity, aesthetics and accessibility, providing an upscale alternative to tacky, ad-plastered city maps that are handed out near tourist hotspots. Letting customers do the printing keeps costs low, and allows data to be continuously updated. The concept could do well in shopping districts all across the globe, and could be fine-tuned to suit other interests such as history buffs, foodies or families, with carefully selected advertisers to match.
Website: www.urbanwalkabout.com
Contact: www.urbanwalkabout.com/contact
Spotted by: Emma Crameri
It's not every day that a new credit card is launched, and it appears that the new RevolutionCard is not an everyday credit card, either. Breaking away from the long-standing MasterCard and Visa mold, the RevolutionCard aims to establish a more flexible, secure and internet-enabled model of credit card.
First on the list of paradigm-busting features is that the RevolutionCard does not print users' names or account numbers on their cards; rather, use of the card is based entirely on encryption and a 4-digit PIN. There is no annual fee, and the interest rate charged on unpaid balances depends on the user's credit profile. Consumers can store money on the card, loaded from their bank accounts. Merchants accepting the card, meanwhile, pay a fee of just 0.5 percent of the total sale, rather than the industry average of 1.9 percent.
The RevolutionCard was launched in late September by Revolution Money, a new iteration of the GratisCard division of Revolution LLC, which was founded in 2005 by AOL cofounder Steve Case. (Revolution Money is backed by Citi, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank.) Along with its new card, Revolution Money also just launched an invitation-only beta version of Revolution MoneyExchange, a free, online money transfer service that consumers will be able to link to their RevolutionCards and that clearly aims to take a piece of PayPal’s huge money transfer pie. Due to be widely available later this year, Revolution MoneyExchange can be used across a variety of internet platforms, including social networks and instant messaging portals.
Ted Leonsis, chairman of Revolution Money, explains: “The launch of Revolution Money is another example of how Web 2.0 technologies and business processes can transform an industry for the benefit of consumers and merchants alike, while providing great growth and value creation opportunities for stakeholders.” We couldn't have said it better ourselves.... Traditional banks and credit card providers, move over! Or at least watch, listen and learn ;-)
Website: www.revolutioncard.com
Contact: www.revolutioncard.com/WebSite/contact_us.aspx
Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
Photos by Leroy Schulz.
Who says you need a full-size concert hall to present live musical acts? Mini music moguls like Canada's 7 Street Lofts are serving up cozy concerts in a surprising new choice of venue—their own homes. Located in the warehouse district of downtown Edmonton, Alberta, 7 Street Lofts hosts small performance concerts on Friday nights up to 8 times per year in an intimate space that holds just 35 guests—some seated, others mingling around the kitchen island.
Admission is by reservation only and is negotiated via email. Events are promoted via MySpace, so fans can log on at their convenience to see what acts are coming up and to get further details about events. There's a suggested donation of CAD 15-20, and guests are urged to bring an additional CAD 20 or so to purchase CDs, when available, to further support the artists. Once expenses for hosting the event are paid, all proceeds go directly to the performers, so the loft concerts obviously aren't profitable in and of themselves. However, the notoriety of hosting such exclusive events might build a nice reputation for music-loving entrepreneurs in any region who want to get in on their local music scenes.
Similar to the Polish ‘home theatre’ concept we featured early last year, loft concerts feed into—and market via—customers' need for intimacy. They also create an accessible stage for a new generation of artists who skilfully promote themselves and their concerts through their own websites, blogs and MySpace pages. And though small-scale is the name of the game here, if this trend continues, one might wonder if there be opportunities to partner with some big name sponsors? How about MySpace, for starters?
Website: www.myspace.com/7streetlofts
Contact: loftconcert@gmail.com
Spotted by: Tracy Hyatt
Social shopping is a trend we’ve written about before, with sites like Stylehive, Crowdstorm and ThisNext giving users a way to make product recommendations and discuss things they’d like to have, sharing their desires and buying intentions. Now TeethYou gives shopping fans a place for showing off what they’ve actually purchased.
Taiwan-based TeethYou, launched in July, aims to help shoppers around the globe share the details of what they’ve just bought. To list a purchase, users enter a short description of the item along with its price and any post-purchase thoughts about it; photos can be uploaded as well. Registering on Tee