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If crowdsourcing can be used to help decide which books will be published, and which clothes will go into production, then why not furniture ranges as well? Sure enough, Brazil-based Galatea is now enabling visitors to its e-commerce site to decide what furniture it sells. Consumers visiting the site begin by creating an account with their email address. From there they can browse the range of products available for voting and place votes for their favorite items. The items with the most votes are then selected for production and, once built, customers who voted for those items are offered a five percent discount should they purchase. Consumers are allowed to vote on ten percent of the website’s products each month. Designers, meanwhile, can submit their ideas for Galatea to put forward for voting. The crowdsourcing model helps designers to see what products are popular among buyers, while simultaneously providing manufacturers with a proof of concept. An idea to try out in other industries to the benefit of all involved? Spotted by: Erica Oliveira