Laundry detergent, toilet paper and toothpaste are not items consumers typically buy online, as the grocery stores, Wal-Marts and big box outlets of the world can attest. A new e-commerce site aims to change all that, however, by providing free shipping, streamlined reordering and a platform that allows consumers and manufacturers to connect.

Just launched into beta this week, Alice offers more than 6,000 unique products from hundreds of different manufacturers. Its prices are 20 percent to 30 percent lower than those at other online stores, it says, and shipping is always free. US consumers begin by creating a free account and then selecting a list of all their favourite products, ordering only the items they need right then. Each shipment is bundled together in a single "Alice" box and delivered directly to the consumer’s door. Meanwhile, Alice organizes all the products on the member's list, finds coupons and deals for them, and reminds them to reorder when they are likely to be running low.

Although Wisconsin-based Alice works much like any other online retailer from the consumer's perspective, behind the scenes it is more like a marketplace, allowing manufacturers to sell directly to US consumers. Alice makes no retail margin, and instead allows each manufacturer to control product assortment and pricing in its own direct sale to the end consumer. Because no retail middleman is involved, significant cost savings can be passed on to shoppers, the company says. In addition, Alice's model allows brands to form a direct relationship with consumers, enabling personalized coupons, sampling and loyalty programs.

Alice is actively signing up manufacturers during its beta phase, with plans for a full consumer launch in the fall. Those in consumer packaged goods: better get on board now! For all others: One to help bring to consumers in the rest of the shop-weary world?

Website: www.alice.com
Contact: support@alice.com

Consumers who lack the time, energy or skills to prepare delicious home-cooked meals themselves already have semi-cooking options to help them along—including shopping and delivery services such as I Love Mother—as well as meal prep stores, with or without instruction. When even those are too much, however, BookOfCooks is a new online marketplace that can help consumers find local foodies who are willing to cook for them.

Professional and amateur chefs around the world can use BookOfCooks to set up an online restaurant or bakery that showcases their cooking talents with menus, prices, licenses and videos. Using BookOfCooks is free both for those in search of food and for those who prepare it. Consumers then can search BookOfCooks by city for the dish or food type they're craving, or they can browse the site's online Google maps and archives for links to local cooks and food aficionados, including ratings and reviews. When they find one that sounds good, they can place an order with the cook for pickup, delivery or even in-home preparation.

Meals purchased this way are frequently less expensive than what one would pay in a restaurant, BookOfCooks says, and can also make it easier to find less common cuisines such as vegan or gluten-free. For cooks, meanwhile, BookOfCooks provides a free way to establish a consistent clientèle, whether as a full-time business or—meshing nicely with what our sister site would call the sellsumer trend—for a little extra money on the side. There are, of course, legal issues to be navigated when preparing food for the consumption of others—and the related question of how many consumers will be willing to buy food from amateurs. Nevertheless, with ratings and reviews providing at least a small measure of protection, it seems possible this could spark a recession-inspired anti-restaurant trend. (Related: Roaming 'anti-restaurant' hand-picks its guests.)

Website: www.bookofcooks.com
Contact: support@bookofcooks.com

It's been a couple of years since we wrote about California-based DoMyStuff.com, but now the emergence of a like-minded contender in Boston suggests the concept is continuing to gain ground.

RunMyErrand is a web and mobile marketplace that gives individuals and businesses an easy way to get everyday tasks done. Members in need of help with errands begin by prepaying into an account of credits that will be used to pay the people who run them; 10 credits cost USD 13, and most errands range from 7 to 10 credits—equivalent to the same number of dollars—paid to the "runner." They then post an errand they need to get done—picking up dry cleaning, for example, or dropping off a donation to Goodwill—along with the number of credits they're willing to pay; additional amounts for tabs that need to be paid during the errand can also be included. RunMyErrand's network of pre-qualified "runners" is then alerted immediately via email and text message. Generally within 10 minutes a runner accepts the errand, proceeding from there to coordinate with the "sender" and complete the errand within the specified timeframe. When the errand is complete, the sender confirms online; RunMyErrand then transfers payment into the runner's account. To ensure quality, ratings, reviews, profiles and background checks for selected runners are all available. In addition to serving individuals, RunMyErrand also acts as an outsourcing delivery partner for locally owned retail businesses.

Besides simply helping busy people get things done, RunMyErrand promises environmental benefits by aggregating errands more efficiently and also offers sellsumers a flexible way to earn a little extra money as runners. Founded in early 2008, RunMyErrand was recently named by Facebook as a winner in its fbFund REV incubation program. It currently serves only the Boston area, however; one to help bring to a city near you...? (Related: PAs for the rest of us — Job marketplace for quick online tasks.)

Website: www.runmyerrand.com
Contact: www.runmyerrand.com/main/contact

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

We've written about a few different sites focused on helping friends share expenses, including general-purpose BillMonk and Wigadoo for outings. Now a new contender out of Finland has come to the table with a novel e-commerce twist.

Scred—short for "street credit"—allows friends, groups and communities to manage their collective money. Its Pools feature, first of all, is designed to help friends keep track of who owes what during a joint excursion, for example. Friends all sign up for the same pool when they know they'll need to track expenses together, and then they input each cost incurred as they go along. The system will track debts between people, balance debts and shared expenses and then calculate who owes what in the end—even using multiple currencies. The Pools function is free to use, and is also available via mobile phone.

Perhaps even more interesting, however, is Scred's MiniCorps feature—now in beta—which can be used to take in money and have it automatically accounted by Scred. Aimed at users such as associations, trip organisers, charity groups and artists, MiniCorps serve much like virtual companies as they allow groups to sell items or collect fees and donations through a Scred shop, track both income and expenses, and calculate profits and losses. MiniCorps are free to use during the feature's beta period; all money is handled via PayPal.

With the growing number of sellsumers out there, eager to earn some extra cash during these tough economic times, we'd bet Scred's MiniCorps feature will be met with a particularly warm reception. What else could help sales-oriented consumers make the most of their bottom line...?

Website: www.scred.com
Contact: scred@scred.com

Spotted by: John Greene

Business-focused social networks and being spaces for mobile workers are both familiar concepts by now, but not until recently had we seen them united and offered jointly through a single global brand.

Hub Culture is a private social network aimed at helping members connect, exchange knowledge, forge deals and create value. With primary bases in several urban hubs—including London, New York, San Francisco, Bermuda, Singapore and Hong Kong—Hub Culture has more than 60 representatives in major cities around the world dedicated to assisting other members with advice and knowledge in their home areas. Membership is free but requires invitation; benefits include personal online profiles, the ability to form groups with file sharing and wikis, knowledge brokerage to help drive deals, and invitations to private events. There's even a private digital currency dubbed Ven that's used to allow members to pay for knowledge, favours and other soft areas that it might be difficult to charge money for.

What makes Hub Culture especially interesting is where it enters the physical world. Hub Culture Pavilions are currently being developed around the globe to provide a shared physical space, support services and online collaboration tools that help members connect and work together. The first permanent one just opened on Carnaby Street in London, and temporary ones are already up and running in Amsterdam, New York, Ibiza and other locations around the world. Free wifi and broadband, luxury workspace, online storage and work tools, and premium snacks, coffees and teas are among the benefits enjoyed by Pavilion members. Membership is limited; at the new London Pavilion, individual members must pay anywhere from GBP 29 per month for a full membership to GBP 59 monthly for one that includes VIP valet services. Hub Culture is managed by Hub Culture Services, a London-based consultancy.

By combining global social networking with the flexibility and environmental benefits of a shared local workspace—effectively blending the best of online and off—Hub Culture may just have hit upon the model that's needed to support the new breed of globally minded, heavily wired, eco-conscious and cost-cutting workers around the world. One to try out in a Hub near you...? (Related: Meeting rooms, upgraded.)

Website: www.hubculture.com
Contact: www.hubculture.com/groups/hub/projects/66/wiki

When we featured The Texas Lice Squad back in 2007, a few of our team members doubted whether professional head lice removal made for a sustainable business. It seems it does—The Texas Lice Squad has since opened two storefronts, and is still going strong.

It's an idea that's spreading to other parts of the world, too—as witnessed by two recent spottings. In the UK, London-based Hairforce offers full service lice and nit removal at its Hairforce Lounge, as well as in-home and at schools. Hairforce treats de-lousing like guerilla warfare, declaring lice the 'enemy' and dubbing their employees 'Lice Assassins'.

Many of its staff members are mothers who have fought battles with lice in their own homes, so they know the importance of keeping kids happy during the process of removing their lice. Hairforce offers kids computer games, magazines and DVDs to occupy them during their appointments. The cost for each of the three infestation clearings required to de-louse an individual is GBP 40. Hairforce will also check for lice on other household members—from parents to nannies—at a cost of GBP 25 per 30 minute inspection.

Meanwhile, in Rio de Janeiro, Marli de Freitas Fernandes Braga has opened a dedicated lice-removal salon at Rua da Passagem 83. Higienex (no website) is located in Rio's Botafogo neighbourhood and offers its services at BRL 55 per hour. The company's founder is a lawyer who spotted a business opportunity after spending hours removing lice from her granddaughters' heads. Videogames and popcorn are on offer to distract kids.

Time-poor (or exasperated) people will always be eager to outsource some of their domestic chores, especially to service providers who clearly know what they're doing. What's next...?

Website: www.thehairforce.co.uk
Contact: www.thehairforce.co.uk/summon.html

Spotted by: Anisa Topan and Erica Oliveira

Services that send print mail from an online application are no longer entirely new. What's interesting about Enthusem is that the printed greeting cards it sends can include online attachments.

Using Enthusem, which was launched last year by Florida-based Prospect Smarter, any company or individual can create and mail a printed, full-colour card using their own images, content and electronic attachments. Users begin by uploading their own artwork or choosing from Enthusem's library of images. Next they enter the message they'd like printed on the card. Then they can elect to include an online attachment such as a video, brochure or resume, and it will be hosted on the Enthusem site at no charge; a 5-digit code then gets printed inside the card along with a brief explanation giving the recipient the URL of the landing page where it can be found. Once finished, Enthusem cards get inserted in a transparent vellum envelope—allowing the recipient to see what's inside even before they've opened it—and sent out via First Class mail. When the recipient views the attachment, an email notification is instantly sent to the sender, alerting them that it has been successfully picked up. There are no monthly or subscription fees on Enthusem, and the first card a user sends is free. After that, each individual card costs about USD 3, with bulk pricing discounts and corporate accounts available.

Electronic and printed mail both have distinct advantages for both personal and business use, but Enthusem seems to go a long way toward combining the best of both worlds. Though the service currently sends mail only within the United States, international capabilities are coming soon; one to help bring to your part of the world? (Related: More free (and enhanced) snail mail options — Snail mail sent directly from any app to any country — A paperless alternative to the postal system.)

Website: www.enthusem.com
Contact: support@enthusem.com

Spotted by: Rick Rochon

Traditional search engines like Google excel at finding objective information in the vast network of pages on the web, but what about when you want a local restaurant recommendation? Going far beyond general reviews or even those of twinsumers with similar tastes is a new search site that aims to get more personally relevant by asking your own extended network of friends.

Users of Aardvark begin by adding the service to their email or IM buddy list, and then sending it a question in plain English via either medium. Aardvark then checks the user's social network of participating friends and friends-of-friends to see who might be able to answer it. Friends must have signed up with Aardvark to be considered, and they can control whose questions come to them, and when. Factors taken into account by the algorithm that chooses respondents include how closely connected they are to the person with the question, what topics they know about—gleaned from profile data on Facebook and around the web—whether they have similar tastes, where they're located and whether they're currently available to answer. After zeroing in on a small subset of the user's social network, Aardvark finds someone who can answer the question in real time and, within 5 minutes or so, sends their answer back to the person who asked.

"If someone's looking for a recommendation on 'great music' or a 'hotel room in London', not even 20 percent of people are going to be satisfied with a search result" from a traditional search engine, ex-Googler Max Ventilla, now Aardvark's CEO, told BusinessWeek. Rather than objective listings or the opinions of anonymous strangers on the web—which is mostly what one gets from Google—or the highly curated yet heavily numerical answers that are generated by Wolfram|Alpha, Aardvark aims to provide advice that's subjective and customised to the person who asked the question.

San Francisco-based Aardvark requires no software download or installation; there are currently more than 10,000 users testing out a private version of the site, according to BusinessWeek. Its revenue model includes referral fees paid by companies—including Amazon and Zappos so far—when answers include a link to their sites, BW reported.

Will social search provide the new way to get answers to everyday questions? It seems likely, but only time will tell. In the meantime, one to watch, partner with—or generally get in on as soon as possible! ;-)

Website: www.vark.com
Contact: info@aardvarkteam.com

Spotted by: Diricia De Wet

A German laundry service has teamed up with DHL to offer convenient pick-up and delivery. After signing up with Cleenbox, members receive a starter pack consisting of a laundry bag, a plastic box, a manual and an address label. They fill the bag with dirty laundry—no colour separation required—put it in the box and arrange for pick-up (Monday through Saturday). Alternatively, they can drop the box at a post office. After 2 to 5 days, the clothes are returned clean, ironed and folded.

Boxes come in three different sizes; the smallest one holds one smallish load of laundry, while a ‘megabox’ holds two larger loads. Payment works through a credits system, and prices depend on how many credits a customer buys in advance. One credit, or ‘Waschmarke’, pays for one box of laundry, including shipping. Based on advance purchase of 10 credits, prices range from EUR 19 for a small box to EUR 40 for a megabox. Shipment can be tracked online, and delivery addresses and dates can also be changed via Cleenbox’s website. Cleenbox is currently available in Germany and Austria—where it works with the Austrian postal service—and is planning to expand to other European countries.

According to CEO Harry Hohoff, the service is targeting singles, families, internet-savvy seniors and SMBs. Busy consumers will continue to outsource household chores, especially if it’s convenient and affordable to do so. Which spells opportunities for service providers. Staying with the laundry theme, how about adding garment repairs, dry cleaning and alterations for a one-stop solution for clothing? (Related: Laundry service by the locker — Private banking by shoebox.)

Website: www.cleenbox.de — www.cleenbox.at
Contact: info@cleenbox.de — info@cleenbox.at

Spotted by: Aniel Sriram

If fire protection kits can be upgraded with a splash of style, then why not first aid kits too? Canister UK's new OW! brand does just that with an assortment of all-in-one kits cutely packaged for various purposes.

Four OW! kits are available for GBP 5.99 each through Boots stores across the UK as well as online. The Home Sweet Home kit, for example, includes forehead thermometer, washproof plasters, wound pad and bandage, antiseptic wipes, safety pins, burns dressing and finger bandage, all in a cheerful silver and orange container. The silver and purple Cheeky Monkeys kit, on the other hand, adds children's plasters, cooling gel sheet and star stickers "for being brave!". Also available are kits for travel and sports. All four are "robust, recyclable and reusable"—as the site puts it—and "a far cry from one of those big old dusty kits you never use, which lurks at the back of your kitchen cupboard."

Ready for another rendition of one of our favourite refrains? Here goes: everything—yes everything—can be upgraded! Take a tired old product, add some modern convenience and stylish packaging, and you too could end up in a chain of 850 stores nationwide! ;-)

Website: www.owhealth.com
Contact: hi@owhealth.com