PowerReviews January 2008 Newsletter

2007 was a milestone year for PowerReviews, and I want to share with you what we’ve been up to and what we have in store for 2008 as we expand our product suite, merchant network and our very own Buzzillions.com shopping portal. In addition to all that we accomplished in 2007, we are proud to have secured an additional $15M in financing led by Lehman Brothers Venture Partners along with Menlo Ventures and Draper Richards. This investment allows us to expand our engineering and development activities and to continue creating the online retail industry's leading customer-review solutions for retailers and their shoppers.

Thank you for helping make PowerReviews a success in these two short years. You are an important part of our organization, and we continue to be thrilled and impressed with the fantastic ways you are leveraging reviews throughout your shopping experiences!

- Andy Chen, Founder and CEO

2007: Year In Review

Our focus in 2007 was to continue acquiring new clients and partners plus launch innovative product features. I am proud to say we can look back on excellent progress in both areas. This year PowerReviews brought on more than 100 new clients and launched our award-winning service on top tier sites such as Toys “R” Us, Radio Shack, ACE and REI, just to name a few. We also added significant new features such as service comments and moderation auto-accept by exception or by star rating. In April 2007 we launched Buzzillions.com, which is the outward-facing embodiment of the vision for social navigation we articulated when we founded the company two years ago. The launch of Buzzillions has literally transformed the industry, sparking the interest of the research analysts and press alike and has created a groundswell among retailers to harness the full power of reviews throughout their online and offline shopping experienced. For more details on these (and other) exciting new products and features, feel free to contact your account manager directly.
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Buzzillions

Last April we launched Buzzillions.com, the premier online shopping destination where shoppers can "find the right product for them – powered by your reviews." Our conversion rates are outstanding and continue to improve as we add more reviews (1,000,000 and counting) and products. One of the reasons that Buzzillions is so successful is that we provide a superior user experience that includes products and reviews from our own client’s sites plus additional reviewed products from outside our network such as PETCO, Overstock and HSN. No wonder we have become THE destination for savvy online shoppers who want to buy products that have been reviewed by people just like them!
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Awards

The successful execution of our strategy was recognized within our industry and clearly reflected in the critical acclaim and awards we have won, such as:

  • 2007 Interactive Media Awards Honors for Buzzillions.com
  • Forrester Groundswell Award for its work with Netshops
  • Endeca Navigator Award For Pioneering Shopping Research Experience
  • Buzzillions.com Wins Two “Best-in-Class” Awards at Interactive Media
    Awards
  • Gartner's Cool Vendor Award
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Key Events You Don’t Want to Miss!

Webinar: the e-tailing group unveils "The Hidden Truths" About Online Reviews

Join us for a Webinar to discuss a groundbreaking white paper, The Hidden Truths: Merchant and Customer Perspectives on Reviews, which will unveil compelling new research about merchant and customer perspectives on online reviews. Jay Shaffer VP of Sales & Marketing at PowerReviews, will co-present with the paper's author, Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group.

The Webinar will address:

  • The passion, intensity of interest and the integral nature that reviews play
    in online and cross-channel shopping.
  • The extraordinary reception that reviews are receiving throughout the
    merchant world.
  • How merchants that have embraced customer-generated reviews have
    dramatically improved ROI and sales.

When: Monday, February 4, 2008 @ 10:00am PT / 1:00pm ET

Register Now

Jay Shaffer’s Blog

If you know Jay Shaffer, our VP of Sales & Marketing at PowerReviews - or have heard him speak at trade shows or conferences - you know he always has something to say! Jay is one of the most dynamic and respected voices in the online retail industry, and if you want to read his insights and opinions please visit his personal blog at http://fromwherejaysits.wordpress.com
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