Product review sites are a dime a dozen. There are those that exist as integrations with broader online storefronts, like Amazon. And then there are others which specialize primarily in cataloging consumer impressions. Epinions is one such site. Yelp is another, albeit with a heavy emphasis on service reviews (restaurants, stores, etc.).
Now there is another name to add to the list: Sazze. Its primary focus is the consumer product market. No real surprises there. But its aim is to offer more of a social, well-networked atmosphere for its users than the average consumer is likely to encounter through many existing services.
First, we draw the obvious parallel (Sazze makes no bones about it, either). On its face, the company openly considers itself, at its very core, akin to Yelp. Why? Because Yelp is quite a cohesive framework of users. While some Yelp members offer the casual comment, the site has a strong body of reviewers that routinely offer their thoughts on all sorts of items. Which in turn presents site regulars, or frequent visitors, a better chance at familiarizing themselves with the loose-knit network of part-time citizen critics. In today’s heavily-networked world, familiarization is quite important for sure. Therefore, Sazze wants to built a similar social component to its product pages.
The site, in development for a good half-year prior to its February ’08 launch as a closed beta, is presently a wee thing when compared to more veteran consumer review sites. Understandably so. When you place limits, you hit limits. Since the beta’s initial debut, only some 2000+ reviews have been published. Yet now that it’s become a more open platform, things could pick up significantly.
Of course, success isn’t guaranteed. As with most Web services today, a business won’t flourish unless its 1) got something qualitative to offer, or 2) it is riding a wave. I can’t imagine that there’s a significant wave of feverish consumer reviewing happening on the Web, so I’m going to have to default to scenario #1 in Sazze’s case.
That being said, though, Sazze might be able to achieve steady growth due to its use of the Shopping.com API, giving users a broad range of product information to quickly access right out the gate. No real need to build from scratch there. Just add lots and lots of interested people.