MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When Simon Bull's international art distribution business hit a roadblock at the outset of the recession, the artist discovered an intriguing new outlet for sales: Facebook. In the first year of selling to his Facebook friends, sales topped out at $232,000, but something was troubling him.
As a distribution and marketing veteran, Bull knew he would eventually have to reach beyond his own friendship circle and find new connections among other people’s networks. While pondering this problem and brainstorming the solution with business partners Randall Swanson and Jacob Perl, the idea for BidZzar’s collaborative marketplace was born.
The intriguingly simple answer they came up with is based on a novel friend-to-friend advertising model they call “Collaborative Commerce.” More than just a new twist on social commerce, BidZzar opens up an entirely new space within the e-commerce sector.
Artfully combining gaming psychology with commercial opportunity, BidZzar opens its marketplace doors to everyone, even if they aren’t shoppers or have nothing of their own to sell. Users can earn commissions every time they make a sale simply by posting other people’s stuff to their stores and sharing with friends.
“We call it Collaborative Commerce because it thrives within a ‘help me help you culture,’” says Bull. “We found that friends know best what to recommend to each other and when. BidZzar just gives them the how to do it.”
The app sets itself apart by bringing commerce to Facebook profiles. “We noticed that most players in the sector are building tools for Pages, but the bigger opportunity for tapping into the social network is with individual profiles.”
BidZzar empowers individuals to have fun “playing shop” amongst their friends while earning money and helping their favorite causes. Says Bull, “it’s sort of a Farmville meets eBay concept – but it actually makes you money.”
BidZzar’s unique chain payment system makes all this possible as an industry first for social commerce applications. Powered by Paypal, it runs behind the scenes, automatically taking care of accounting and ensuring each user receives their cut of the sale they are involved in.
BidZzar’s founders have created a way for millions of people to start their own business without touching inventory or opening a physical store. With the advent of BidZzar, it has never been easier to shop, sell, earn or give online.
About BidZzar.com
BidZzar is an auction-based Collaborative Commerce application for individual Facebook users and causes. The app lets you earn money online by connecting sellers from other networks to buyers in your own network. With BidZzar, shopping, selling, earning and giving online have never been easier or more fun!
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