Recommendr is a product that takes online shopping and wraps the power of social networking around it. The service presents you with the question, “What are you looking for?” and then recommends the products that best meet your needs.

I really like the idea of this product, not because the world needs another social network but because it is a market that hasn’t seen a really strong player. Amazon relies on previous purchases and consumer behavior data to “recommend” products, but sometimes what I am really interested in is a direct user recommendation.

I had a chance to speak with Eric Goh, a co-founder of Recommendr and here is what he had to say.

Eric Goh

I met Ray (Tanaka, Recommender co-founder) in 2000 while working at a wireless marketing startup. I was a product manager and he was an engineering manager and we decided that we had to start a company together one day. The startup we were working at was acquired and we went our separate ways and worked at numerous startups and public companies in Silicon Valley. Through the years we would get together and talk through the various ideas we had, but none were “it.” Finally in 2006 we were talking about how hard it was to figure out what product to purchase and a spark went off. We thought it would be great to be able to ask for and receive product recommendations directly from people. We have always been believers in the power of the community and we wanted to create a place where people could leverage the wisdom of the community and help one another. We loved the idea, so we teamed up to help improve people’s shopping experience.

Recommendr

Tell me about the problem that you were trying to solve with Recommendr? It looks like a really great way to find new products, but was their a larger mission?

The growing number of products and the proliferation of information make it increasingly difficult to find, select, and purchase the right product. A typical online shopping process involves researching a wide selection of items, getting opinions from people, reading reviews and forums, looking for deals, and then organizing and analyzing the gathered information before making a purchase. Currently, this iterative process involves using multiple sites where the burden of compiling and understanding the information rests on the consumers. This makes the shopping process frustrating, tedious and repetitive.

We solve these problems by providing consumers with an online community where people can give and receive product recommendations. Users can directly ask the community to help them with their specific product needs by posting a request. The community can then share their collective wisdom by recommending products to specific requests. Our big mission is to make shopping easier and more engaging for everyone.

Building A Community

As a system that relies on a vibrant community to make it work, how are you going about attracting people to join your service? Ideally, how else would you try to get participants?

We believe that the best way of attracting people is to provide an invaluable service that helps people find the products they are looking for. If we can help people save time, make better purchases, and have less buyer’s remorse, we hope people will tell their friends and family about us. We also want to make it really easy for people to leverage their network to get the best product recommendations. We have a number of features coming out in the weeks ahead that will help people spread the word about their requests and ultimately about Recommendr.

Monetization

How are you planning to monetize Recommendr if at all?

Our revenue stream is generating revenue from merchants that pay lead referral fees when consumers make purchases. Consumers discovering products at Recommendr will be able to click on links to purchase the products at partner merchants’ sites. When consumers make purchases, Recommendr receives a percentage of revenue from partner merchants. However, we’ve only integrated with a couple of merchants so far. Our primary focus is to create a great user experience.

The Burning Question

I try to ask all of the entrepreneurs that I interview this. As entrepreneurs, do you have any advice for people who have an idea but just don’t know where to start or how to get it off the ground?

Found your company with people you really trust, respect, and admire. Your company may outlast the average marriage in the US, so you better be sure these are people you are willing to work with for the long term.

Pick an idea that tries to help people and make people’s lives better. If you succeed in helping people, you too will be a success. Choose something you’re passionate about. When you work for yourself, you’re going to work harder than any company you’ve ever been at. Starting a company will be physically, mentally, and emotionally painful at times and if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, there is a good chance you will quit.

Some other advice is to “just get it out.” You can’t design in a bubble so you need people to give you feedback. Listen carefully to your early adopters; they will be invaluable in shaping your product or service. Don’t forget to thank the people that help you. Even if you’re a cash strapped startup like us, you can do small things to show your appreciation. We give people that help out whatever we can, like gift cards to Peet’s coffee, some iTunes credits, or something like that.

Web 2.0 Roundup

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me Eric, I recommend that everyone gives Recommendr a look. If you want to learn more, here is some contact information to help you out.

Website: http://www.recommendr.com
Contact: eric@recommendr.com