Merchant Forum?

[Mortis]

Greetings. Dont know if this is a good idea or not, there are both pros and cons- but thought I would throw it out there. As TIMO becomes more popular because of ResellerRatings (or the other way around), I have seen more and more Merchants posting info and deals from their sites- "spam."

What if there was a Merchant Forum for OnLine Dealers (both small and large businesses) to post their specials/adds. DocsDeals already exists, but that is user submitted... this would be similar, but for the businesses themselves. This would not only possibly provide some deals to members but also provide an appropriate forum for Merchants to get some sales... and, one can assume- rather, have a better chance that since it is being posted at TIMO/ResellerRatings that the deal will be legit and the transaction smooth. There could be link from RR's mainpage for Merchants to post specials. This could be taken further and the forum could be closed to forum members and only open to registered Merchants and only accessed from RR. This way, there is no thread crapping or negative comments- users can either take advantage of the "special/deal" or disregard it.

I dont know how many of the larger sites would take advantage of this, but I would think smaller sites would take the time to use it and submit info to get their name out there. If it takes off, RR could charge a nominal fee to Merchant Members for their Postings... lots of options.

Just a thought. I use RR religiously and see it as a valuable online tool. I also search for atleast an hour a day for deals and specials. This idea benefits me/us as consumers as it could potentially bring deals to us- should it be incorporated and become used/popular by merchants. I cant think of any conflict of interests (credibility issues/questioning) for RR or TIMO.

So, it could be:
General Discussion and Buyer Guidance
Traders Forum
DocsDeals- User Submitted
MerchantDeals- Business submitted


Mortis

[vass0922]

It is indeed an interesting concept...
Hmmm.. what limits would we put on it though?
Does it have to remain tech only?
I would assume so cause otherwise that could open up a pretty big can of worms.

[daveleau]

Free advertising? That would cut into the deals that Scott has made with previous TechIMO supporters like Crucial, I would assume.

Not a horrible idea, none-the-less.
Dave

[fosin]

Interesting/good idea Mortis. But yea, not an easy thing to deal with. Some other forums have done this. Some charge extra to do this and some don't. The (large) ones I've seen that don't charge still seemed to do a good business selling ad space.

[MDS]

I also think it would cause flaming wars between vendor's,and would have to be watched to make sure things don't get out of hand. Than there is the cost factor, scott would be putting out bandwidth for someone else free ad's doesn't sound like a fair deal so there should be a small and reasonable fee.Also maybe a way to tie there RR rating to there post would encourage ligit sellers not jus cons.

[Mortis]

Not a horrible idea, none-the-less.

Glad it wasn't "horrible."

I hadnt thought of it as free advertising... but suppose it could be viewed that way. I saw it more as a way to increase Site traffic by providing another needed internet service- a more centralized hub that listed hot deals. Skilled users like Doc and many others know the spots to go to for "deals" and what sites to keep an eye on for "specials." The average "Joe" does not. I saw it as another nitch in the internet market. Premium sites like NewEgg and the others can still pay for the adds they currently have shown on the pages- those are more obvious and attractive... but you can only have so many of those present. The ones already there are causing old time members to notice and complain... see another thread in this forum. Using NewEgg as an example, they had the Chieftec Server case and several other hot items marked down. Those things could be submitted in this "forum" as they occur. Nothing flashy, just a post submitted by NewEgg. If it would require some type of premium, maybe dealers would be willing to pay it considering the amount of traffic it could generate- if a nickel turns a dollar, I am willing to spend the nickel to make .95. As for the ThreadCrapping, again- as stated in original post, they are not discussion threads- one post. Each "subscribed" Merchant could have their own login and only the subscribed businesses could post. There could be link on the FrontPage of RR and TIMO listing this Forum- Daily Hot Deals (or whatever), making it easy for users, both new and old, to find.

Again, just an Idea. As I am sure others here are aware, Internet Shopping and Purchases is something that continues to grow and every year this behavior/buying patterns increases. Ease of Use, convenience, future exposure and opportunity are some of the Factors that contribute to this growing market- hopefully making it a someday norm. It just makes sense to me for RR to capitalize on its opportunities and already broad member base. ONE Stop Shopping- WalMarts of the Internet... You already have consumers stopping by to check on Merchants, why not give ALL Merchants a place to post there "Daily's?" Find a Deal in one isle, go to the next isle and check the reputation. Could even serve fries someday . Further, each Deal a Merchant posts, there could be a link to their RR score... just use the imagination... its the internet, there arent limits- but there is a future.

EDIT: As for opportunities to increase revenue off of this... I dont know. RR and TIMO could be acting as a psuedo Broker, if you want to look at it that way... a middle person bringing consumer and businesses together- now there is money in that . It just needs to be sold.