On intention-based site, sellers bid for consumers’ business

We’ve seen examples of the Intention Economy in the past, and regular readers may remember services such as uShip, which enabled shipping companies to bid on cargoes in need of transportation. Aiming to take the concept to the mainstream, we recently came across Canadian Zipzoom, a site that lets buyers announce what they’re in the market for, giving sellers a chance to bid for the opportunity to serve them. Now in beta, Zipzoom lets US and Canadian buyers register with the site for free and then anonymously request quotes for a particular product or service. Zipzoom then gathers all bids from participating vendors and sends their personalized quotes directly to the consumer, allowing him or her to pick the best one. The site explains: “No more scanning through endless search page results. No more ruffling through weekly flyers. No more driving all over town hunting for the best deals. With Zipzoom, your search is over.” Vendors, meanwhile, can receive and read customer requests for free. Only when they respond do they pay a fee of 50 cents per request. In exchange, of course, they get direct access to consumers who have said that they’re ready and willing to make a purchase. How many marketing expenditures can you say that about? (Related: Consumers’ event intents matched with party professionals — In online auction, banks bid on consumer savings — Shipping marketplace capitalizes on intentions.) Spotted by: Ranjit Plaha