R U Sure, a year-old start-up and the latest creation of Internet
entrepreneur Yossi Vardi, has unveiled the company’s new application for
comparison-shopping online.
The R U Sure’s comparison application works invisibly while the user shops,
until a customer selects an item for purchase. At that point, R U Sure pops
up to mention other sites that list the same product for less.
“Imagine you go to a store, find a product and a bird flies on your
shoulder and says ‘I know where you can get it $5 cheaper,'” said Oded
Vardi, R U Sure Company board member. “And the bird is objective [because]
it doesnt own the store next door.”
Still, some might be wondering what the big deal is — the app is entering
a crowded market, with thousands of other shopping sites and shopping bots
offering the same service. MySimon, Shopper.com, Frictionless Commerce and
Active Buyers Guide are just a few that provide personal agents to help the
shopping selection process.
R U Sure thinks the answer lies in its unique click-free invisibility,
allowing users to quickly and effortlessly find the object of their online
shopping pursuits.
The current paradigm requires the user to leave the site and go to a
special site to learn about the item they are buying, and that is not in
accordance with the flow of the Internet, according to Vardi.
“The span of attention is very short and ease of use is mandatory,” added
Vardi. “We put a lot of attention into making the product zero-click.”
Drawbacks to the application include the need to download over two
megabytes of software on to a user’s system, and persistent bugs that
prevent the service from always finding the lowest available price.
However, the company is dismissing the concerns as growing pains,
countering that a 2.0 version is already in the works, which will include
new features such as an automatic form filler.
“Were now waiting to get the verdict of the users [to measure success],”
concluded Vardi. “You cant fool Internet users.”
The company was assembled by Eli Ventura, owner of Ventura Communications,
and by Vardi, a mover behind Mirabiliss ICQ. Internet messenger ICQ, one
of the region’s major Internet success stories, was purchased by AOL last
year for over $400 million dollars.