ProBargainHunter.com

I have previously covered the topic of voting for deals and how important voting can be. I would like to dedicate this posting to the web sites that would not exist is they didn’t take advantage of the idea.

Building web sites that live off of people powered content is the latest Web2.0 trend. It has brought millions of visitors to such web sites as Digg and YouTube. So who are the players in the bargain hunting market?

DealsPlus is probably the most successful implementation of the concept. Do you need a proof? Check their ranking in our list of most popular web sits. Not yet convinced? Take a look at how much they got paid for a single front page ad. I am sure not many established web sites can boast $710 price tag let alone 4 month old infants. So what have they done right? Here are a few things:

• Frequently updated, structured and moderated content. When you are looking for a deal you don’t want to be browsing hundreds and thousands of offers that all look alike (which you would at DealPlumber – more about them next).
• Simplicity. The web site is certainly not cluttered. You can get pretty much everywhere with one or two mouse clicks.
• Good marketing. The initial iPOD and Flash Drive offering to the top users has boosted visits to the web site. Guess what? Those folks who did it for a flash drive now do it for fun!
• Great web site design. I am really having hard time finding at least a single suggestion how it can be improved. Well, from the second thought, they could have added price-comparison functionality if it’s possible to do so without sacrificing the cleanness of the site layout.

This is the runner up according to our list. They have done a great job designing the web site and thanks to their share deals & earn program they have amassed a huge number of offerings. But what good is the deal if you (as a buyer) really have no clue if it is the best value out there? I have browsed through the first 10 pages of latest deals and couldn’t find a single deal with a user comment or rating. On top of that DealPlumber is really lacking some useful features. For example I love the ability to click on the seller in DealsPlus while looking at their offering and go directly to coupons, promotions and other deals from that seller. The ads DealPlumber places all over its pages don’t help much either.

DealSpy is a classic Pligg clone. The creators have done a decent job beautifying it but obviously not nearly enough to lure the visitors a masse. It also lags behind DealsPlus and possibly DealPlumber by the functionality it offers. As the result, the site is pretty much dormant. The newest deal posted as of writing this is 1 day 11 hours old. Let’s see if DealSpy v2.0 improves the situation. Overall the web site looks like a low budget project done by a hobbyist or two. It would certainly help to do at least some marketing.

This was one of the first web2.0 bargain hunting sites I have discovered. It probably happened about the same time I found about Digg. It was new and cool yet it appears it hasn’t picked up ever since. Why?

• Devoted bargain hunters don’t use it since there has been no community behind the site to post & rank new deals. You really need some critical mass to get things started. This doesn’t seem to have happened.
• Main-stream shoppers don’t use it as well and the reason I think is this. Shopping is a very visual process. You really need a good wrapping for the product and by wrapping I mean a picture and reviews (or at least some user feedback). DealCritic lacks these attributes.

It is worth to mention that such oldie as JudysBook has recently joined the bandwagon. They are playing around with the concept as well.

Also read this interesting comparisson of DealsPlus and DealPlumber at Shoutblog and this one at RotorBlog.

Update 10/02: Popular Canadian bargan hunting web site RedFlagDeals has just intoduced the new site design. Guess what? It allows users to vote for deals… Who is going to be next?