Contact Information: Contact: Kendra Boccelli Boccelli & Co. for Zeer Office: 978.499.0844 Mobile: 617.645.3205
Zeer Launches Food Product Community to Empower Consumers to "Believe in What They Buy"
Zeer Connects People to Product Information, Communities of Interest, and Peer Reviews
| Source: Zeer, Inc.
CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - May 6, 2008) - Zeer -
http://www.zeer.com - today announced the beta launch of its highly
anticipated grocery community to connect people to product information,
interest-specific communities and consumer
reviews. For the first time, consumers who are concerned about the
products that they eat and drink can join Zeer to learn more about food
choices and take the guesswork out of grocery shopping. Zeer answers the
needs of many consumers who feel overwhelmed by product choices, are
seeking unbiased and objective product information, or are simply
passionate about food.
With rising prices for groceries and rapidly changing food trends --
including a move towards healthy eating,
organic food choices, and green products -- consumers can use Zeer to
be more confident in their buying decisions. As consumers look for healthy food options they may have personal
concerns in mind such as food allergies or diets. Before the launch of
Zeer, it has been difficult to get relevant and personalized product
information especially when shopping in the store.
According to Forrester Research in its "US eCommerce: Five Year Forecast
and Data Overview" report, published in October 2006, the U.S. grocery
industry has $650 billion in revenue (more than five times more than the
book, music and video/DVD markets combined). The Forrester Research "State
of Consumers and Technology: Benchmark 2007" report, published in September
2007, notes that researching products was the second-most popular activity
on the Internet in its survey (after email) with 54% of U.S. adults
researching products for purchase online at least monthly.
Using product information, community and advanced search capabilities from
Zeer, members can search from more than 110,000 food and beverage products
to find exactly what they want, customized to their needs and interests.
Consumers will find photos, descriptions and full nutritional information
and 26 carefully targeted communities of interest, from peanut allergies,
to green living, to low-fat diets and low-carb diets, to health conditions
like diabetes and healthy hearts, to product passions like beer, wine, and
pet products.
"We are thrilled to launch the first generation of our service. For the
millions of consumers who wander the grocery store aisles every day
wondering what products are best for them, Zeer provides consumers with the
tools they need to make confident buying decisions," said Michael Putnam,
CEO of Zeer. "Before Zeer, shoppers have had to wade through hundreds of
websites and listings to find the information they are looking for or
simply trust food labels. Zeer takes the guesswork out of grocery shopping
by giving consumers relevant and personalized product information when they
need it most."
Zeer was founded by Michael Putnam. Michael previously held positions as an
eCommerce analyst at Forrester Research, an eCommerce director and leader
of RFID product development and marketing at MARKEM Corporation, and an MBA
intern in the algorithms group at Amazon.com. Michael holds degrees in
engineering, business and government from Stanford, Dartmouth and Harvard,
respectively.
The Zeer Advisory Board includes David Cooperstein, Chief Marketing Officer
of Burst Media and former VP of Gather, Barnaby Dorfman, former VP of
Amazon.com and Kyte.tv, Jason Gracilieri, Sconex co-founder, Tom Putnam,
former Chairman and President of MARKEM Corporation, and Ben Ruedlinger,
EVP and VP of Engineering at Wistia and former Founder and President of
Blogniscient.
About Zeer:
Zeer is a grocery product community that helps people "believe in what they
buy." Members can research products before they go to the store, join
communities that match their food-related needs and interests, and share
advice with like-minded people. Zeer whittles the world of products down to
a personalized community where friends answer product questions, and better
information brings confidence in buying decisions. The company was founded
by Michael Putnam in 2007, and is privately funded. For additional
information, please see the company's website at http://www.zeer.com