Not Quite Buzzing over Buzzilions

I'm on a search to find valuable reviews from "people like me". Yes, because it makes my shopping experience go more quickly but also because we've heard in nearly every research project we've conducted, that online consumers want the same thing,

Broadly speaking, I think reviews are an incredible evolution in the shopping process--whether I'm buying online or off. I love how online reviews easily and exponentially expand my pool of resources, and we've been guiding our clients to launch reviews, working with BazaarVoice. But now the challenge I run into is taking advice on a product from someone who's nothing like me and has no intention of using it any way like I would.

I'm just being practical. A mother of a teenage boy is going to look at a jacket, a camera, an album, a pair of boots much differently than an actual teenage boy. And when I want his opinion, I'll look for it, which is the kind of review functionality I'm looking for, the ability to sort by affinity characteristics.

Recently I found out about Buzzillions, a (beta) review site that promises to give you reviews from "verified buyers." So the angle here is legitimacy and authenticity. Now, I can't search for reviews from buyers like me, (in fact, the site is so new that there just aren't a whole lot of reviews to search, period). But one aspect of the site I found compelling was an area called Consumers Speak, which lets people narrow results on point-and-shoot digital cameras for example, by key words or phrases.

Consumers Speak has four key questions: I am ___; How will I use it?; What do I like?; and, What do I dislike? Granted, the site is in need of a writer to make the language feel more natural, but the idea behind it is compelling. So if I note that I am "getting started," by the time I get to What I like, I can narrow my camera search by the factor of "simple controls" or "great resolution," in short, phrases someone who's getting started might use. Had I said I am a hobbyist/enthusiast, I would have been able to click on defining terms (i.e., bright LCD, accurate colors) more relevant to that level of interest.

In theory, this is a really compelling area. In reality, it's still in beta and we all know what that means. there's just not a whole lot there yet, selection of products and reviews themselves. (I narrowed cameras by "lightweight" and got camera batteries and cases.) And the rest of the site could use a little usability love. Charts and interactions are somewhat clunky and not intuitive. The site is trying to elevate brands, but hasn't really figured out how to do so in a relevant way.

Buzzillions isn't quite there yet, but I'm starting to think it won't be long before I can tap into the collective knowledge of shoppers like me. That will be very cool.