Verichannel, LLC, a trade-restricted search engine for the jewelry industry, has launched in beta mode a consumer version to help retailers and brands break free from what it calls the "Google log-jam." Marketed under the URL Gemfling.com, the site brings together some of the most successful models on the Web, including Kayak™-style vendor comparisons, rewards-based viral techniques popularized by Microsoft's Bing™ and Groupon,™ and back-end technology powered by Google™ itself, according to press release e-mailed to Rough&Polished.
"After our first year successfully helping retail stores connect more efficiently with suppliers, we are now extending our patent-pending technology to help consumers more easily connect with retail stores and brands," said Verichannel CEO Jacques Voorhees. "Based on our research, there is almost a marketing crisis occurring at this level. Consumers increasingly go to the Web as a starting point, and that means Google or one of the other search engines. But if you're not on the first page in the results -- you're invisible. And everyone in the industry is trying to be on that first page, which of course is impossible. It's a log-jam that is just as frustrating to consumers as it is to suppliers."
Gemfling.com is Verichannel's answer to the problem. "You don't go to Google to buy an airline ticket, you go to Expedia," Voorhees continued. "Why? Because it is a specialized search engine that focuses on the unique characteristics of the travel industry -- hence delivering a more efficient shopping experience for the consumer. Now, with Gemfling, the jewelry industry can provide similar efficiency. It's better for consumers and vastly more efficient for retailers and brands seeking exposure."
The site launched January 11th. A rewards-based viral marketing program will begin in second quarter 2012, which rewards both retail stores and consumers based on usage and promotional (viral) activity. The site expects to serve up every consumer-facing company in the jewelry industry.
Tatiana Alexandrova, Rough&Polished, Moscow
