my2cents — Digitizing consumer opinions and comments about retail products

Consumers seek for trusted advice during buying decision. Brand owners and retailers invest large sums in marketing and market research, trying hard to find out what customers really want. my2cents is a mobile application for reading and sharing comments and ratings on retail products. Consumers have access to comments about a product via their mobile phone and can share their own product experience with other consumers and within their social networks. They benefit from the experience of other consumers and trusted friends. Brand owners and retailers benefit from tracking consumer opinions and brand recognition at low cost. This paper describes the development of this application and first results from deployment in practice.