Lightbank-backed oBaz,, a crowdsourced haggling service that launched in August, is shifting its focus towards product discovery today with the launch of a new Aisle-system on the site.
As we reported previously, oBaz, short for online bazaar, lets anyone create their own group of like-minded buyers looking to get a good price on the same product or service. You simply post the item you’d like on oBaz, wait for people to join the group (a minimum of 25 people have to be in a group to haggle for a product), and then let oBaz work its magic. oBaz hagglers will reach out to merchants or manufacturers and leverage the group and their own negotiating expertise to get the best possible deal.
With oBaz Aisles, users join groups based on their product interests (i.e. Parents, Musicians, Chefs, Gamers, Dog Lovers). oBaz experts in these aireas will curate interesting buys, make product recommendations for their respective Aisles and will get deals on these products for oBaz users.
Once in an Aisle, users can participate in daily discussion questions, vote for upcoming products, or purchase exclusive deals. Additionally, users must submit answers to lifestyle questions before being granted access to an Aisle. For example, Photographers may be asked about their favorite lens while Hackers are asked a question using binary code, and Chefs must come up with an impromptu recipe when given three ingredients. oBaz members can join any number of Aisles for free and there’s no limit on the number of Aisles that can be created.
By sourcing unique products, oBaz seeks to bring visibility to lesser-known brands. Recent deals include a high-quality guitar stand for $125 (Retail: $200) and a gaming iPad accessory for $56 (Retail: $99) from relatively unknown manufacturers.