fresh Unveils First Verified Consumer Gadget Review Site to Meet Demand for Credibility

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- fresh (www.getfresh.com) today unveiled its social product testing and review site created to flip the product review world on its head. Backed by leading Web entrepreneurs, including lead investor David Sacks of Yammer, fresh connects companies and their products with passionate and credible consumers who want to try them and tell their friends about them.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130205/SF53217LOGO)

Unlike many more traditional players in the review space, fresh requires users to verify themselves using their Facebook profiles. Users sign up for a chance to become product testers and are given a spot in line. They move ahead in line by digitally referring friends to the products they want to test. Manufacturers then send product to customers at the front of the line. The customers either get to keep the product or return it at no cost. Once reviewers have a chance to try the product, they answer questions posed to them by fellow users who want to know more about the experience.

The fresh model is also replacing the star rating system with more relevant and unbiased feedback. According to fresh, the star rating system is inherently flawed because of the subjective nature of the rankings. It also systematically attracts "extremity reviews" whereby the majority of reviewers give a 1-star or a 5-star rating, but people with experiences in the middle will not post a review, making one- and five-star reviews statistically inaccurate. Instead, fresh simply asks reviewers if they'd recommend the product to a friend.  The idea is that people don't recommend products they don't like.

"Our model works and there's proof. Yelp became relevant when people were able to review restaurants and tell strangers about them, serving as a signal about their quality. Before Yelp, chain restaurants dominated, but now I can find an authentic mom and pop restaurant that would have previously suffered from the marketing engines afforded to big chains," said Stephen Svajian, founder and CEO of fresh. "Part of what drove the need for Yelp was the fragmentation that existed in restaurant markets. Now, fragmentation is coming in markets for physical products. And, similarly, there's a need for a service that sits in the middle and tells people what's good. That's where fresh comes in."

User benefits:

• Access to trustworthy, verified and credible user reviews of new products
• Early access to exciting, cutting edge consumer electronics and home & kitchen gadgets from global companies
• Social platform for discussing cool new products with friends and peers

Manufacturer benefits:

• Users create exposure for products through network referrals in order to move ahead in line
• Reviews are done by passionate consumers instead of a review by an expert with no use for the product
• Companies receive feedback on product directly from consumers who are using it in their real lives

"After hearing about fresh, we knew we wanted to have Nomiku reviewed through the site," said Nomiku co-founder and CEO, Lisa Fetterman. "Getting a sous vide product like ours in the hands of real foodies is what is going to help us grow as a business. fresh gives us that platform to engage with consumers and gain incredibly useful feedback."

About fresh
fresh (www.getfresh.com) is a San Francisco-based social product testing and review site that connects consumers directly with manufacturers to create credible and trustworthy reviews of cutting-edge products for the fresh community.

fresh was founded in 2012 by Stephen Svajian and George Truong - both formerly with YBUY - and James Patterson, current CPO of Yammer. Current Yammer CEO David Sacks is a lead investor of fresh. For more information on fresh, visit www.getfresh.com.

Media Inquiries:
Maggie Habib
Atomic for fresh
O: 714.558.7668
M: 310.916.6934
[email protected]

Jason Gerdon
Atomic for fresh
O: 714.558.7676
M: 714.423.5050
[email protected]

SOURCE fresh