ShopSquad Offers a Different View of Social Commerce

A new social commerce platform is attempting to join consumers in need of product advice via live video chat.

The free service, called ShopSquad, gives shoppers access to a community of advisors ready to answer their questions. Released in alpha this week, ShopSquad.com will initially focus on online baby products for the U.S. market - currently a $3 billion industry.

When searching for a product, users are presented with a list of advisors based on factors such as community ratings, product expertise and language. The ShopSquad platform then enables real-time video chatting and a co-browsing experience where the advisor can guide users directly to a recommended product at one of hundreds of affiliated stores.

"Until now, consumers primarily sought advice by looking at product reviews of questionable quality written by anonymous people," says CEO Charles Katz. "ShopSquad fills the void by connecting buyers and advisors via live video chat during the decision-making process, creating a rich, interactive and educated experience."

Anyone with product knowledge can be an advisor on ShopSquad, and advisors can earn commissions if a shopper buys a suggested product.