Such sites can help people save time and money, offering bargain-hunting tips and the best comparison deals from top retailers, analysts said, sparing consumers the trouble of surfing myriad retail sites or walking through dozens of stores.
Sucharita Mulpuru, a retail analyst with Forrester Research, wrote in an e-mail that such sites “help you preshop so you can better plan your trips … and avoid wasting time anywhere you don’t want to go.’’
Zaarly.com, launched earlier this year, was designed as a cyber bulletin board for sellers and buyers. But it has also gained traction as a shopping tool for people looking to buy a sold-out item or recruit personal shoppers. The service is free, but requires users to register.
“We create this idea of buyer commerce power, where you can literally ask for anything,’’ said Bo Fishback, chief executive of Zaarly.com, of San Francisco.
Fishback said Boston has become a growing base for the company, particularly among college students who are using the site to pick up used iPhones and iPads. “When there is a new product launch, we see requests to buy last year’s model,’’ he said. “We are constantly surprised by how people use the site.’’
Some sites offer comparison shopping for discounts. One example is NerdWallet.com, created to match people with the right credit cards. It also has information on stores and online shopping malls that provide bonus rewards. NerdWallet recently offered visitors six miles per $1 spent for folks who bought from Boston-based clothing store Karmaloop through the online American Airlines Advantage Shopping Mall.
“If you wanted to buy something from the Apple store or Best Buy, we will show all the best deals,’’ said Jacob Gibson, cofounder of two-year-old NerdWallet, which has offices in New York, San Francisco, and Sydney. “A lot of these programs will increase their bonus rewards going into the holidays.’’
