Buy.com shoppers can roll the cameras on product reviews

Buy.com Inc. has partnered with Grouper Networks Inc., a user-generated video sharing service, to enable Buy.com users to watch, share, create and upload video product reviews via Grouper’s Video Partnership Program, which employs the company’s new one-click WebCam technology. Buy.com shoppers can create and watch video reviews embedded directly on product pages.

The WebCam feature enables user-friendly, instantaneous recording and uploading of video reviews, which provide more information about products from an unbiased source, Buy.com executives say.

Buy.com shoppers interested in providing video reviews must register for Grouper through a co-branded web page. All reviews can be viewed by visiting Buy.com, but will also be available on Grouper.com, with links to the relevant Buy.com product pages. No additional software is required to upload video content or use the WebCam capture feature.

Buy.com is No. 36 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide to Retail Web Sites. The pure-play grew sales 18.8% in 2005 to $345.6 million compared with $290.8 million in 2004.