By perfecting a strategy that combines online merchandising with digital content, Zazzle.com is building a niche as a site where shoppers can personalize ranging from apparel and bags to postage stamps.
Backed by $16 million from investors including Kleiner Perkins Caulfied & Byers, who were early supporters of Amazon.com and Drugstore.com, Zazzle.com has established itself as a digital community for users like artists, photographers and business owners as well as general shoppers who want to get serious about personalizing products, says CEO and co-founder Robert Beaver. Zazzle is No. 269 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide to Retail Web Sites.
In August, Zazzle launched a program that represents an overarching effort to expand its business by enabling customized product development on third-party web sites. Its Create-a-Product application programming interface offers sites a one-click way to turn digital content, including images, designs, photos and text, into customized products su has T-shirts and mugs.
“We’re a web retailer that’s grounded in being a good technology company as well,” Beaver says. “Our model is different because we’re focused on merging e-commerce with digital content and an interactive community.”
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