Everyone loves a treat: Attach a rewards system that doles out points to users for referring
friends to deals and Treatfeed may spell a potential win-win, for consumers and businesses alike.
The TreatFeed reward system is a bit like a cross between Yelp and Groupon, allowing users to
personally recommend daily deals to the friends in their network in order to win perks.
Los-Angeles based TreatFeed posts a stream of deals from local or online businesses daily (in no
fewer than 18 categories). Through Facebook, users join and then start inviting friends to join
their Social Tree network. Users can then refer friends in their Social Tree to deals they spot
and like. (You can also enter your email address to receive the TreatFeed in your in-box).
If a friend in a user%u2019s Social Tree purchases a deal that was referred to him or her, the
referring user (the person who started the Social Tree%u201D) earns points. If friends of friends (up
to four generations) purchase the deal, the referring user earns additional points. These points
are redeemable for what TreatFeed calls %u201Ccool stuff%u201D and cash. It%u2019s one big, happy circle of
friends, referrals and rewards.
In the TreatFeed, users can click like on deals, reply to them with comments and click around to
read more details about the offerings. Users can e-mail deals to friends or Tweet deals.
A sampling of today%u2019s posted deals includes: In the activities and travel category, $100 off
Hawaii, Caribbean and Mexico vacation packages from Ortiz.com; in the health and beauty category,
$20 off any purchase of $100 or more from Gaiam and 20 percent off your entire contact lens order
at Walgreens.com; and in the pet category, 50 percent off FURminator pet grooming products.
TreatFeed is the brainchild of the same team that launched HauteLook, a website recently acquired
by Nordstrom that offers exclusives of private online sales.
Possible drawback: Will friends resent the cashing in of amity? It could happen. Or the entire
network could be delighted to benefit from finding, sharing and cashing in on money-saving deals.
These blanks will be filled in soon, once TreatFeed has been up and running for a bit.
Readers, what do you think about the prospects for this application?
