Punchbowl, the six year old party planning and e-greeting card site, has added an e-commerce platform today after a year in development. The appeal of adding e-commerce is obvious. If users are already planning a party, why not sell them what you know they need on the same site?
I spoke to Matt Douglas, CEO of Punchbowl, earlier this morning primarily to ask Why build it yourself? His answer: “User experience and design.” That’s something his company is good at, he told me, and he felt it was imperative to keep total control over the site’s design. The addition of e-commerce was “not something we undertook lightly,” he added.
The timing of the release is intentional; the holiday season will be a big test for the platform, starting with Halloween.
Punchbowl is currently 20 people and while Douglas would not disclose traffic or revenue, he said the company would set a new traffic record this year and that he expects revenue will have doubled in 2012. Below is the company’s release.
Punchbowl introduces Shopping Aisle; state-of-the-art online retail for the celebrations market
Framingham, MA (PRWEB) September 25, 2012
Today, Punchbowl.com, the leader in start to finish party planning and digital greeting cards, introduced Shopping Aisle — a best-in-class web, iPad, and iPhone shopping experience for celebrations.
Shopping Aisle by Punchbowl offers a modern way to shop for supplies, decorations, gift cards and more for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and birthday parties. With the introduction of Shopping Aisle, Punchbowl has designed a state-of-the-art online retail site that figures out what a consumer needs for a celebration based on previous actions. Shopping Aisle sets a new bar for a great online shopping experience in the celebrations market and delights customers with products that foster inspiration and creativity.
“No other online commerce site figures out what you need for your celebration based on your previous actions,” said Matt Douglas, CEO, Punchbowl. “We’ve combined our award-winning design, unparalleled user experience, and a revolutionary deductive commerce engine to offer a best-in-class shopping experience for celebrations – even for iPad and iPhone.”
Highlights of Shopping Aisle include:
- Best-in-class web, iPad, and iPhone shopping experience, specifically designed for the unique dimensions of these popular devices
- Thousands of adult, child, and pet costumes and accessories for Halloween
- Party supplies and decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthday parties, curated in collections by theme
- Gathers information such as event type, date, location, number of guests, age and gender to delight customers with product suggestions
- Fast shipping to all 50 states in the U.S.
- 100% satisfaction, 14-day return policy on most items
“I’m planning my Halloween party on Punchbowl right now,” said Katy Konary, mom of two and a long-time user. “When my guests RSVP to my Halloween party, it’s wonderful that Punchbowl will display Halloween costumes that are age appropriate and will arrive on-time.
As one of the most popular events of the year, Halloween is the kick-off to the fall and winter celebration season. During the last three months of the year, millions of people will be invited to parties and receive digital greeting cards sent from Punchbowl. The introduction of Shopping Aisle now makes Punchbowl the de facto destination for consumers who want a one-stop, convenient solution for the holidays.
To browse Shopping Aisle by Punchbowl, visit http://www.punchbowl.com/shopping
About Punchbowl, Inc.
Punchbowl is the company behind the critically acclaimed website Punchbowl.com, the one-stop site that helps smart moms and savvy professionals celebrate special occasions, milestone events, and holidays. Punchbowl offers a modern, effortless way to plan an unforgettable celebration with start to finish party planning. In addition, the site offers free eCards that have the look and feel of a traditional paper card. Founded by software and user interface experts Matt Douglas and Sean Conta, the company is located in Framingham, MA and is backed by Contour Venture Partners and Intel Capital. To learn more, visit http://www.punchbowl.com/company
