PT Productopia officially launched its Web site this week, becoming the latest in a slew of destinations offering customer reviews online.
Firms launching product review sites go online with high hopes for future profitability.
Just as new Net users have turned to portals like Yahoo and Excite to find their way on the Web, online product review sites expect customers to turn their way for buying advice. Except for Consumer Reports, which has some 310,000 paid subscribers, the sites generally depend on advertising revenues. Additionally, sites can charge referral fees, per purchase, for recommending retailers on the site. But it remains to be seen how these startup product review sites will succeed and whether a lucrative market exists. But sometimes the bias of reviews posted on sites is questionable.