Zeer Launches Food Product Community to Empower Consumers to "Believe in What They Buy"

Zeer Connects People to Product Information, Communities of Interest, and Peer Reviews


CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - May 6, 2008) - Zeer - http://www.zeer.com - today announced the beta launch of its highly anticipated grocery community to connect people to product information, interest-specific communities and consumer reviews. For the first time, consumers who are concerned about the products that they eat and drink can join Zeer to learn more about food choices and take the guesswork out of grocery shopping. Zeer answers the needs of many consumers who feel overwhelmed by product choices, are seeking unbiased and objective product information, or are simply passionate about food.

With rising prices for groceries and rapidly changing food trends -- including a move towards healthy eating, organic food choices, and green products -- consumers can use Zeer to be more confident in their buying decisions. As consumers look for healthy food options they may have personal concerns in mind such as food allergies or diets. Before the launch of Zeer, it has been difficult to get relevant and personalized product information especially when shopping in the store.

According to Forrester Research in its "US eCommerce: Five Year Forecast and Data Overview" report, published in October 2006, the U.S. grocery industry has $650 billion in revenue (more than five times more than the book, music and video/DVD markets combined). The Forrester Research "State of Consumers and Technology: Benchmark 2007" report, published in September 2007, notes that researching products was the second-most popular activity on the Internet in its survey (after email) with 54% of U.S. adults researching products for purchase online at least monthly.

Using product information, community and advanced search capabilities from Zeer, members can search from more than 110,000 food and beverage products to find exactly what they want, customized to their needs and interests. Consumers will find photos, descriptions and full nutritional information and 26 carefully targeted communities of interest, from peanut allergies, to green living, to low-fat diets and low-carb diets, to health conditions like diabetes and healthy hearts, to product passions like beer, wine, and pet products.

"We are thrilled to launch the first generation of our service. For the millions of consumers who wander the grocery store aisles every day wondering what products are best for them, Zeer provides consumers with the tools they need to make confident buying decisions," said Michael Putnam, CEO of Zeer. "Before Zeer, shoppers have had to wade through hundreds of websites and listings to find the information they are looking for or simply trust food labels. Zeer takes the guesswork out of grocery shopping by giving consumers relevant and personalized product information when they need it most."

Zeer was founded by Michael Putnam. Michael previously held positions as an eCommerce analyst at Forrester Research, an eCommerce director and leader of RFID product development and marketing at MARKEM Corporation, and an MBA intern in the algorithms group at Amazon.com. Michael holds degrees in engineering, business and government from Stanford, Dartmouth and Harvard, respectively.

The Zeer Advisory Board includes David Cooperstein, Chief Marketing Officer of Burst Media and former VP of Gather, Barnaby Dorfman, former VP of Amazon.com and Kyte.tv, Jason Gracilieri, Sconex co-founder, Tom Putnam, former Chairman and President of MARKEM Corporation, and Ben Ruedlinger, EVP and VP of Engineering at Wistia and former Founder and President of Blogniscient.

About Zeer:

Zeer is a grocery product community that helps people "believe in what they buy." Members can research products before they go to the store, join communities that match their food-related needs and interests, and share advice with like-minded people. Zeer whittles the world of products down to a personalized community where friends answer product questions, and better information brings confidence in buying decisions. The company was founded by Michael Putnam in 2007, and is privately funded. For additional information, please see the company's website at http://www.zeer.com

Contact Information: Contact: Kendra Boccelli Boccelli & Co. for Zeer Office: 978.499.0844 Mobile: 617.645.3205