iBuySell – a new kind of real-time peer-peer mobile marketplace for shopping where thousands of items from fashion to tech gadgets can be found, has just announced its launch via Indiegogo campaign. What makes the iBuySell platform so different is the radical new way the sales are run. Rather than hosting seven-day auctions where buyers engage in bidding wars and the item’s price gradually increases, the concept for iBuySell is virtually the opposite. Sellers showcase their products in their online closets which buyers can browse through and tag their favorite items. Buyers are then notified right before their tagged items go on live-sale. At the beginning of every live-sale, which lasts for up to 90 seconds, the already discounted price of the product falls by the second until the first buyer claims it. It’s kind of like a rapid fire game-like price countdown! This fresh new approach to online shopping results in a more engaging and exciting experience for everyone involved.

iBuySell has many benefits that make it preferable to other online shopping platforms.

For buyers, it’s free to sign up and they can earn shopping credits by referring friends. Rather than just searching for items buried under a catalog of products, buyers discover brand new deals every few seconds. To many, shopping on iBuySell feels like a fun game. It’s a gamble: battle the odds (and other buyers) by waiting until the price drops even more or purchase the item now and avoid the risk of losing it to another shopper. This makes them feel empowered to choose their price and the timeframe is much more convenient than following an auction for days.

The platform is vendor friendly as well. The app is free and vendors have a choice of paying a very low transaction fee (10-15%) or a monthly fee starting at only $29. There is also the advantage of setting secret minimum prices to avoid losing profits, the option to ship directly from the app, and the built-in mechanisms that drive buyers to the vendor’s existing online ecommerce stores. Inventory moves quickly and, because customers only have 15 minutes to pay for their items, within 20 minutes vendors know exactly which items have sold and at what price.

“Most online platforms are nothing but discount catalogs, products move slowly, it’s hard to get discovered, upfront promotion costs are too high and the fees are astronomical. There are not many options available for small retail owners and individual entrepreneurs to make their life easy” says iBuySell co-founder, Kaus Mukherjee. “So, we thought why not combine shopping for incredible deals with a little fun and suspense, to make it an engaging experience? The buyer is always intrigued ‘Will I be the first to snag this or will someone else take it?’ Here there are no hassles of bidding and the entire live auction lasts for only 90 seconds”.

Kaustuva Mukherjee, a technologist, and his wife Suchi, who is a realtor, share a common passion for technology and shopping. They co-founded iBuySell after researching different options for setting up their own online retail business. They realized there was a gap in the market for online shopping networks that are designed with both the retailer and the consumer in mind. The app has been in development for 6 months and will launch in May with much anticipation.

As a way to spread the word about iBuySell, Kaus is launching an Indiegogo campaign. Shopping credits for the app and commission free selling credits are available from April 19, 2016  until  June 19, 2016. Advertising slots can be purchased at that time as well.

Indiegogo page: Click here to visit their Indiegogo campaign

For additional information about iBuySell please visit their website, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr.

Equally, when it comes to GenX consumers, longer video advertising seems to make a connection.

The results of the “Multiscreen Video Best Practices” research report have now been released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) following its research into mobile ads in conjunction with Tremor Video and Millward Brown Digital.

They determined that 10 second mobile video advertisements have the greatest effect on Millennial viewers.

These shorter videos as mobile ads were most effective for that generation in terms of their persuasion potential and overall brand appeal. On the other hand, when it comes to appealing to people between the ages of 35 and 54, thirty second videos appeared to have a much greater impact in those two areas. According to the report “Our research shows that for some demographics and some adverting goals this doesn’t hold up. These findings are critical in creating the next generation of multiscreen video advertising.”

As a whole among mobile ads, it was the 30 second videos that had the greatest advantage over all audiences.

Despite the fact that 10 second spots were most effective among Millennials, audiences of all ages did agree that the mobile video ads that were 30 seconds long had a very important advantage of being better for being able to communicate new or complex messages. Among the respondents of a survey who were asked about the amount of new information an ad had provided, 73 percent said the thirty second ads were most effective (versus 68 percent who said the same about the 10 second ads).

The respondents also indicated that larger screens assisted in effectively sharing a message of moderate complexity. Seventy three percent of those polled said that the mobile video advertising they saw on tablet screens were good at sharing new info with them. Comparatively, only 65 percent said the same thing about smartphones.

Moreover, the research determined that tablet video mobile ads are especially engaging among consumers within the 35 to 54 year old age group. Respondents in that category indicated that the advertising they viewed over those larger screens was more “unique”, “interesting” and “involving” than what they saw on other device screens.