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At a time when user-generated content has conquered traditional Marketing, sites like MeRating.com are in great demand. They fulfill an important social role, providing a much needed outlet for consumer opinions, and creating powerful social networks.
An initiative of international IT Corporation Teqniya.com, MeRating.com is this dynamic firm´s response to the increasing need of user generated reviews among consumers all over the world.
As Hamdan Mohamed, CEO of the company behind this project, puts it:
"We want to restore consumer rights to their rightful owners. We are launching MeRating.com in the UAE first, but our plan is to quickly expand to the rest of the world."
According to Mohammed, one of the company´s main objectives is to empower consumers by capitalizing on word-of-mouth.
Lately, research by top Marketing analysts has demonstrated the power of word-of-mouth and the influence of online consumer reviews. According to a Rubicon Consulting 2008 survey, "online reviews are second only to personal advice from a friend as the driver of purchase decisions."
In addition, research by Deloitte & Touche has shown that over 80% of consumer purchases have been influenced by customer reviews. Meanwhile, a staggering 78% of Internet users stated that consumer reviews were "the most credible source of advertising," according to a 2007 NIELSEN survey of over 26.400 consumers across 47 markets.
Be Heard, and Make a Difference:
With an attractive design and a simple interface, MeRating.com has been created to make it easy for the public to share their first-hand opinions about different service providers. Likewise, the site offers advertising, sponsorship, and partnering opportunities for business and corporate members.
Planning for monthly Best Review contests and Company of the Year Awards, MeRating.com will host several large scale events, all year-long.
With the Middle East being the second fastest region worldwide in Internet growth, MeRating.com stands in a privileged position to help local and international consumers make wiser purchasing choices.
A source of unbiased advice for consumers and a modern interactive tool for marketers, MeRating.com offers free registration for individual users, as well as a variety of business programs and sponsoring opportunities for companies.
Teqniya.com has had a great success with the leading UAE online store ellamart.com and their career portal wadifa.com. Their experience with successful IT startups, alongside the market trend towards the supremacy of user generated content, has led some local experts to signal MeRating.com as the next big thing.
Posted by Siba Sami Ammari
