# Product Recommendation Marketplaces Startup Shelf Helps You Discover Products People Like and Use By Alyson Wyers | Published 2016-01-28 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/discover-products References: [techcrunch](http://techcrunch.com/2016/01/27/shelf-helps-you-find-the-best-products-people-actually-use/?ncid=rss) & [shelf](https://shelf.com/) This new platform helps you discover products with the help of people who actually use them. Shelf shows a catalog and offers consumers a place to discuss the ones they love (and don't love). It also displays an inventory of your things by syncing with your email receipts and [Amazon](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affiliate-marketing-platform) history. This gives you the chance to share some of the products you are most excited about or swear by most. The [social aspect](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/stage-ten) lets you share with friends and get opinions from people you trust. You can also list things for sale, adding a marketplace element to the site. Based in San Francisco, Shelf brings word of mouth recommendations to the internet and uses technology to help people discover products. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.4/10 - Popularity: 51% | Activity: 74% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [New Ventures](https://www.trendhunter.com/newventures) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Word-of-mouth Marketing:** Opportunity for businesses to tap into the power of word-of-mouth marketing through a platform that facilitates product recommendations. - **Social Shopping:** Opportunity to create a social shopping experience where consumers can discuss and share their favorite products with friends. - **Product Discovery Technology:** Opportunity to leverage technology to help consumers discover new products based on their interests and preferences. ### Sectors Adopting This - **E-commerce:** Opportunity for e-commerce platforms to integrate social and recommendation features to enhance the shopping experience. - **Consumer Electronics:** Opportunity for consumer electronics companies to leverage word-of-mouth marketing and social sharing to promote their latest products. - **Retail:** Opportunity for retailers to use product discovery technology and social shopping to engage customers and enhance sales. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Affiliate Marketing Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affiliate-marketing-platform.md) - [Shoppable Beauty Routine Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/beautyshelf.md) - [In-Store Audience Engagement Solutions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instore-audience-engagement.md) - [Brand Discovery Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smartcustomer.md) - [Community-Powered Recommendations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/something-like.md) - [Cultural Discovery Hubs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/recomendeme.md) - [Ecommerce Discovery Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ecommerce-discovery.md) - [Social Shopping Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/locker.md) - [Passion-Sharing List Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mylikes.md)