Launched on 8 December, London based Nuji is a web service which allows users to tag a product by scanning its barcode or snapping a photo with their phone. On retail websites, users can download a bookmarklet for easy tagging of any items they want.
All items are then saved and synched online, with Nuji notifying users when there's a deal available on one of their scanned products. Users' saved items can also be shared with friends through Facebook Connect, creating a system of social recommendation.
Nuji's co-founder, Dean Fankhauser, believes that deal sites such as Groupon are essentially advertising - broadcasting deals which people may or may not want. By contrast, 'Nuji offers deals only on the products you have explicitly said you want, making the service a utility, not an advertisement'.
The company has already got some big-name endorsement in the form of Levi's, which has joined Nuji as its launch partner. There are plans in the pipeline to monetize the service through offering relevant deals to shoppers based on their interest.
A neat Twitter style feature of the service is the ability to follow and be followed by other users of the service, tracking products friends and like minded people are scanning and sharing your latest wants.
While sites such as Groupon have exploded in popularity this year, it's clear that their next hurdle will be to start segmenting and effectively targeting their users before they drown in a sea of teeth-whitening and pedicure deals. Nuji neatly cuts through this clutter while also factoring in the growing popularity of social recommendations.
