Bazaarvoice Labs

These were exactly the sort of enthusiasts present at Google’s Hackathon at SXSW Interactive last week, which invited savvy web developers to learn about and experiment with new Google-related technologies. The event allowed Google to provide brief training on many of their platforms – including Google Maps, Android OS, Chrome, and Wave – and offered a place for developers to hang out and play with what they had learned.

Dustin Mihalik, Bazaarvoice Labs engineer, took the opportunity to experiment with HTML5 – and ended up walking away with the first prize for best application. We sat down with Dustin to learn more about the competition and what he built.

What do you do at Bazaarvoice?

I’m an engineer on the BV Labs team. We create proof of concept implementations for new products and features for the Bazaarvoice Platform. This position requires my team to constantly learn about new ideas and technologies in our industry.

Describe the Google Hackathon.

Google had many of their own engineers available for questions or discussions about their technologies. It was great to have access to the engineers, because I could get answers directly from the person working on the technology. Developers could experiment with what they learned to create applications for various Google technologies. At the end of the day, they provided prizes for the most exciting applications and mashups created during the day.

What was your application?

I created a multiplayer tank fighting game similar to the original Atari Combat. I used a couple of new features available in HTML5 that are slowly becoming available in Google Chrome and other modern browsers. Traditionally, browser games are written in Flash, but there are some new features in HTML5 that will make it easier to write interactive applications that run in the browser without any extra plugins.

I used the Canvas element for the drawing the battlefield and WebSockets to allow for multiplayer. Anyone who visits the web page gets a tank added to the battle. Then, they are able to drive around and shoot at other players.

What did you get for winning?

Google had a number of Android based phones as prizes for the contest. I picked the Nexus One, and also got a spot on the VIP list for the Google Blogger party that night.

We’re always looking for intelligent and innovative developers to join the Bazaarvoice Labs team. If you know a sharp, talented candidate, refer them here and you could earn up to a $5000 referral bonus.

TurboTax is undoubtedly one of Bazaarvoice’s most innovative clients.  Not only do they do a fantastic job of acquiring user-generated content, they’re also constantly discovering new and creative ways to leverage the content they’ve collected.  They recently launched a national campaign promoting Ratings & Reviews in brick and mortar stores, using our new MobileVoice product.  This allows in-store shoppers to read reviews of TurboTax software on their cell phones.

Before the Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday, TurboTax is kicking off an amazing event of their own.  They’ve launched a groundbreaking interactive banner that uses review quotes and photos submitted by reviewers as part of a larger Super Bowl campaign.  This ad was front and center on Yahoo!'s home page until midnight last night, and you can see it archived here.  Take a look (be sure to click the “click here for full experience” link).  You have to see it to believe it!

Attendees will hear all about the amazing results manufacturers and retailers have seen with BrandVoice by way of increased review volume and sales metrics.
While we know that products with more customer reviews sell better, just 15% of products are reviewed on retailer sites, on average. BrandVoice enables manufacturers to collect UGC on their sites, then syndicate it to retailers, who get this content for free. When Kingston syndicated reviews to OfficeDepot.com, Kingston reviews increased tenfold and conversion for reviewed products doubled. It’s a win-win.

Our thanks go to the Shop.org retailers, who selected us as one of the winners. We look forward to seeing you all at the Forum!

Here's the press release, and a snippet:

Bazaarvoice, the market and technology leader in hosted social commerce applications that drive sales, today announced that it has received an Austin Business Journal “Tech Innovation” award for its hosted Ask & Answer™ service. The award recognizes Bazaarvoice for pioneering an important new way for multichannel businesses to tap into the social nature of the shopping experience to drive sales, satisfaction, and loyalty. Bazaarvoice manages social commerce capabilities for more than 150 leading online businesses including Bass Pro Shops, Dell, Macy’s, Overstock.com, PETCO, QVC, Sears, and ZipRealty.

Bazaarvoice was presented with the award, sponsored by Eureka Software, on Thursday, November 29 at a ceremony held at the Sheraton Austin Hotel. Bazaarvoice was selected as a finalist for the award from among dozens of Austin-based software companies, and then chosen as a winner by the public.

Let us know if you want a demo. Email info@bazaarvoice.com. We already have conversion and call reduction case studies…very exciting!

The song's producer Bruce Dickinson (played by Walken) encourages Farrel's character to play more cowbell. The rest of the band members object — it's distracting and doesn't seem to fit. But the famous producer knows his stuff. In the end, the band concedes that what that song does indeed need more cowbell.

Last year our clients brought ratings and reviews into their site — the perverbial cowbell for their ebusiness strategy. This was the first time they brought authentic customer voice right next to their brand. Many of our clients told us this was the most transformational change for the year. PETCO awarded us Vendor of the Year, and we were awarded ClickZ's Marketing Innovation of the year. Get ready for more this year!

In fact, this year I'd encourage everyone reading this to add more cowbell — to your work, your life, and your site. Be unique, be authentic, and "explore the space"! Just tell your boss, your spouse, or your peers, "I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!"