Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News

Media Credit: cCurtesy of Kaboodle.com Kaboodle.com allows users to create polls like these to help them choose the best product.

Media Credit: Courtesy of Kaboodle.com The most recent feature is the Kaboodle gift guide, giving detailed suggestions for Christmas gifts.

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa senior Abigail Diaz was not excited about gift giving this Christmas not only because she's swamped with semester projects and final papers but also because of all the decisions she had to make. Her boyfriend, Elika Sakazaki, encouraged her to make a wish list that would give him an idea of what to buy her, but she was having a hard time explaining exactly what she wanted.

"A big part of the season is gift giving, and I enjoy that but it does get really hectic if you're a student, especially if you have a job," said Diaz. She stumbled upon a wish list website called Kaboodle.com. It allowed her to browse through websites, pick out what she wanted and email Sakazaki a picture of what it looked like, the price and where to buy it.

"Having a web site such as Kaboodle allows me and others to not beat around the bush and give people what they really want," Diaz said.

Kaboodle is a social shopping community that allows people to discover, recommend and share their favorite products with others.

There are currently about 20,000 people that visit Kaboodle.com each month from Hawai‘i, according to Kaboodle.com director of marketing, Alisa Menell.

The co-founder and CEO of Kaboodle Manish Chandra said that he understands that most students are attracted to the idea of wish lists because it is difficult to find exactly what they want.

"It's harder to shop for them. I think that a student can create their wish list and make it easy for anyone who wants to give them a gift," Chandra said.

The website also has services such as holiday gift ideas, most wanted items and one may find discounts. In the social aspect, services such as a style compatibility test allows users to find online friends who share the same interests so they can give each other ideas.

There is also a forum that helps users decide on the perfect gift, said Chandra. "If you're hunting for gifts, for a family member or a girlfriend, for example, Kaboodle becomes a valuable resource. People can post up in the forum for assistance. We provide a broader community to give you input."

The downside to sharing on Kaboodle.com is that people can get the exact same items. Diaz said, "The lists works both ways, but people would say that it gets very impersonal but at the same time with so many things out there, it's nice to know what other people are looking at."

Other websites that provide similar services are wists.com and stylehive.com. Wists.com features about the same kind of general products as Kaboodle.com, where as, stylehive.com focuses more on apparel and accessories.

"It's actually helpful to share their products that idea of factory exposure is thought of as a shopping magazine that's edited by the community," Chandra said.

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