This is an interesting variation on the penny auction sites that were en vogue about 2-3 years ago, but you're "bidding" with your time rather than your money.
Thanks, yea we were definitely inspired by the penny auction sites. However, we saw them as predatory. The nice thing about VidFall is you can't lose any money. Just a fun way to get discounts on gift cards. Thanks for the feedback.
I just received it. It took just over a day. I may not be doing it right, but i left the video on in a separate tab while I did other things. When it hit 1 remaining, I purchased. I'll definitely use it again if the service continues.
Cynically brilliant. If this works, you've built a platform for the consumption of product ads, in which you consume ads before buying into the original ad.
It just might work. I hope it doesn't, for moral reasons.
Seems like a variant of swagbucks (http://www.swagbucks.com/) except the discounts you earn toward giftcards from watching videos gets pooled toward the one person who decides to buy first.
Interesting that you can drag the progress bar in the ad to the end, effectively skipping it.
The pricing is WAY off here.
As @voltagex_ noted, you must watch 50 ads to save $0.01, which is a CPM of $0.2, whereas many video CPMs are in the $20 range. A markup of 10000% seems a little extreme.
Hey, sorry for the confusion. Each video you watch decreases the price of the item for sale. In addition to the price decrease, you get vidfall points. These points are used at the 50 to .01 ratio. It is just an added bonus. Something users get even if they don't make the purchase. Users can apply these points at any time.
19 comments
[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 58.9 ms ] threadNevertheless, people quickly realized that penny auctions are a sucker's game -- see http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/201... -- and I don't see why it's any different with VidFall.
But points for originality.
EDIT 1 - Additionally, you can open multiple tabs with multiple videos muted and to make the price drop faster.
EDIT 2 - These items can run out, which can really stink if you're waiting around for the price to drop to the one you're looking for.
While I'm also unlikely to patiently pinch a few dollars, I find it mildly interesting.
It just might work. I hope it doesn't, for moral reasons.
That's my guess anyway.
Now I try to reduce the price of an item: (First number is the points I need to reduce by that amount)
50 ($0.01)
100 ($0.02)
500 ($0.10)
1000 ($0.20)
2500 ($0.50)
5000 ($1.00)
Do I need to watch fifty ads to reduce the price of an item by one cent?
The pricing is WAY off here.
As @voltagex_ noted, you must watch 50 ads to save $0.01, which is a CPM of $0.2, whereas many video CPMs are in the $20 range. A markup of 10000% seems a little extreme.