Nextjump, featured in an article in yesterday’s New York Times, uses data to turn on-line browsers into buyers.
Verbela’s plan is similar, turning window shoppers (browsers) into buyers for brick and mortar retailers.
As it has quietly expanded, Next Jump has been gathering data, and not only from companies and customers. It also gets credit-card transaction data from American Express and MasterCard. This vast trove — accumulated over years — is the company’s most precious asset, analysts say.
Next Jump’s business model is not clear, but a hint is given in the following paragraph:
NEXT JUMP’S status as a trusted middleman has enabled it to collect fees both from companies who use its software and from retailers on goods sold. Mr. Kim declines to disclose financial details…
