MyThings launches: UK consumer website for organising and managing personal valuables
The MyThings.com website has launched in the UK, offering a way for consumers to register, organise and manage their domestic valuables, including purchases made from high street stores.
The concept is fairly simple. Consumers create an online portfolio containing details of their belongings, which can then be used to manage and project them.
Consumers can store images, vital statistics and product details, look for product information, accessories, downloads and guides, and report lost or stolen items.
Members can keep their lists private or share them with other people online (what a good idea, tell people what expensive things you have in your home…)
Retailers can also get a look in, because if they’ve signed up to be a MyThings partner then they can offer customers automatic entry of their purchases into their portfolio. Then, later down the line, the retailer can see who has bought what, and possibly offer timely offers (for example, upgrades or spare parts). An interesting way of getting more personalised marketing to existing customers.
Some big name companies are already on board, including John Lewis, Tesco Direct, Casio, Jessops, and Halfords.
MyThings also offers Trace, an online service that helps members search
for and recover stolen goods anywhere in the world.
It sounds like a good idea, though it could be seen as a cynical way of getting more marketing data out of us consumers rather than protecting our valuable goods. Time will tell if it catches on enough to be really useful.
MyThings.com
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