A vendor of third-party order fulfillment, logistics and electronic commerce systems, iPS has entered into a strategic partnership with Pure Verticals Inc., provider of social monetization applications. The Pure Verticals product, known as Vwala!, is a widget that allows bloggers and social members directly to endorse products and video ads inside their professional or amateur user-generated content. The member maintains total control over all ads. All endorsements are within the context of the user's text or videos. The technology also allows social members to endorse products and ads in and around viral videos. There are no upfront costs associated with merchant participation in Vwala!, iPS said. Merchants elect to pay an endorsement amount for all product sales, and control all payout amounts. In the process, they gain insight into precisely who is endorsing their products and ads. All new and existing iPS clients will receive invitations to participate during the initial pilot phase, scheduled for early November 2009. New iPS clients will be able to list their products immediately following account setup. Vwala! will soon be compatible with major social sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Ning. Pure Verticals will allow full merchant and advertiser participation immediately following the pilot phase.
