Idoda.com New Technology Allows Visual Search For Furniture

Furniture World Magazine

No two people will describe the same piece of furniture in exactly the same way. Searching for furniture online can get you bogged down in a quagmire of too many Web sites, too many options, and too many different ways to describe the perfect chair or table. Now, consumers hunting for furniture online don’t have to struggle to describe the bedroom set of their dreams—they just need to know what it looks like. The launch of IDODA.com September 17 introduced visual searching to the Internet, enabling consumers to find furniture in a whole new way. An acronym for the Interactive Database of the Decorative Arts, IDODA.com’s (pronounced eye-DOH-da) proprietary technology is a unique search method that uses images, rather than just text and keywords, as a searching tool. You don’t have to know if that chair is Jacobean or Federal — instead, you choose the back, seat, arms and legs resembling the piece you are looking for from IDODA.com’s matrix of images. IDODA.com president and inventor of the visual search method Roger Schrenk says the technology works a lot like an unabridged dictionary, which contains thousands of words but only 26 letters. By dividing all furniture into four basic styles: English, French, Chinese and mid-century modern, Schrenk was able to develop a finite database of images that create the ‘letters’ and ‘words’ of furniture. For the first time, buyers and sellers of furniture can use the same language. The site acts as an online marketplace for all types of furniture, including new, used and antique. IDODA.com does not buy or sell furniture, nor is it an auction site. Instead, sellers can post their furniture on IDODA.com for a small fee. IDODA.com’s search results show not only a picture of the piece, but also the seller’s contact information. Because furniture is difficult to ship and most buyers want to see a piece before they commit to purchasing it, IDODA.com developed a zip zone technology that allows consumers to search for that perfect table as close to home or as far away from it as they would like, so they can actually see the piece in person before they commit to purchase. IDODA.com also allows buyers to refine their search by size, finish, quantity and price. “We want to bring the market for new, used and antique furniture into the Internet age,” said Schrenk. “A whole new online reality had to be created because existing online tools did not address the linguistic and geographic challenges of this market. IDODA.com is the answer for everyone from a well-established antiques dealer to a person looking to furnish an apartment.” IDODA.com will offer free listings until December, when they will begin charging a small fee to post furniture online. There is no charge to buyers, and IDODA.com does not collect commissions on any sale. A two week listing costs $2.95, a one month listing costs $4.95 and discount alliance partners with a one year contract receive unlimited listings for $49.00 per month. IDODA.com launched its Web site in September 2004 as an online marketplace that readily accommodates the visual and regional aspects of the furniture industry. For the first time, furniture buyers and sellers are able to communicate with a defined set of graphics rather than imprecise, subjective text descriptions. Designed to match the unique characteristics of its target market, the IDODA site serves as a portal to simplify and foster local furniture transactions and promote related services, including upholsterers, re-finishers, shippers and dealers. For more information, call IDODA.com founders Roger Schrenk (President) or Chris Fultz (CFO/COO) at (703) 528-1397 or visit www.idoda.com.