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The company’s marketing style runs counter to conventional wisdom in other ways. Typically, product descriptions will mock the product, the customer, or Woot itself. Product drawbacks are preemptively acknowledged and buyers are advised to beware. Community users often do their own research and post their opinions – positive, negative, or indifferent – on the user forums.
The company’s marketing style runs counter to conventional wisdom in other ways. Typically, product descriptions will mock the product, the customer, or Woot itself. Product drawbacks are preemptively acknowledged and buyers are advised to beware. Community users often do their own research and post their opinions – positive, negative, or indifferent – on the user forums.


In lieu of typical product sales, Woot occasionally offers the “Bag O’ Crap,” a blind grab-bag that randomly includes bigger-ticket electronics items. The site will occasionally deviate from the one-product-per-day model for a “Woot-Off,” wherein a succession of products are available during the same 24-hour period. Each product is sold at smaller quantities and immediately replaced by a new product upon selling out. Woot.com also offers [[photoshop]] contests every weekend, with cash prizes going to the top 3 entries. The worst photoshopped entry is often awarded a '[http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1409/aa0454861zy.jpg screeching monkey]' prize.
In lieu of typical product sales, Woot occasionally offers the “Bag O’ Crap,” (or “boc” in community parlance) a blind grab-bag that randomly includes bigger-ticket electronics items. The site will occasionally deviate from the one-product-per-day model for a “Woot-Off,” wherein a succession of products are available during the same 24-hour period. Each product is sold at smaller quantities and replaced after 5 minutes by a new product upon selling out. Woot also offers [[photoshop]] contests every weekend, with cash prizes going to the top 3 entries. The worst photoshopped entry is often awarded a '[http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1409/aa0454861zy.jpg screeching monkey]' prize.


Woot.com takes its name from the widely-used online interjection “[[W00t]]!”
Woot.com takes its name from the widely-used online interjection “[[W00t]]!”

Revision as of 07:18, 23 July 2005

Woot, Incorporated
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded2004 Dallas, TX
HeadquartersDallas, TX
Key people
Matt Rutledge, Founder & CEO
ProductsElectronics, Household Goods, etc.
Revenueapprox. $40 million annually
Websitewww.woot.com

Woot.com, or Woot, is an internet commerce company based in Dallas, Texas which operates a web site of the same name. Founded by electronics wholesaler Matt Rutledge, the site debuted on July 12, 2004 with a somewhat unique business model, offering one discounted product per day, instead of the wide range of choices available through traditional online retailers such as amazon.com. Woot’s novel, irreverent approach quickly attracted a robust community of customers, who share their opinions on the site’s community forums. Product selections tend to emphasize (but are not limited to) computer components and electronic gadgetry, all sold at closeout prices.

Generally, Woot offers one product per day, seven days a week, until its stock of that item is sold out or the product is replaced at midnight with the next offering. If a product sells out during its run, the next item still does not appear until midnight. Products are never announced beforehand and often sell out in a few hours or even minutes of frenzied buying. In contrast to a market characterized by ever-expanding consumer choice, the Woot.com approach relies on the elements of simplicity and surprise.

The company’s marketing style runs counter to conventional wisdom in other ways. Typically, product descriptions will mock the product, the customer, or Woot itself. Product drawbacks are preemptively acknowledged and buyers are advised to beware. Community users often do their own research and post their opinions – positive, negative, or indifferent – on the user forums.

In lieu of typical product sales, Woot occasionally offers the “Bag O’ Crap,” (or “boc” in community parlance) a blind grab-bag that randomly includes bigger-ticket electronics items. The site will occasionally deviate from the one-product-per-day model for a “Woot-Off,” wherein a succession of products are available during the same 24-hour period. Each product is sold at smaller quantities and replaced after 5 minutes by a new product upon selling out. Woot also offers photoshop contests every weekend, with cash prizes going to the top 3 entries. The worst photoshopped entry is often awarded a 'screeching monkey' prize.

Woot.com takes its name from the widely-used online interjection “W00t!”