• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, June 29, 2010

Online coupon destination Savings.com on Tuesday is expected to announce a new Answers feature for users to send and receive shopping-related questions and answers.

With Answers, Savings.com hopes to offer online shoppers a forum to exchange advice on all aspects of their shopping experience, from how to score the best deals on electronics to tips about organizing a budget wedding.

From Yahoo Answers, which debuted in mid-2005, to the recently launched Quora, people-powered question and answer sites are as popular as ever. Loren Bendele, CEO of Savings.com, however, is betting that the new Answers feature will thrive amongst the site's targeted, shopping-centric audience.

"In a real-world shopping environment, people naturally consult friends and store clerks for advice, and we realized that the same real-time interaction was missing from the online shopping experience," said Bendele.

Founded in 2004, Savings.com now carries coupons and digital deals from over 800 brands and more than 3,500 merchants.

Late last year, it relaunched with a more community-centric look and feel, along with several new brand and merchant partnerships. Like popular social networks and ranking sites, members of Savings.com can raise the standing of particular coupons with their votes, create profile pages, and communicate directly with other like-minded members.

Exclusive partners include Target, Sears, Victoria's Secret, Gap, Apple, Verizon, Best Buy, Travelocity, and Priceline.com.

The site relies on "DealPros," or online shopping experts who find, post, and share deals with the Savings.com community. Those who are considered to be the most savvy and knowledgeable will be given their own blog, video channel and access to more readers.

It is these "Pros" who will be fielding many of the questions posed my site visitors. To use the Answers service, shoppers ask a question about any product or service they are looking to purchase. The service then taps an expert, who should ideally respond with answers and relevant coupons. Users are emailed with each new response to their question, while all conversations are indexed for future reference.