• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, September 8, 2008

On the hunt for venture capital, word-of-mouth technology startup TurnTo Networks is slated to debut the beta version of its e-commerce widget today at DEMOfall 08 in San Diego.

Not just any widget, TurnTo is resting its future on this Web gadget, which tells visitors to e-commerce sites exactly what purchases their friends and family made on that particular site.

"We want to be the AdSense of social shopping," said Gadi BenMark, TurnTo's chief revenue officer.

Self-funded until now, BenMark said he is hoping to connect with potential investors at DEMOfall 08.

The entirely opt-in service was designed to facilitate word-of-mouth for e-commerce sites, and drive increased conversion rates by providing consumers with trusted references at a key point in the shopping process.

The idea is that by enabling shoppers to reach out for advice or to infer a recommendation based on friends' purchases, TurnTo is delivering references that are more trustworthy and less intrusive than unsolicited recommendations.

Still, as BenMark admits, TurnTo's success rests on the idea that consumers have large networks of people with whom they would like to share their buying history. "It's true that young generations of consumers are more comfortable with the idea of social shopping," BenMark said. "But we're confident we'll be able to scale this service."

Merchant pricing for TurnTo is entirely performance-based, while the service is available to users without charge and requires no software installation. TurnTo has already signed a number of launch partners, including The Earthwatch Institute, a nonprofit that runs global expeditions where volunteers assist scientists with field research.

"Going on an Earthwatch expedition can be a big decision, and there's nothing more likely to persuade someone to take the plunge than knowing that friends have done it," said Barbara Erickson, chief development officer for Earthwatch.

Other launch partners include computer software retailer CompSource, jewelry retailer Angara, and tea seller Teavana.

The company also is in active discussions with a number of travel, tickets, and events sites, BenMark said. "We think the service is particularly well-suited to ticket and events ecommerce," BenMark said. "That way, someone can go online and see what concert their friend is going to, and then buy tickets to that same show."