Snowboardmatch.com is founded and operated on the basis of a few simple principles. These principles have been written down and presented here so that we can hold our selves accountable and bring our values into practice. Keep reading and you will not just learn about our principles, but also the way our platform works. By being transparent about the way we work, we hope to show our users that we respect and appreciate them.
Let’s be clear, snowboardmatch.com is not founded by elite snowboarders. The idea for this platform comes from our own experience being rookies and buying our first snowboards. Today there are so many different snowboards to pick from. Unless you are an absolute expert, it can be very hard to tell the difference between the boards and know which one to pick. On top of that, snowboards are fairly high-cost items, so it is a bit of a disappointment if you pick the wrong board. As mentioned, we are not elite snowboarders, but we are definitely nerds. So, we ended up spending hours upon hours researching snowboards, to feel confident picking the right snowboard. Going through this research, we realized that there are a series of questions you should ask, to determine what snowboard is the right one for you. But instead of just sharing these questions, and leaving you to find the right snowboard yourself, we thought; let’s make this easier. We can turn these questions into a simple and free test, that uses a smart algorithm to give each user their own personal match-score for each snowboard of the season. This would save people a lot of time researching, and hopefully help them buy a snowboard they get happy with. So, that is what we have set out to do. It did not take long though, before we realized that finding the right snowboard is not the end of the journey. Settled on a snowboard, the next step is to find the right place to buy it. Here started another round of time-consuming research. Now, it should not always be about getting the lowest possible price. There might be retailers that you prefer over others, for whatever reason. But it is definitely nice to know that you are not paying overprice. So, now we also try to help people find potential retailers and compare prices.
We really like to help aspiring and fellow snowboarders, but we do not and cannot run the site based on pure generosity. It takes a lot of time and resources to research, collect and update products, not to mention improving the platform, hosting it, etc. So, the way we try to keep the wheels turning, is through affiliate partnerships with the retailers we link to. In most cases this enables us to get a 5-10% kickback when someone we refer, chooses to make a purchase. Wait a minute… then you guys can just tweak the results to favor the products and retailers that earn you the most money… right? Yes, theoretically we could – but hopefully you will trust us when we say that we will intentionally never do so. When we guide people in selecting a board, that has to be based on trust, which is also the reason we want to show you the principles we operate by.
Principle 1
This is the main principle for how we want to create our product and run our business. If we help our users find the right product, this is a win. If we can help retailers get sales and reduce return rates, this is a win. If we can do both previous mentioned, while also having a sustainable business, this is a win. We think of it as a tripod of our users, retailers, and us. The platform stands strongest if all three finds meaning in supporting it.
Principle 2
Our tests and algorithms will probably never be flawless. Hence match scores should always be seen more as a guide than a definitive answer. But it is our number one priority to help people find the product that match their needs best. Therefor we will continue to adjust and improve the service we provide. Should other priorities ever conflict with the quality of the match score, these must give way for our number one priority.
Principle 3
What we do has to be based on trust. So, if products were ever favored for their ability to make us profit, it would not just break that trust, it would also be a losing case for our users, and consequently be in conflict with Principle 1 and 2.
We have chosen to present and sort retailers by lowest prices first and highest price last. This way it is easy for our user to compare prices. Price will be the only factor affecting the sort order and there shall be no opportunity for retailers to pay to be presented at the top of the list.
Thank you reading. Now, to the mountains!