The profit model for the aggregate data is marginal (above that for an individual consumer), it's just a means of squeezing extra revenue out of the equation. Sort of like Consumer Reports or JD Power -- they're mostly there to sell a service, but as a result of the data they collect, they also have leverage with manufacturers (in addition to trust from consumers).
Say, $10 to file and pursue any number of contested charges in one go. Stand-in for the consumer as contact and email them whenever their intervention is required (eg. limited power of attorney). Over time, develop statistics to either serve as positive ("99.9% of disputes amicably resolved without chargebacks") or negative (publish a list of the worst offenders and their average resolution times) reinforcement.
See also RescueTime :-) for examples of a service that extracts marginal revenue from aggregating data.
Re:LinkedIn is Evil
by DanielBMarkham on Thursday June 19, 2008 @06:04AM
(#221679)
Got it -- thanks.
I can think of at least five other "cousins" of this idea. No matter how you do it, there's a big imbalance between providers and consumers -- and wherever there is an imbalance, there is economic opportunity.