Social gifting startup Boomerang turns to B2B

Chicago-based social gifting service Boomerang launched earlier this year as a way to send gifts to friends.

Nice idea, but what if the brands behind those gifts were on board? Do I smell a business model?

That's precisely what the company is pursuing, according to TechCrunch's Sarah Perez. The list now stands at 20, including casual apparel giant Gap, bookseller Barnes & Noble, movie box office Fandango, and chocolatier Ghirardelli. (Oh, and Wine.com. Because really, who doesn't love receiving a bottle of red?)

The growing company began with brands local to its Chicagoland region, and has since expanded into other US cities, including New York, Indianapolis, and Austin. (A curious mix, I'll admit.) The pitch to users remains the same: we'll make it really easy to send a gift to someone, whether you're at your desktop in the office or en route with mobile device in hand.

(Indeed, we at ZDNet will be happy to accept any artisan glazed doughnuts you send.)

The company is still very small--not even 10 employees--but if it can get enough traction, there's an interesting data play here, too. "We help brands turn boring promotions into viral campaigns through social gifting, increasing revenue by 80 percent, or more," Boomerang boasts. In other words, we can sell your product better than you can.

With all of the recent focus on retail and customer loyalty platforms, Boomerang's tech comes at an opportune time. Can it best the rest?