General

Why Relationships Have Become Similar to Buying Products Online?

• by 2 Shabd
• June 02, 2025
• 5 min read

Majority of the factors are common when you get into a new relationship and buy a new product online. But what separates them apart? Reviews.

Imagine if choosing a partner was like buying a product online, with reviews from friends and family guiding your decision. Wouldn’t it be a game-changer? Welcome to the future of relationships — where the ‘About me’ is not the only thing guiding your choice.

Here, relationship could refer to - a new friend, roommate, date, marriage partner, etc.

Key Parallels Between Products and Relationships

Common factors between an online product and a relationship:

Factor	Product	Relationship
*****	*****	*****
Commitment	Buying it	Saying yes to someone
Trial Period	Test it for a few days	Getting to know them
Action after Trail Period	Keep it or return it	Continue or stop
Description	Product details	About me & interests
Visuals	Product images	Their photos
Reviews	Present	Absent!

A product’s reviews plays the most crucial role in deciding if you will purchase it or not.

Why Reviews Matter?

We heavily rely on reviews across platforms - Google Maps, Amazon, Glassdoor, App store/Play store, etc. Even knowing some reviews are fake, we rely on them because they provide that final push to go for it or reject it completely.

Based on the basic factors (description, visuals and reviews), you usually take either step:

Liked It?	Review Sentiment	Your Action
*****	*****	*****
No	Bad reviews or fakes	Reject
Maybe	Mixed reviews	Add to compare
Yes	Bad reviews	Search for a positive one to back your decision and try out your luck
Yes	Good reviews	Go for it!

How This Applies to Relationships?

Once you go through the basic details of someone like about me, interests, pictures, you start to develop a liking towards them. Now, all you need is that same positive push which can come from what others are saying about them. Presently, online platforms lacks such information about a person. Therefore, you are forced to take either step:

1. Referrals (offline): A mutual friend sparks interest.
2. Self-Trial (online): You spend time getting to know them.

Why is going through a referral important? It’s not because the referrer will take the blame if things go sideways — no one today is willing to shoulder that responsibility. Referrals are popular because they offer a head start in a relationship. Mutual connections can share key insights about both partners through stories and experiences, making friends, family, and coworkers ideal for describing a person.

Imagine Not One But Multiple Referrals Writing Reviews (here, Stories) for a Prospective Partner

What if you could read stories, experiences and go through relatable shorts/reels about someone posted by their friends and family? What if you stop relying solely on what someone says about themselves but also consider key insights from their close connections who have known them for years?

Introducing 2 Shabd - a platform to know someone as their friends and family do. 2 Shabd ensures authenticity by only accepting users through social networks, and letting you cross-check their social networks as well.

It is time you read stories on a person’s profile to get that final push and decide if they are worth your time.

Read our blog to learn how to spot fake stories.