American online urban guide and review site Yelp has announced plans to partner with startup Vimbly, as part of its efforts to transform itself from a reviews site into an e-commerce platform.
According to the San Francisco-based techcrunch.com website, Yelp has been building out its e-commerce offerings through a series of partnerships and acquisitions. Last month, it announced the purchase of Eat24, a food delivery service, paying a total of USD 134 million, including USD 75 million in cash.
Yelp will also work with other startups, including GolfNow for golf outings, online florist BloomNation, Vagaro, which books spa treatments, and TableList, which Yelp says is its first nightlife partner.
Yelp faces competition from other reviews sites, including upstarts like Zomato, which has been expanding worldwide through acquisitions and longtime competitors like Foursquare.