[update 2/5: The company said it will "in the next couple weeks" close an unspecified venture debt funding, Chief Executive Gordon Gould told VentureWire. ]

Social shopping has proven to be a popular concept lately, with a number of companies offering varying ways for shoppers to network with others have similar tastes to their own.

ThisNext's take gives shoppers a way to comment on products they like, moving them up and down in the popularity rankings. The site also has an interesting feature called "Watch People Shop", a map with pop-up views of people shopping for items around the world.

Similar sites include Stylefeeder, which just raised $2 million, Stylehive and Kaboodle.

The $5 million raised by ThisNext is the company's second, and was provided by Anthem Venture Partners and Clearstone Venture Partners, both of which also invested in the company's first round of $2.5 million. It's based in Santa Monica, Calif.