The tool allows Web-based businesses to offer consumers a more efficient way to make product-purchasing decisions online.

Rather than recommending products by their features, Ask Jeeves' (ASKJ) Shopping Advisor offers merchandise based on consumers' preferences.

"The IDA Shopping Advisor has been successful in allowing us to tailor specific product recommendations to our customers," said Robert Heiblem, CEO of etown.com. "We have implemented the service so our customers could make more informed purchasing decisions and find the right products at the best price."

Set up as a question-and-answer dialogue, Shopping Advisor asks questions that closely match a consumer's criteria, such as: "How big is the room where you'll be setting up you home entertainment system?" The program then matches up customer preferences with feature sets to recommend specific products.

"With the upcoming holiday rush and the continued growth of e-commerce, consumers need solutions to help them make educated purchasing decisions, especially for complex and expensive products," said Chris Martins, senior customer relationship management analyst with Aberdeen Group.

etown.com is an online content provider of consumer electronic news, reviews buying guides and shopping choices. The current etown feature, titled Shop with IDA, offers advice for a host of categories, including DVD players and cordless phones.