AltaVista Canada has launched its Canada Shopping Guide, site dedicated to increasing the profile of Canadian retailers on the Internet.
Using graphical icons, it clearly indicates which retailers bill in Canadian dollars and ship from within Canada. One of the biggest frustrations for Canadian online consumers is that the majority of online retailers are American and charge U.S. dollars.
“The AltaVista Shopping Guide is designed to meet the specific needs of both the Canadian consumer and retailer,” says Janis Christensen, shopping guide manager, AltaVista Canada. “In addition to making it easier for Canadians to shop online, we are attracting a large number of Canadian companies with e-commerce operations.”
A features of the site is the free e-mail reminder service designed to keep track of important gift giving occasions. This service, offered in partnership with Novator Systems Limited of Toronto, will send an e-mail reminder for any special occasion. Another feature is Submit your Store, which allows storeowners to add their online store at no charge.
The only criteria for storefront owners are that retailers must be e-commerce enabled and able to deliver products to Canada.