Seattle-based go2net Inc. launched WebMarket, a one-stop comparison shopping
resource.
WebMarket gives online shoppers the ability to compare product pricing from
multiple sites in a single search, and provides reports and ratings on the
merchant sites, the company said.
“We see comparison shopping as an emerging trend in the online shopping space, and WebMarket is poised to become a leader in that niche,” said Steve Rosen, go2netdirector of business development. “WebMarket gives go2net a foundation upon which to build partnerships with companies developing the next wave of commerce tools and technologies. It’s also a great opportunity to offer targeted advertising to online vendors and other marketers.”
By using Junglee Corp.’s comparison shopping technology, go2net said it is bringing the principle behind its successful
MetaCrawler metasearch service to the shopping area.
At WebMarket, each user query is run through a comprehensive database of
merchant Web sites. The search technology returns a list of prices on the item
searched.
Alternatively, users can ask WebMarket to sort search results by merchant,
brand,
availability, shipping parameters, etc. Each result has a link to the
corresponding merchant Web site, so the user can immediately purchase the
desired item at the best price.
In addition, go2net has partnered with BizRate to provide WebMarket users with an independent shopping resource for product and merchant information including: satisfaction ratings by actual customers; detailed reports on each merchant; and information on transaction security.
go2net said it plans to launch WebMarket with a two-month online ad campaign worth more than $100,000 per month. The ads will run on major search engines and
directories as well as on other go2net sites, including MetaCrawler.
The company said it has already signed several ad accounts for the WebMarket
site, including Akia, E-Toys, OnSale, VideoServe, and others.