Inktomi Expands Amazon Deal

Looking to recover from losing big-name partners to rival Google, Foster
City, Calif.-based Inktomi on Tuesday scored an
expansion of a deal with Amazon.com to put e-commerce results on its
pay-for-inclusion search index.

Inktomi released the news at the Jupiter/IAB
Advertising Forum
, announcing Amazon.com would
include its full product catalog on Inktomi’s search index through the
Inktomi Index Connect pay-for-performance program.

Inktomi Index Connect provides detailed information about products and
services available on the Internet as well as direct access to the exact
pages for the items they are seeking.

Through a direct XML feed, Inktomi Index Connect allows Amazon.com to ensure
its e-commerce wares appear in Web search results with detailed
descriptions, Inktomi said. The results include “information about
time-sensitive promotions, such as free shipping that drive purchasing
decisions,” the company added.

The expansion of the deal gives Inktomi some breathing room in the
high-stakes search technology race that’s being dominated by upstart Google.

Google has won contracts from former Inktomi partners AOL, iWon, Yahoo!
while competitors like Dogpile has also snatched high-profile deals from
Inktomi in recent years. Inktomi still provides the underlying search
engine for HotBot, MSN Web Search, Overture (formerly GoTo) and Position
Tech.

The company has been focused on providing
pay-for-placement services
in the engines it hosts. Inktomi has been
busy striking reseller agreements for Index Connect, deals that include MarketLeap, 24/7
Media’s Website Results, iProspect and Inceptor.

Through the company’s Index Connect and Search Submit products, retailers
like Amazon.com, Nordstrom.com and Crutchfield.com can
have their wares appear under the appropriate keyword in Inktomi-powered
searches. If, for example, Amazon runs out of inventory on a particular
item, or decides to switch out an underperforming product in favor of
another, the listings can be updated on the fly.

Additionally, the clients don’t need to go through the auction process to
secure placement in a keyword, like they generally have to do with a similar
service from GoTo.com — it’s handled automatically
through a media buy with Inktomi.

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