Comparison websites are a way for customers to quickly see specific products from different stores and compare the prices. Although these websites are always valued and they can be of much help to clients, it seems that around holidays, comparison sites gain a lot of popularity. People know that they will need to buy a lot of items for these events and so they try to get the best deals and end up saving a lot of money. Seeing that online shopping has become something normal which most people do, it is only normal to expect to see more and better comparison shopping sites.
Yahoo, Google Base, Shopzilla, Shopping and NextTag are the biggest sites when it comes to price comparison and with the exception of Google Base, which is free for retailers to list their products, they all require a fee. Usually, it is a pay per click which can be from ten cents to one dollar depending on the website and on the type of product. The prices can go up if the retailer wants a better position on the list; the top spots are the most expensive.
At first, price comparison sites were nothing more than a list with data sent from the retailers. This meant that some information wasn’t exactly accurate, thus reducing the efficiency of the sites. As more people started doing their shopping online, comparison sites also improved and they now get their information directly from the shelves of the stores. This makes them very precise and also up to date. Some websites offer history tracking so that customers can see how the prices evolved over time.
If we look at it from a retailer’s point of view, we will see that it can bring in a profit if the sales are high enough. Retailers can measure the sales from the comparison sites and see if the profit for those sales is bigger than the taxes paid for the listing on the site. A return on investment is also good because although the total profit is the same, the sales increase and so does the market share.
Comparison sites can be a great way for customers to find the best online deals and save money. It can also be used to help online stores increase sales. The sites get to make a profit and it would seem that everyone is happy, now all you have to do is figure out the shopping list for the next holiday.
