Shopping.com has been around for a number of years. The first iteration of the site began in 1999, and it went under the name DealTime. In 2005, eBay acquired the company and changed the name to Shopping.com, and that was when it really started to become popular, quickly rising through the ranks to become one of the most popular and user-friendly comparison shopping engines. The site made it easy for customers to sort through a variety of different merchants and manufacturers as a means to find the best deals and prices on a host of different products.
It remains one of the top comparison shopping engines today. In fact, every month they receive more than twenty million unique visitors. Sellers with ecommerce sites realize that working with the company can provide them with access to many customers who might not see their products otherwise. Of course, this service is not free to merchants.
What Does Shopping.com Cost for Merchants
When you are listing products, you have to first prepay a minimum of $100, as the site works on a CPC structure. The minimum bids are $.05 and can go all the way up to $1.00. The sellers will then determine how much they want to bid for their products. They could start with the minimum, but they need to realize that with lower bids they will naturally have lower product rankings, which means fewer people will likely see the ads, and thus fewer sales. Higher bids do not necessarily guarantee greater sales, but they can provide a better ranking when people are searching for products like yours.
The Benefits
Even though sellers will have to bid as a means to get their products on the site, many find that it is well worth the cost. With such a high volume of monthly traffic, it is possible to increase sales. Even those who may not buy right away will still be aware of your company, which can increase the number of qualified leads you have.
The shoppers are also able to write reviews on the site, which has the potential to help quality sellers. When you give your customers the best possible service and great products, they may leave reviews that others can see. Good reviews can help to improve your reputation. When other shoppers see that your site has good feedback, they may be more willing to do business with you.
Sellers can also benefit from the social links on the products. Customers can share their purchases and items they find with people on their social networks, furthering the seller’s brand and reach.
Starting an Account
You can create an account with Shopping.com, fund your account with at least $100, and then start adding your products. Working with a third party company to help manage and list your items on the site can help to save some time and frustration, though. Appath has the experience and the tools to make working with Shopping.com and other sites much easier than going it alone.
Summary: Shopping.com is one of the most popular and widely used comparison shopping sites on the web today. Sellers of all sizes should consider the benefits of having their products up on the site for shoppers to see. They have a large volume of traffic each month and can make it easier for visitors to find your products. Sellers can choose how much they want to bid for product placement, with the minimum being $.05 for the CPC service. Those who want to reach the greatest number of customers possible will want to consider creating an account on the site.
Resource: http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abu/y212/m07/abu0315/s02