etailology

Comparison Engines are an Important Ingredient in Your Etail Marketing Strategy

I’ve been meaning to post about comparison engines for some time now. Comparison engines are, of course, one of the core etail marketing channels, And yet, comparison engines remain relatively underused by smaller retailers and unoptimized by large ones. There is a general lack of understanding of how shoppers really use these engines, and as such, opportunities for improvement are large.

Etail is 180 from Old Fashioned Retail

Ultimately the rise of shopping comparison engines is an indication that retail strategy has turned a complete 180 since the time of our grandparents. At the turn of the century (the last one, not this one it mattered not what brand/product you bought — rather, it was the relationship with the retailer which mattered most. You bought bread from your grocer, not “Wonder” from whomever. You went to the tailor, rather than choosing a brand of suit and finding someone who sold them. Brands did not exist in their current format.

If You Can’t Beat Em, Join Em (but Still Try to Put them Out of Business)

No more. Now, it’s all about the brand of the product you want to buy, rather than the relationship you wish to have with the retailer. (This has the unfortunately side-effect of making price comparisons the largest factor in determining where to buy.) While we all work hard to reverse the trend, participation in Shopping Comparison Engines is both a tacit acceptance of this change and an appropriate hedging strategy in case our efforts to change the game ultimately fail.

While the death of comparison engines has been widely and (I think) erroneously reported, I would very much like to see them change dramatically. Right now, while outstanding results can be generated, they require careful and time-consuming management as well at a good tactical approach. For small businesses, this almost always means outsourcing feed management (which may be a better solution for larger retailers as well).

Already, BazaarVoice, Shopify, Buzzillions, and PowerReviews seem to be developing the next generation of comparison engines. The other guys just hope you’ll discover every little feature and manage them carefully. I hope that this next generation of entrants provides comparison options beyond the typical (cost, shipping, tax) — so that we’ll all be able to compete on things other than price.

There you have it: my roundup on comparison engines. Now, while you deal with these CSEs, don’t forget to build an incomparable brand.