Comparison shopping engines (CSEs) influenced $1.4 billion, or 3.7% of the total $38 billion in B2C e-commerce sales last year.
By 2005, that number is expected to jump to $25 billion out of a total B2C e-commerce market of $278 billion, or nearly one out of every ten B2C e-commerce dollars, according to a recent study published by the Winterberry Group.
CSEs enable consumers to compare pricing, fulfillment and other information about a specific product sold by multiple e-merchants.
“The role of CSEs will significantly impact online shopping behavior, and B2C e-merchants should begin to integrate comparison shopping engines into their e-marketing strategies,” Michael Petsky, CEO of Winterberry Group said.
Suggested strategies include:
*e-merchants should view CSEs as an additional customer acquisition channel
*fulfillment and branding qualities should not be forfeited in efforts to offer the lowest price
*E-merchants should take advantage of CSE preferential placement and advertising opportunities
*providing accurate datafeeds benefits both CSEs and e-merchants
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