Michael Brito asked:


While comparison shopping is nothing new, the way shoppers conduct their research is. Years ago, shoppers combed through retail shelves in pursuit of the perfect deal, an effort that took time, effort and gas. Today, the web fills the gap between time and space with an array of comparison shopping sites that offer customer reviews, large selections and access to prices from well-known stores.

According to ComScore, of the 167 million Americans online in February, almost 53 million of them visited at least one of the top comparison-shopping sites. And, while many of those consumers bought online, many others used the information to purchase the desired product in a retail shop as well. Competition is indeed fierce in cyberspace and in the store; but, the good news is it is consumers who are getting the great end of the deal.

Among the list of popular sites that allow visitors to contrast and compare are Yahoo Shopping, Shopzilla, Froogle and NexTag. In addition, there are at least another ten price comparison sites that boast the best tools and technology to help consumers make smarter choices. Each has distinct features, advantages and, unfortunately, disadvantages. Still, the popularity of such sites and technology means that entrepreneurs and dot-coms will continue to devise ways for consumers to research and buy goods, ensuring that competition among online and offline retailers will remain stiff.

In fact, the top price comparison sites are already getting some tough opposition from companies that take advantage of the other guys’ shortcomings. Frucall, which according to the company spokesperson was inspired by frugal shoppers everywhere, for example, is one of the newest services targeted to value-minded shoppers and boasts a quick and convenient way for bargain-hunters to get the best deal, even without the use of a computer.

Launched in March as the first price-comparison mobile service using voice, Frucall allows shoppers to compare retail store prices with prices for the same products on Amazon.com, directly from their cell phone. It’s a simple solution that sidelines many sites that offer price comparison results to be sent via text message to a consumer’s cell phone but fail to offer immediate access to price comparisons when the shopper sees a product he or she didn’t research ahead of time. Even better, is that consumers can soon buy the product directly from their mobile phone, assuming they have registered and have a valid credit card in their profile.

Touted as the easiest and quickest way to price compare, Frucall enables shoppers in the midst of surveying retail aisles to call a toll-free number (888-FRU-SHOP) and input the product’s UPC or ISBN number. Within a few seconds, the caller gets a confirmation of the product name and the price of the item as listed online. Currently, the service compares prices for products from a variety of categories available on Amazon including automotive supplies, books, electronics, jewelry, movies, music, tools and pet supplies. In the future, Frucall says they will generate best price information through Internet-wide e-commerce searches.

Seems the online price comparison wars will rage on.



DEWEY

Henry Kruz asked:


A comparison shopping is not a new thing and the shoppers in UK are used to do a research work before buying any product. In the past, for buying any product you have to visit different retail shops to compare prices for choosing a right deal.

However, the things have changed with the advent of the Internet. And, online shopping has become popular among the consumers. Nowadays, you can buy the products online by sitting merely in your room. If you look into any search engine, then you may find several price comparison sites offering wide range of products. On a price comparison site, you can get variety of products like jewellery, books, movies, music and many other useful products.

You would find fierce competition in the cyberspace and the customers are the one who can avail the benefits with this competition. The price comparison sites have the best technology and the tools which would be helpful for you find out a right deal.

The entrepreneurs and such comparison sites are always coming out with ways with which the customer can research properly and then buy a suitable product. These price comparison sites are facing tough opposition from the companies because they are taking advantages of the shortcoming of others.

In addition to the Internet, price comparison can also be done with the help of your cell phone. Within seconds you can get all the information about the products and the prices on your mobile phones.

No doubt, price comparison shopping is certainly a good way to shop, as you can certainly find a good deal with it.



DALE

Michael Brito asked:


Jane is a value conscious shopper. She is always looking to compare prices before buying any product. One day, she walks into a local retailer pricing out digital cameras. She writes down several camera model numbers so she can go online later that evening to see if she can find it cheaper elsewhere. Later that evening, Jane spends two or three hours surfing the Internet before she finds the camera she likes at the price she is willing to pay.

Sound familiar?

Imagine if Jane could just call a phone number, punch in the UPC code of the camera, and wait a few seconds while a database searches the Internet to compare prices for her. Imagine if she could then buy the camera right there on the spot. Sounds like a future technological advancement, doesn’t it? Not quite the future; it’s already here.

Online shopping has made it easier for consumers to get what they want, whenever they want it at the prices they want. Every major brick and mortar retailer now has a presence online not including the smaller, more specialized retailers located around the world. However, the vast array of online retailers can make it difficult for consumers to find the products they are looking for at the most affordable price. In addition, consumers do not have time to spend hours in front of their computers scouring across Internet looking for products. Consumers are demanding a better, more efficient and less cumbersome way to compare and buy products online. Frucall has stepped up to the challenge and has introduced a new way to compare prices online.

Frucall is a new, innovative service that enables consumers to compare products online using their mobile phones. This alleviates the valuable time spent trying to accomplish the same thing in front of a computer. In today’s increasingly connected world, everyone has a mobile phone with them at all times which makes the Frucall service so attractive.

Here is how Frucall works. Customers first sign up online for their free account. In their profile, they store their mobile phone number and optional credit card information. Then, when they are shopping at the mall, they simply call the toll free phone number and type in the UPC code of the product of interest. In a few seconds, the Frucall service will read the results to the customer. It’s that easy.

At the present time Frucall’s service only queries Amazon.com because that’s currently the only service that allows Web Services queries. However, that will change as additional online retailers allow Web Services queries are added.

The ability to do voice-based comparison shopping through a mobile phone is a captivating concept whose time has definitely come. In a world where so many of our daily activities are performed with a mobile phone, the Frucall service takes its capabilities one step further. If you are a busy consumer that values convenience and services that are helpful in saving you time, then Frucall is exactly what you need. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from using the Frucall service.



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