Hope for etailers who are struggling with Comparison Shopping Optimisation
Many online retailers are failing to get the best possible returns from shopping comparison sites because of a failure to optimise this channel effectively, particularly in terms of the data feeds they are providing.
Help could be at hand however…
The reality for many overstretched businesses, both small and large, is that there is simply not enough time in the day for effective comparison shopping optimisation when there are other online channels, such as paid search, which have a bigger impact on the business.
It was clear from a recent E-consultancy Shopping Comparison Roundtable that management and submission of data feeds is a massive headache for retailers who are often struggling to manage their product visibility across numerous comparison sites with limited resources.
It doesn't help that a different approach to maximising visibility is needed depending on the comparison engine.
But despite these difficulties, retailers are soldiering on because they recognise that comparison sites can often deliver incremental sales and valuable customers.
So how long will it be before the largest retailers routinely employ third party companies to manage their data and feed submission as a matter of course, in the same way that companies employ agencies to take care of their PPC requirements?
It is already commonplace in the US where more retailers are more savvy about demanding transparency around ROI for:
1) The shopping comparison channel compared to other online channels.
2) The relative benefits of different comparison engines.
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