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A shopping comparison engine will show offers from a number of retailers.
When a user searches for a product on one of the comparison engines, the engine will list all retailers
who offer that product. When the engines contract the retailers, they also agree on how much the
retailer is willing to pay for each click from the comparison engine through to the retailer’s Web site.
The minimum CPC (cost per click) will vary from category to category (consumer electronics, for
example, could have a higher CPC than baby clothes).
When results are shown, priority is given to those retailers who are willing to pay a higher CPC.
However, the user has the option of sorting results by price, alphabetically, and so on.
Online comparison engines form an important part of the online marketing mix for an online
retailer. As well as comparing products from different retailers, they also offer users the chance to
review products as well as retailers. Many users prefer to start their product search on a comparison
engine, as they can see a variety of prices for the same product in one place.
