Spreezio, the “priceline of local shopping”, has recently launched a great beta site in which all of the local deal and sale content is being sourced directly from ShopLocal via our latest API – SCRAPI. Spreezio calls this location-based personalized shopping. What I call it is a strong, unique and focused vision that really drives at simplicity and easy of use. Look at it this way, ShopLocal.com and Spreezio both share the exact same underlying data set. However one site is very feature rich, complex and somewhat complicated at points (e.g., ShopLocal.com) while the other site is nearly featureless, stark and simple (e.g, Spreezio.com). It really is exciting to see how a fresh set of eyes (and brains) can tackle the same problem and come up with such a different answer.
The initial success metrics that Spreezio has been able to generate are very promising, with nearly one out of every 4 unique site visitors “converting” which equates to claiming at least one deal. Granted the traffic to the site is still small, but if its a good mousetrap, that can easily be solved.
The entire Spreezio user interface is focused on two things. The keyword search box and the level of desired discount that the user desires. All of this happens within the large red tag area on the homepage.
Once a user has selected a geo-location and search radius, a percentage off discount amount and entered the type of item they are interested in, the real behind the scenes magic happens (eg all sorts of filtering/matching/meta data extraction, etc). Spreezio looks at the entire ShopLocal data set and only pulls back the exact deals that meet this unique set of user defined criteria.
Once a user has narrowed in their search on a specific item of interest, the user is asked to claim the deal. Entailed within this step is learning the name and location of the retailer that is offering the deal as well as some additional product details.
There is also a lot of other great things to look forward to from Spreezio in the near term including:
- Launching an iPhone application that packs up the functionality contained within the browser based version and jams it into a nifty little mobile app.
- Integrating Google Maps into the site to better visual depict the local nature of the deals that were found that meet the user’s search criteria.
- Adding a viral spread loop that will enable a user to invite their friends to join in on the deal that they found, socially powered of course.
Branding vs. Direct Response vs. Community. This new three-way tug of war that most brands are locked up in does not have to be a no-win scenario (yes, I am a fan of Captain J.T. Kirk). They can all coexist in harmony. That is the mission of a new partnership that Ripple6 and ShopLocal are beginning to forge. Here is how it might work…
- Branding: This is a lot more subtle than may expect, but still effective. It has to be careful balanced since users are so smart and sensitive to something feeling to corporate and branded. So instead of a 30 second video clip, this may be some small logos sprinkled throughout or some peripheral display ads. People are smart, so they’ll get the fact that the entire experience is being sponsored and brought to life by the brand.
- Direct Response: In the most simple of terms, for a brand this is the activation piece. Classic questions like “is the item on sale” and “where nearby can I buy the item” must be addressed. This is where the ShopLocal multi-retailer promotional data set comes in. By being able to offer a brand content that can answer these two key questions, all of the branding and community dialogue can hopeful be converted into a sale in a local retail store. This is the product that ShopLocal called SmartBrand, since it is a single brand-centric, multi-channel comparison shopping tool that is typically deployed as an embeddable widget or iFrame within an overall larger site experience.
- Community: This is where the magic of Ripple6 comes in, whereby they create and moderate custom branded communities that get real eveyday people to engage with each other and a brand in a natural, conversational way. This is really the main attraction that gets users there and keeps them coming back.
Shown here are all the retailers that currently are promoting Suave brand products within their local stores . All of these products shown for each retailer here would be on sale currently.
Depicted here is a retailer store locator that only shows those nearby retailers that currently have a special promotion going on for Suave brand product.
ShopLocal.com was mentioned as a great way to compare prices in The Money Times article 8 Ways to Save on Holiday Gifts. In the article author Chandkishore Patro describes how you can “Learn and apply the practical ways of saving money this holiday season.” Thank you to The Money Times for the ShopLocal.com mention.
ShopLocal.com was mentioned in a US News and World Report article titled “10 Tips to Save on Holiday Gifts.” Author Rebecca Kern encourages shoppers to use ShopLocal.com when they are out shopping noting that “the website compares the price of the item of the local store you’re visiting with the prices at retail stores nearby. If the store you are shopping in has a policy of matching a competitor’s price, you get immediate savings. Just as important as where you shop is when you shop.”
Click here to read the full US News and World Report article.
To compare prices and find deals near you click here.
Helping real people save money and time is not lip service. It has been for 10 years now, a core value of ShopLocal. Our national localized comparison shopping engine called ShopLocal.com is one of many digital channels that delivers on this commitment.
The nice folks over at MetroCheapo.com wrote up a nice piece on how to utilize BOTH coupons AND circulars together to maximize the savings that a shopper can recognize. By buying items that are already on sale and then layering on the additional discount that coupons can bring, one can really pile on the savings.
MetroCheapo.com is a site that is all about urban home economics which is essentially thrifty tips for city dwellers
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