About a year ago, I found a company based on West Coast that had strong connections with Comparison Shopping Engines (CSE). I researched and read everything I could about Wize Commerce and was left confused.
I have been keeping an eye on the Comparison Shopping environment in the US as Google continues to circle around the industry. I am going to say it as I don’t think anyone else will, I fear for the industry in the US and believe now more than ever that 2013 is a make or break year. Google and Amazon are slowly taking developed markets under their control. Google Shopping, Product Listing Ads, Amazon.com and Amazon product ads are all taking clicks and eyeballs away from Shopzilla, Nextag, PriceGrabber, TheFind, Pronto, Shopping.com and Bing. Shopping.com and Bing is in a different situation as they are part of an ecosystem for their respective owners (eBay and Microsoft) and have in my mind less pressure to be profitable.
Jeffrey Katz is one of the most vocal CSE President’s and he has not flinched in calling Google out on their operations on Google Product Search. I noted that when Google Shopping came around he has started to talk more on general ecommerce trends. I am not going to debate Google’s impact on ecommerce or Comparison Shopping as that is another long form post in itself.