VB, additional story on X-Streams new partner, SelectShopper. Jeff
FOCUS DIGITAL: Focus Digital announces BargainFinder deals with leading UK sites
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Story Filed: Monday, July 05, 1999 1:59 PM EST
JUL 5, 1999, M2 Communications - Focus Digital, creator of ShopGuide
( www.shopguide.co.uk), the UK's number one shopping portal, today announces a series of new partnerships which firmly establishes its ground breaking BargainFinder facility as the leading comparison shopping service in the UK.
UK Plus, X-Stream, Scoot, Mega Star and, UKMax, have all signed deals with Focus Digital to have the pioneering technology incorporated into their own sites. Co-branded BargainFinder services will be launched on each of these sites over the next few weeks, enabling shoppers to instantly compare prices on particular products. In addition, Waterstones and DVDstreet (Infront) are joining the growing list of online retailers clambering to have their databases integrated into BargainFinder's search engine.
Since the launch of BargainFinder in April, Focus Digital has seen the number of visitors to its shopping portal jump by over 50 per cent. The comparison service finds the best deals on the best UK sites (including Amazon, Black Star, WH Smith, Waterstones, Infront and Entertainment Express) for books, videos, CDs and computer games.
Commenting on the announcement, Daniel Gestetner, Managing Director at Focus Digital said: "Clearly these announcements are an indication, not only of the recognised potential of comparison shopping on the Internet in the UK, but a testament to the effectiveness of BargainFinder as the preferred partner.
"I believe the success of the service lies in its consumer orientation: all BargainFinder retailers must be UK-based, professionally designed and secure. In addition, all searches are live and include any additional costs such as postage and packing, so that the shopper can always be sure that they being told the true price for the goods they want to buy. Shoppers who may have hesitated to buy from the Internet because of worries about security or because they perceive it as complicated, are testing the 'e-commerce water' with BargainFinder.
"This obviously makes BargainFinder very attractive to online retailers and portals who are looking for ways to build traffic to their sites and increase the numbers of people shopping online. We plan to develop the BargainFinder service over the coming months and we will be looking to greatly expand the categories covered by BargainFinder as the UK e-commerce scene matures. The first new category is likely to be computer software," he concluded.
Here's what Focus Digital's new partners had to say about BargainFinder:
"The reason I wanted to go with it is that it's just so simple - it makes online shopping a breeze for the consumer and it's a perfectly tailored e-commerce solution which allows us to maintain our branding." Alistair Pinkney, Commercial Manager, Express New Media (Mega Star)
"We're pleased to see that BargainFinder only incorporates the best online shops and Waterstones is delighted to be a part of that. We are positive that with their growing distribution network, it will be a valuable source of business."
Hannah Van Dijk, Internet Commercial Manager, Waterstones
"Bargain Finder's comparative shopping technology is a powerful addition to the UK Plus stable of smart tools. It's yet another way that UK Plus will help users find the best sites on the Web."
Tyler Moorehead, General Manager, UK Plus (Associated New Media) Ends
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