Online shoppers intent on getting the lowest price may want to make
themselves comfortable: Shopping around is easier than ever, but it
still takes some patience — and a visit to more than a few sites.
Price-comparison
sites have long been consumers’ go-to resource for checking prices
online, and related apps have made it easy for pavement pounders to
perform a quick buy-or-not calculation while in stores. Some 55% of
online shoppers always check for competitive prices before buying,
according to Forrester Research. And when shoppers are buying a
big-ticket item or something that has a reputation for variable
pricing, they’re even more apt to compare, according to Sucharita
Mulpuru, an analyst with Forrester Research. “It’s a way to arm
yourself with the most data possible,” she says.
Pronto
Pronto.com wins plaudits for enabling users to refine product searches by category to weed out unwanted items.
But experts say price-comparison engines have slowly become less useful for bargain hunters. Google (GOOG) recently
redesigned its Google Shopping engine to include listings only from
companies that pay to be included. On the plus side, that’s likely to
weed out suspect vendors and outdated prices. But it also means small
businesses are less likely to get a mention, says Jack Vonder Heide,
chief executive of the research group Technology Briefing Centers. Nor
will they see listings from Amazon — the retail giant (AMZN) has removed its Google Shopping listings.
A
Google spokeswoman says the changes are about providing more accurate
results for shoppers. “We truly believe that when merchants have a
financial stake in the shopping experience, they will send us better
product data,” she says. And Google isn’t alone. Other engines may also
stick to paid listings, says Vonder Heide, or only include major
retailers.
Then there’s the dynamic-pricing problem. Web retailers like Amazon and Best Buy (BBY) have
begun changing their prices multiple times throughout the course of the
day. Many of the price-comparison sites, however, update their own
records just once a day, so the prices they’re showing you are wrong,
says Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org. “Yesterday’s price
won’t do you any good,” he says.
Shoppers’ best bet is to
have not just one but several price-comparison sites bookmarked,
experts say. Ideally, that results in a wider selection of retailers
and a more complete view of sales and price variations, Mulpuru says.
Here are five that the experts say are worth bookmarking:
Bing
Shopping: If you’re browsing models before hunting down the best
prices, Bing offers a “compare” feature and virtual shopping lists that
can be helpful in making a decision, says Michelle Madhok, chief
executive of shopping site SheFinds.com. Price-check results include a
price history over six months, plus reviews and specs on a product when
applicable. But there’s no rating system for merchant reliability, and
the listings aren’t always accurate. A hunt for the novel “Gone Girl,”
brought up a low price, but it was from an expired auction, while a
search for the Canon PowerShot D20 delivered a lowest listing of $247,
but clicking on the link led to a U.K.-based site that actually wanted
247 pounds, or $397. A Bing spokeswoman says the Microsoft (MSFT) unit’s
site team approves merchants before adding the free product listings
and offers guidelines to merchants to make listings more accurate.
Decide:
One of the better sites at capturing price fluctuations, Decide.com
compares price data against factors like a new model’s launch date to
help shoppers decide whether to buy or wait, says Mulpuru. Ratings also
point out when consumers can “do better” — that is, when there are
comparable items with more favorable reviews and similar pricing.
There’s no way to sort listings by best total price with tax and
shipping, however, so it can take time to review. Users can’t search
for everything, either. Decide.com currently covers a few dozen items
within broader categories such as electronics and appliances. A
spokesman says the site, which debuted last year, continues to add new
categories and capabilities.
Google Shopping: Even with the
changes, it’s still a more-than-worthy engine, says Vonder Heide.
“You’re going to have the safest buying experience,” he says. The
recent redesign also included larger images with search listings, so
it’s easier to see at a glance if those are say, the model of Ray Ban
sunglasses you want. Listings show which local stores list an item in
stock, as well as those that accept Google Wallet mobile payments. Web
options often include eBay (EBAY) stores
and current auction listings (used condition noted). But of course,
with the shift to only paid listings, shoppers won’t see as wide a
selection of businesses as in the past, he says. A Google spokeswoman
says the redesign will still list products by relevancy, regardless of
what advertisers pay to be listed. Nonpaying merchants will also
continue to be included in the listings for a short time, she says.
PriceGrabber:
A price history tracks the average and lowest prices over time, and
shoppers can also set price alerts to get an email when the item drops
below a set dollar amount. Listings include big retailers as well as
eBay sales and smaller specialty stores. Results initially separate
merchants into “featured sellers” (those that paid) and “more sellers”
(that didn’t), but it takes just one click to sort by total price and
mix the two together into one list. A spokesman says that functionality
makes it clear for consumers that some retailers have paid to be
featured, without compromising their ability to find the best deal. But
finding some good deals requires a look through the whole list — on a
Whirlpool dishwasher, one of the lowest prices got pushed to the bottom
of the page because shipping and tax couldn’t be calculated. Those
instances are rare, and usually stem from incomplete data passed from a
retailer, says a spokesman.
Pronto.com: Users can refine
product searches by category to weed out unwanted items, like the
accessories for a particular smartphone instead of the handset itself,
says Madhok. Search results also allow winnowing by category-specific
attributes like the color of a digital camera, or liquid versus cream
foundation in makeup. There’s a page of details on each merchant,
including which credit cards they accept and where they charge sales
tax, but there are no reliability ratings. Most listings do not note
shipping price, either, except when it’s free. Pronto.com did not
respond to requests for comment.
Mutual funds can also be classified according to the following 48 predetermined categories based on the assets held by the fund:
Lagos — Large numbers of fun seekers besieged the Bar beach in Lagos yesterday despite the state government's warning to residents of the state to move away from the beach as a result of the wave from the ocean which has already claimed over 15 lives.
Meanwhile, four more bodies have been recovered, bringing the number of the dead recovered from last Saturday's ocean surge disaster to eight.
When Daily Trust visited the Bar beach, an adjoining beach from the Kuramo beach yesterday , the bodies were lying on the sand-filled shore of the beach.
They were covered up, and awaiting evacuation by officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).
Three men were identified by residents as security officials working with the management of the ocean while the fourth body, a kid was yet to be identified at the time Daily Trust left the scene.
The state government has demolished all the structures and shanties at the Kuramo beach while work is in progress to sand-fill and reclaim it. The state's Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Prince Segun Oniru, told Daily Trust that divers would continue to search for bodies of the missing people. He said government has warned people living in the area several times to move away, but they refused.
He said the Eko Atlantic project has nothing to do with the strong wave.
"Lagos coast line is about 182-183 kilometres of 852 coastlines in Nigeria. The project has nothing to do whatsoever with the project. On the contrary, if you look at the Ahmadu Bello way today, there is no problem there because of the permanent solution the state government put in place," he said.