MerchantAdvantage Supports SKU Level Bidding at Shopping Comparison Sites

Internet Retailer Magazine, November 2007, has a wonderful cover story on the explosion of comparison shopping engines titled "Lots of Choices."  If you can get a copy, I would --- it is worth the read.

Although the author leaves out the exploding mobile commerce arena, which I have been a huge fan and believer in since 2005 -- and, if Google buys Sprint ,will be even a bigger fan  :-) -- the author covers the importance of analytics and SKU level bidding to help small to mid-sized merchants increase their return on investment ("ROI") when using shopping comparison engines and other shopping destination sites. 

Fortune and CNNMoney.com listed the below press release today from MerchantAdvanatge. It is timely and I encourage all small to mid sized merchants to check out MerchantAdvantage to see how they can help you grow your online business cost effectively and professionally.  It is about time that an affordable tool supported SKU level bidding, across the board, and they are endorsed by all of the great players and doing it right.

MerchantAdvantage, which started the tool based channel management marketplace phenomenon, in 2005, proves that it continues to be the pioneer of tool based marketing solutions. It is now the only company in the marketplace that provides:

SKU level building; built in analytics; over 100 marketing channels and key level relationships at many of these channels; mobile commerce options; free white papers; free weekly webinars for clients and free monthly webinars for everyone; free 24/7 trouble ticket support for Lite and Pro users; free live support for Professional clients forever; new product offerings rolling out each quarter to help clients stay ahead of their competition -- not just catch up; and all for a flat fee of only $145 or $295 a month (pending which product you prefer).  The service they provide alone is worth that amount and, then, add on all of the special offers they give when working with marketing channels -- the product pays for itself.

Oh yeah, and MerchantAdvantage does not gouge the small to mid-sized merchant.  The online merchants does NOT get charged revenue share, transaction fees or for SKU listings; most, if not all other companies in the marketplace do charge the online merchant --  so watch out.

So....here are the details for SKU level bidding. 

SKU level bidding is very important to managing ROI and proper feed management.  Many of you have asked me over the months many questions related to it and how to handle it - as it can be confusing doing it on your own.  Now you have a tool to manage it all in one place, while you also send your product catalog feeds - sounds pretty efficient and easy -- I like that!

It is very logical and essential to managing ROI, so make sure you ask other companies you may be using if they support SKU level bidding.  Oh yeah and please don't let any other company tell you that managing SKU level bidding is not important and can't increase ROI.  If they don't think it is important it is because they don't support it.

Tune in tomorrow, for an great piece from a senior engineer friend who speaks about how to use your shopping cart data effectively when marketing into marketing and shopping destination site channels. 

Bon Chance!

-- Chip

As highlighted on CNNMoney.com and Fortune Small Business, Fortune, and Money

Small to Mid Sized Businesses Can Now Manage Their SKU Level Bidding at All Supporting Shopping Comparison Sites Including NexTag.com, Pronto.com, Shopping.com, Shopzilla.com, and Smarter.com

<<<CLICK HERE>>> for full story and other information from Fortune and CNNMoney.com

CNNMoney.com and Fortune Magazine - November 14, 2007 - MerchantAdvantage has supported SKU level bidding for NexTag™ and Shopzilla™ since 2005, through close business partner relationships and its Channel Management with Chanalytics Professional and web-based Lite products. MerchantAdvantage now is honored to support Pronto.com™, an Operating Business of IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI), and the Shopping.com® beta program for select merchants; and Smarter.com™, a MeziMedia company owned by Value Click (NASDAQ: VCLK).

As reported in Internet Retailer Magazine, November 2007, cover story SKU level bidding and analytics are essential to successful data feed management. "Intelligent SKU bid management strategies can increase ROI sometimes five fold," said Chip Arndt, co-founder of MerchantAdvantage. "Our clients manage dozens of unique feeds according to category and individual SKU performance and increase ROI on the sales side of transactions. Now our merchants can work upstream to better manage their SKU level bidding when listing their product categories and individual SKUs, where supported, directly with shopping destination sites."

Chief Revenue Officer at Pronto.com, Greg Stevens stated: "SKU-level bidding on Pronto.com, through Merchant Advantage's tools, gives our clients the ability to manage the profit-margin of their campaigns at the product level."

MerchantAdvantage remains the only tool-based, cost-effective, data feed management solution in the marketplace that integrates the above features into its web-based product offerings and also allows clients to: feed to over 100 shopping destination sites and marketplaces, including Amazon.com and Shop.com and mobile commerce sites as mPoria and MShopper; support multiple storefronts for the same flat fee; and set up, analyze, and manage all of their marketing data feeds and SKU level bidding in one place. MerchantAdvantage provides free for its clients exclusive webinars; monthly newsletters and technical advice; has 24/7 trouble ticket support; and does not charge revenue fees, transaction fees, SKU listing fees, or set up costs.

About MerchantAdvantage, LLC

We're here because you're online.

MerchantAdvantage (MerchantAdvantage.com) is an ecommerce software solutions company committed to championing and helping the small to mid sized online merchant to address complicated mobile commerce and online issues. MerchantAdvantage takes a systematic, controlled and proactive approach to online product marketing. MerchantAdvantage provides long-term, cost effective, web-based software tools that enable an online business to grow by reaching the widest audience possible via online, broadband, and wireless devices. MerchantAdvantage's applications are designed to thoroughly connect the online retailer to their marketplace partners in a seamless motion of communication, allowing Merchants to take control of their ecommerce channels, marketing strategies and IT solutions. MerchantAdvantage currently markets over $1 billion worth of products daily, representing over 600 online storefronts. MerchantAdvantage is changing the macrocosm of ecommerce by staying ahead of the curve in providing business solutions to the growing online retail marketplace. We are here because our commerce future is online and wireless.

<<<CLICK HERE>>> for full story and other information from Fortune and CNNMoney.com