The Aim of Froogle?

[mikeD]

With froogle being free for inclusion it doesnt make much business sense. It cant help adsense much.

Do you think they plan to become the big player, push out and bankrupt the other price comparison sites like Dealtime. Then charge or ask a commission for inclusion once froogle is out of beta.

[Essex_boy]

Based on the way Mr G is heading with all other features - sandbox sites getting dropped for no reason so they have to use adwords.

I can say yes your right just watch this space.

[dmorison]

Then charge or ask a commission for inclusion once froogle is out of beta.

No - that's not how Google think. Information is what Google wants - and they'll take good information over cash any day.

From [google.com...] :

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.

You don't get there by charging people to have their information be a part of it.

[Lord Majestic]

With froogle being free for inclusion it doesnt make much business sense.

This is about getting people to start their search for products at Froogle rather than going to e-tailers website. Strategically this is very damaging to e-tailers because the only winners will be those sites that offer the lowest price - typically loss leaders sale of which would be offset by selling other things, which may not sell so well because customer will order them from elsewhere.

Before Froogle there were ShopSmart (AFAIK mainly in Europe, now gone), Kelkoo (bought by Yahoo) and others - we did some testing and found that the only product we sell through these outfits are exteremly low margins ones, just like common sense suggested. So why help these outfits grow and become that powerful?!?! E-tailers won't be the winners - short term gains for you now will be outweighted by strategic loss for everyone apart from Froogle. Consumers will lose too because services will be cut in order to compete with the cheapest deals.

[Rugles]

>>The Aim of Froogle?

To present a half-completed shopping search site that is not ready for prime time.

Accomplished!

[mikeD]

yeah but its beta currently, expect that. I mean when its a full release

[Mr Bo Jangles]

How are they going to make Froogle *really* fire - I don't know a single soul who's ever used it.

[Rugles]

It has been in Beta for a year or more. I would actually make an effort to give them a feed if they would show some forward progress. At this point a year later, why bother, nobody uses it.

[mona]

To present a half-completed shopping search site that is not ready for prime time.

That about sums it up.

I would actually make an effort to give them a feed if they would show some forward progress. At this point a year later, why bother, nobody uses it.

I appreciate ya'll who still feel that way, less competition for me! OK, seriously Rugles. We get a sale about once a week from Froogle. So it was worth setting the feed up.

Do you think they plan to become the big player

Yes, I think plan to be one. But unless there are major improvements, I don't see it happening.

This is about getting people to start their search for products at Froogle rather than going to e-tailers website. Strategically this is very damaging to e-tailers because the only winners will be those sites that offer the lowest price

Agreed. I think Froogle was built in a sense to separate retail search from information search, which isn't neseccarily a bad idea. But as Lord Majestic pointed out, forcing the 'lowest price' may turn out to be the fatal flaw in the long term. Cheaper isn't always better, and it's seems Google has sort of boxed itself in with this one.

[brakthepoet]

The problem (so far) with Froogle is that it provides results without any context or additional criteria beyond price. No reviews, no product comparisons, nothing but a list of results and prices. The Froogle team must realize this, as they just added merchant ratings [webmasterworld.com]. At least that gives some other reference beyond price. Maybe the top 3 or 4 results will have the lowest price, but if they have poor ratings price will be only one part of the buying decision.

Although their track record so far is questionable, the ratings addition is encouraging. If Froogle continues to add criteria beyond price, they may just make it.

[King_Arthur]

Mr Bo Jangles said that he doesn't know a single soul who's ever used Froogle. Well, now you do. I have.

Something interesting I noticed that may be of interest. I had been ranked consistantly 6th or 7th in Google for a given keyword and when I submitted a feed I now enjoy a 3rd place ranking.

I debated mentioning this because if it IS a factor I know that mentioning it in a forum is a great way to have it become abused.

Just something to chew on.