AOL Shopping, which has been around since 1999, has a new look and a new strategy that includes a more flexible approach to working with online merchants.
“It’s pretty much an open market,” says Sally Henry, director of AOL Shopping, part of the AOL LLC unit of Time Warner Inc. “If an advertiser has an opportunity and brings it to the table, we provide a solution. They don’t have to sign up for a specific time frame or only within a certain area. We’re flexible.” In the past, retailers typically signed up for a year to present their wares on AOL shopping; consumers who click on their offers are taken to the retailer’s web site to complete the transaction.
About 40 retailers sold through AOL shopping last year, Henry says, and 29 are participating this year or have expressed interest. “We’re being flooded by requests, particularly now that we’ve opened up beyond an annual term,” she says. Among the new retailers participating at Shopping.AOL.com, AOL says, are Sears Holdings Corp., No. 8 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, Barnes & Noble Inc. (No. 38) and Sephora USA Inc. (No. 108).
AOL Shopping has expanded its categories, now offering products in such areas as men’s, women’s and kid’s apparel; home improvement; and pets supplies, with pharmacy and grocery sections coming in September. The site also has been enhanced with an eye to providing more appealing products and content. “We’re dynamically bringing forward the content and products most relevant to those areas, and most relevant based on the popularity we see,” Henry says. “When you come in today you might see a certain product in the forefront, and the next day something new will be delivered to you.” The pet section today highlights information about the Portuguese water dog, the breed of dog that President Barack Obama’s family just acquired.
AOL Shopping is also extending the reach of its retailer’s promotion to the AOL MediaGlow network of web sites, which include popular sites focused on entertainment, business and news. In addition, AOL Shopping last year introduced an application that lets iPhone users search for products and find merchants that sell them.
Last month, AOL Shopping joined the fast-growing world of Twitter, and had 381 Twitter followers as of last week, Henry says. AOL employees send out two to five “tweets” a day to Twitter followers on such subjects as the best Mother’s Day gifts and fashion trends. They also analyze what products consumers are talking about on Twitter and pay attention to direct feedback about articles or products at AOL.Shopping.com.
In March, AOL Shopping attracted more than 4.6 million unique visitors, up 4.4% over March 2008, and those consumers viewed 32 million pages, up 113% year over year.
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