Company launches new technology to link local businesses, consumers

WAGT Television Inc., NBC 26 in Augusta, GA, has launched e-commerce web pages linked to its content site via newly introduced technology from Local Thunder, a vendor of web and e-commerce technology that focuses on media companies, retailers and other organizations making connections with local businesses via the Internet.

The new technology, dubbed Local Express, helps organizations build e-commerce web pages—branded with the look and feel of the organization—linked to their content sites. Organizations can promote the site via the content site, their own media properties and other means. WAGT, for example, is promoting its e-commerce pages via its content site and on the air.

The concept is to enable organizations to increase advertising revenue by using an exclusive e-commerce site to sell to local businesses and establishments that typically will not or cannot purchase advertising in other venues.

“Advertisers are redirecting significant portions of their broadcast budgets to the Internet,” contends Local Thunder COO Jim Boutin. “Businesses that have never advertised on broadcast TV are spending money on local online advertising while consumers are looking for shopping environments and advertiser content.”

A media property like WAGT now can attract local advertisers like restaurants and services that they’ve had difficulty selling to in the past, says a Local Thunder spokesperson. “And consumers get a safe place to buy because of their familiarity with the very local organization that’s hosting the e-commerce pages.”