Retailers can now share their key store information in a standard format within TheFind’s search results, on their own web sites, and elsewhere on the Web.
Mountain View, CA (June 16, 2009) --TheFind, the leading vertical search engine for shopping visited by over 12 million unique shoppers last month, today announced UpFront℠, at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exposition in Boston. UpFront is the new way for online retailers to share key store information with shoppers in a single, uniform display.
UpFront will display within TheFind’s product search results, on a retailer’s own web site, and elsewhere on the Web, providing participating merchants with a way to get higher quality traffic, establish and reinforce their credibility, and improve their conversion rates. TheFind is offering this free to retailers for a limited time.
Shoppers clicking on a retailer’s UpFront button will now easily be able to find store information such as:
• Contact methods, including web form, email address, phone number and chat;
• Security, business and privacy certifications;
• Payment and shipping options, return and exchange policies, and other charges;
• Store locations and hours;
While many online retailers already display much of this information on their web site, online stores are each uniquely designed, sometimes making it a bit more challenging for shoppers who may waste time hunting for information, and then subsequently abandon an online store prior to making a purchase.
“UpFront is all about helping customers quickly find the critical information they need when shopping so they can get down to the business of choosing and buying products,” said Siva Kumar, co-founder and CEO of TheFind. “Stores that make a commitment to putting their information upfront in as many ways as possible are paying close attention to the maturing expectations of online shoppers and are more likely to acquire loyal customers. Last month TheFind sent shoppers to over 90,000 different online stores, so we are very focused on providing ground-breaking tools like UpFront that support both shoppers and retailers, and improve today’s online shopping experience.”
“Research clearly shows that the vast majority of shoppers want certain kinds of information made available to them immediately or at least within one click, prior to making an online purchase,” said Douglas van Duyne of Naviscent, a leading Web research and design firm, and author of The Design of Sites. “Often the large number of links and content on a store’s Web site can make it frustrating and time-consuming for shoppers to find this information. UpFront’s user-centered design keeps the customer in mind, so even though online stores are laid out differently, shoppers using UpFront can find what they’re looking for quickly.”
Leading watch and jewelry retailers, Ashford.com and TheWatchery.com, will be among the first to participate in the UpFront program.
“The Watchery is looking to benefit from UpFront right from the start,” said Joseph Levy, founder of TheWatchery.com. “Not only is UpFront an easy way to drive more quality traffic to our online store, it’s also an innovative way to establish and foster something even better -- customer relationships. UpFront will help to get more people following us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as new subscriptions to our email newsletter.”
Up and coming retailers including Oompa Toys and Guitars and More are also committing to be UpFront.
“UpFront is a great way for Oompa Toys to introduce itself and share our values with new visitors to our store” said Milanie Cleere, who started up Madison, WI-based Oompa Toys in 2004. Oompa offers a wide collection of quality European baby toys, gear, and furniture for the safety-conscious and eco-minded.
Oompa Toys is also in TheFind100 list of retailers, Kids and Family category.
“Musicians and aspiring musicians can buy with confidence at GuitarsandMore.com and we’re only too happy to be UpFront about why,” said Nate Weisiger, founder of online musical instrument retailer Guitars and More. The retailer is an authorized dealer for many world-class guitars including Kona Guitars, Indiana Guitars, Oscar Schmidt Guitars and more.
Visit TheFind.com to find out more about UpFront. For a limited time, the annual service fee for the program will be waived for qualifying merchants. Retailers can register for the UpFront program by visiting TheFind’s Merchant Center.
About TheFind
TheFind is the leading vertical search engine for shopping that makes every product from every store, including sales, coupons and discounts, instantaneously accessible to consumers. TheFind crawls the entire Web and with its patented search technology helps shoppers discover everything that online shopping, local shopping, and now, green shopping have to offer, so that they can quickly find the lowest price, the best deal, or that hard-to-find item. Over 350 million products from more than 500,000 stores and online sellers are currently universally accessible through TheFind.com, TheFind Mobile, and TheFind iPhone App, making TheFind the leading source for comprehensive product information in the US. TheFind also owns and operates fashion-centric Glimpse.com, shopping blog aggregation site TheFind Buzz, and powers shopping search for top e-commerce sites. Recently, TheFind announced TheFind100, a list of the top specialty stores in 16 different shopping categories. TheFind Inc. is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and backed by leading investors Bain Capital Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
For more information, please contact:
Shaila Arora or Thom Brodeur
Arora PR for TheFind
Shaila@arorapr.com
Thom@arorapr.com
Ph: 310.749.5006
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