When a customer jumps on the internet to find a something they want, they look for two things. First, they are looking for a quality item that won't fall apart in the first week. And two, they are looking for the lowest price online. Now, of course there are other factors figured into the equation, but these two things are the biggest. Comparison Shopping Portals are great places to find both of these qualities in one convenient place.

Shopping at a portal is free to customers. There are no hidden fees for customers. They are simply placed in an environment where products from hundreds of stores are sitting right next to each other and you get to compare them side by side and make a logical decision about what and where you want to buy a product. There really are no flaws in the system for customers. They are forwarded onto the company that they are considering buying a product at and that is the end of it. The merchants, on the other hand, are not so fortunate.

There are two types of retail establishments on the internet; those that can afford advertising and those who can't. If you can afford to advertise your products then shopping portals are great. Advertising is relatively cheap and if you can afford to take a small cut out of every single margin on every product, a comparison shopping portal is great. The "big guys" on the internet often get their products straight from manufacturers and their margins are a lot bigger to befin with. Most start up companies, on the other hand, have to get their products from distributors. Anyone who has run an online store knows that distributors take most of the profit out of the margin and there isn't much room to play with by the time it gets to the retailers.

Everyone, including the owners of comparison shopping portals, are in business to make money. Shopping portals have to charge merchants in order to stay in business themselves. There are solutions for the smaller companies onling though. I have had the experience of starting and running a number of different retail stores online. I have been through it all. i have had the frustration of working with distributors that "stole" my margins. I worked with these companies for years and struggled to find a way to make enough money to pay my bills every month. I finally decided to just call the manufacturer of the product I was selling. I fully expected them to reject me and tell me to continue to get my products through distibutors. To my surprise, i was able to set up an account with them and my margins have been better ever since.

It is only fair that every merchant, big or small, is able to take advantage of comparison shopping portals. They increase your traffic, they will increase your sales, and they give you some of the added exposure that is required for a store to be successful online.