Local Search Engine Tells Users Where to Buy

The caption read “New Search Engine Provides Actionable Local Search.” In case you’re wondering, this is a solution for referring consumers to local stores for buying high-end consumer products searched for on search engines. Sounds like just another search engines. However, it’s unique in that it offers more than just product information. It also tells you where you can buy locally. And consumers can get there from Yahoo or Google when performing a product search.

This capability is being offered by Krillion, which just launched what it calls the first actionable local search engine. Krillion has a unique localiazation technology that they believe will change the way ready-to-buy online consumers will find products and local stores from which to buy them.

Krillion believes that local search is currently not very functional and that its localization technology will fulfill the need to make product searches truly local. We’ve had Yahoo Local and Google Maps for a while, as well as many other varieties of local search, but research shows that local search has progressed as fast as projected.

Krillion states that 75 percent of consumers who buy big-ticket items do all their research online. True. And they make over 90 percent of their purchases offline. True. However, general search engines are usually unable to find and deliver results that provide specific local stores for specific products. Hmmm, probably true.

Krillion solves this problem with its unique Krillion Localization Engine™ that crawls the web to find, integrate and deliver actionable local search results for the ready-to-buy consumer. As of its February 5 launch, Krillion states it has over 275 million pages of relevant local search results displaying local product information for major appliances in over 40,000 U.S. cities and towns.

“Krillion delivers local search results that combine very specific product information with very specific locality information. These results truly are ‘actionable’ meaning that when consumers have completed their Internet research, they can grab their keys, hop into the car, drive to the store and buy the product,” said Joel Toledano, co-founder and CEO of Krillion.

“We are delivering an inventory of search pages that have never before been available and we see this as a giant step forward for manufacturers, retailers and consumers,” continued Toledano.

Krillion Is Organized by Categories

Krillion delivers search results based on categories like a directory. The first category is Major Appliances and other categories will be added soon. These categories include consumer electronics, lawn and garden, seasonal appliances and more.

Krillion is also focused on finding and delivering relevant search results for national brands sold by national and regional “big box” retailers. Krillion believes it will be able to deliver usable search results for the majority of consumer searches.

“One of the historical challenges with local search, and online shopping in particular, is connecting Internet research with offline purchase behavior, which is where the majority of transactions occur,” said Greg Sterling, principal, Sterling Market Intelligence. “By offering information about where to buy products locally Krillion better serves consumers and further confirms that the future of online shopping is offline.”

Advertisers Gain New Local Search Inventory

Krillion offers immediate availability of millions of pages of local product advertising inventory, along with customized analytics to measure the effectiveness of your paid search campaigns. It expects to become the “last-leg” in a national ad campaign, linking the ready-to-buy consumer with the specific store where s/he can purchase the desired product. A click-to-call feature is available so consumers can quickly check product inventory prior to visiting the store.

This sounds like a very convenient service and I would like to try it once all the categories are available.

“Krillion’s approach offers the opportunity to significantly redefine the ways in which brands engage with consumers at the local level. It’s an innovative approach that will help drive growth in this market and better serve the needs of advertisers,” said Torrence Boone, President, Digitas Boston.

Krillion built its search engine based on the premise that consumers will not change their search habits. Therefore, consumers don’t have to search directly on Krillion to find Krillion results. Instead, they can search from their favorite search engine (Google, Yahoo, you name it) and Krillion results will likely be displayed on those pages. Consumers then click to find Krillion for their local product and store information.

This sounds very convenient if the categories will eventually be exhaustive. Search continues to become more convenient as marketers realize consumers will express themselves online, make their wishes known and behave accordingly. Companies that ignore consumer behavior do so at their peril.

More Info: http://www.krillion.com/xA-news