ShopLocal Debuts Web Shopping Knowledge Center

By Visiting New Corporate Web Stie -- ShopLocalLLC.com -- Retailers Can Access The Latest Web Shopping Research and Other Resouces To Help Improve Their Brand's "Shopability"

CHICAGO – November 16, 2005 – ShopLocal, LLC, the leading provider of Web shopping services for retailers and other local businesses, announces the debut of the Web Shopping Knowledge Center, a source for expert information on Web shopping trends, as part of the new ShopLocal, LLC corporate Web site (www.ShopLocalLLC.com). In addition to the official functions of offering background on ShopLocal news, events, and products (including SmartCatalog, SmartCircular, and The ShopLocal Network featuring ShopLocal.com), the site’s Web Shopping Knowledge Center provides access to educational tools such as new research, expert bylines, and industry data. These new resources are part of the company’s ongoing effort to help retailers improve their “Shopability”; that is, to fully utilize the power of the Web to forge relationships with customers wherever they shop, whether in-store or on the Web.

Visitors to ShopLocalLLC.com can click “Web-to-Store” to access the Web Shopping Knowledge Center. Currently, the site features white papers such as Web-to-Store: Understanding Online and Offline Consumer Shopping Attitudes, Behaviors, and Expectations from consumer behavior expert Sue Larrison of Larrison Communications, Inc., as well as two studies from The Dieringer Research Group: the ShopLocal Web-to-Store Study and the newly released Mid-term 2005 Web-to-Store Benchmark Survey. The latter, a follow-up to last year’s survey, continues the discussion of how Web-to-store shopping (researching online before buying offline) is altering the shopping landscape – and how online marketing efforts impact in-store sales.

For example, according to the Dieringer Research Group, despite the hype surrounding the growth of pure e-commerce spending, in the 4th Quarter of 2004 Web-to-store spending outpaced online spending. And more than 70 percent of those surveyed indicated they are using the Internet to make local store decisions more in 2005 compared to last year.

Additional findings from the Mid-term 2005 Web-to-Store Benchmark Survey include:

• An estimated 84.3 million US consumers made offline purchases impacted by online information in 2004, up 19 percent from the previous year.
• 48 percent of those surveyed said they expect to do more Web-to-store shopping in the coming year, versus 34 percent who said they expect to use the Internet more for
  online purchases.
• During the 4th Quarter of 2004, Web-to-store shoppers believe they saved eight hours of shopping time by using the Internet.
• Also in the 4th Quarter of 2004, $400 was spent at local stores after conducting online research versus $250 spent directly online.
• Nine out of 10 shoppers indicated they purchased extra products at local stores in addition to the products researched online.
• Two-thirds of Web-to-store shoppers believe that online information is somewhat or much more important than other types of shopping information, when making the
  decision of where to buy locally.

“To truly measure how the Internet is changing shopping, one must consider the Web-to-store shopper,” says ShopLocal founder and CEO Brian Hand. “E-commerce is important, and with our new consumer site we help retailers connect with customers that want to buying online, but in many instances, people still want to see, touch, and experience a product in person before making a purchase. This new research shows quite clearly that successful retailers must take a 360-degree look at the shopping universe. Because the shoppers of today demand choice.”

ShopLocal leverages more than six years of knowledge managing and hosting local promotional content for retailers of all sizes, including many of the Top 100 retailers in the country. And because ShopLocal’s content comes directly from retailers, information is always up-to-date and geographically relevant. Owned by Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), and Knight Ridder, Inc. (NYSE: KRI), ShopLocal delivers an expansive online and print network to help connect shoppers with thousands of retailers. ShopLocal is the only site that provides a 360-degree view of the shopping landscape – from the boutique store down the block, to the chain store that just opened across town, to e-commerce options from hundreds of other retailers.

About ShopLocal

ShopLocal, LLC is the leading Web shopping company for consumers and retailers. With ShopLocal.com and The ShopLocal Network -- made up of more than 200 affiliate media, search, and shopping sites -- consumers have access to the only place on the Web with information on products from local stores side-by-side with e-commerce options. With ShopLocal’s SmartCircular and Smart Catalog services, retailers can distribute sales and promotional content through The ShopLocal Network as well as their own Web sites.