| NEW SHOPLOCAL.COM PROGRAM CONNECTS
LOCAL SMALL, MEDIUM-SIZED RETAILERS TO CONSUMERS VIA INDIVIDUAL
WEB PRESENTATIONS
Chicago- September 13, 2006 – Small and medium-sized
neighborhood retailers who believe a dynamic and sales generating
presence on the Web is beyond their Internet expertise or
budget now can easily create a virtual store and market to
local online shoppers.
ShopLocal.com, one of the largest national Web-to-store comparison
shopping sites with millions of visitors each month, has launched
MyStore, a quick and easy tool that allows
a retailer to build a custom Web presentation, which in turn
will reach thousands of local shoppers and expand its business
on the Internet.
“By promoting products and services that may not be
included in print ads, MyStore helps storeowners capture their
share of the ever-growing local online marketplace,”
said Marion Black-Ruffin, Director of Marketing Services of
ShopLocal.com. “With more searchable information, MyStore
retailers can reach a highly targeted audience for a fraction
of the cost – an introductory offer of $29.95
per month.”
Merchants can visit ShopLocal.com, click on the MyStore
link , submit their store information on the Web and edit
their business listing as frequently as needed. Within the
store listing, retailers can drop in general store information,
a description of products, brands and services offered, business
affiliations, detailed directions and parking instructions,
a logo or photo of the business, and up to four other images.
As business grows, additional locations can be added to reach
customers in other markets. Comprehensive reports on consumers
that have visited the online Web presentation are provided
to the store as well.
MyStore listings are featured prominently
on ShopLocal.com, which allows customers to compare online
and offline prices to determine the best avenue for purchasing
the merchandise. Desired products may be bought online through
the selected store’s Web site or saved to the consumer’s
personal printable shopping list for purchase at the local
store. MyStore subscribers are featured on
geo-targeted pages and at the top of directory listings when
consumers search by a specific product or category of products
within their ZIP code. MyStore listings also appear in the
Featured Business section after shoppers search and browse
for specific products.
After visiting a store on ShopLocal.com, 78 percent of shoppers
said they intended to visit the same store in person within
the next two weeks and 56 percent of site visitors bought
the items they saw on ShopLocal.com at the store. Furthermore,
MyStore drives sales of additional merchandise
with 52 percent of shoppers buying more than the item(s) they
saw on ShopLocal.com. By providing what consumers need in
one convenient place, MyStore retailers build
brand loyalty and keep consumers coming back for more, according
to Black-Ruffin.
“In minutes, retailers are able to design a uniquely
enhanced local business listing that is far more effective
than anything the average directory could offer,” said
Black-Ruffin.
ShopLocal, LLC, offers the Web’s most comprehensive
multi-channel shopping resource for consumers and sales opportunities
site for 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 Web
site with information on products from local stores side-by-side
with e-commerce options. With ShopLocal’s SmartCircular,
SmartCatalog and SmartMedia services, retailers can distribute
sales and promotional content on the site as well as through
their own Web sites, integrating e-commerce and local, in-store
promotions.
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB),
and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), are partners in ShopLocal
and other joint ventures to provide consumers online products
such as CareerBuilder.com, Cars.com and Apartments.com.
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