Please share experience with FROOGLE

[sebastian]

While even one sale via Froogle should considered success (since it's free), i am interested in know people's opinions:

1) Do you use Froogle yourself? (as a user)

2) Do you use Froogle yourself? (as a seller)

3) If yes to using as a seller, how would you rate your success (scale 1-10)?

4) what do you like about Froogle?

5) what do you dislike about Froogle?

6) why do you think Froogle hasnot "taken off" like BizRate, Shopping.com ...etc.?

Thanks,

sebastian "christian"

[tomslick]

I use Froogle almost everytime I shop for something online and it seems to get better every time. I find it fast, intuitive and like that it is integrated into the Google toolbar.

A nice feature would be to remember a user's price sorting preference. I always want to see the lowest price first but have to click on this each time I initiate Froogle (it remembers my preference for subsequent searches, however).

My primary complaint used to be that weird product results sometimes showed up the further down one went in the results. This has been less of a problem in recent months as more products results are added. Froogle is not as useful where further product specification or search refinement is required.

Here's an example:

Let's say I'm trying to buy a new TV. Unless I know what kind of technology or what size I'm looking for, Froogle is not too good for browsing. There are just too many, uncategorized results. This is where comparative shopping sites provide value to consumers: they help guide purchase decisions by explaining product categories and classifications. In this example, TV technologies (CRT, LCD, DLP, Projection, Plasma) and sizes (under 36", 36" - 42", BIG).

This brings up the fundamental question I have about Froogle: is it designed strictly for consumers who know what they want and just need to find it quickly? If yes, then Froogle is on its way to full-filling its mission. If the goal is to be a comparative shopping site, then Froogle's value is limited in its current form.

[sebastian]

great response. i also wonder what froogle will be when it grows up.

although, i believe they lean towards the people who already know what they want. i think the reason they don't automatically sort by lowest price is due to items having accessories and what-not.

for example: if someone is searching for canon slr cameras, and they sort by price, then lenses and lens caps and flashes etc... would be first and not the cameras themselves.

i see froogle very similar to yahoo shopping. almost like a flea market of vendors all trying to get your business - some vendors hope for price-conscious consumers and others for 'brand' conscious consumers.

again - great examples in your thought-provoking post.