Getting Listed On Froogle
...the 'retail product' search engine of the future! – by John Heard

If you haven't yet been "shopping" on Froogle.com then, don't worry – you will be soon. That may seem like a bold statement in light of the fact that Google's new retail product search engine is still testing in beta mode. Regardless, the people in charge of the world's most popular search engine are too smart to overlook the golden egg of such a potentially golden goose.

For the uninitiated it helps to understand that the phenomenon called shopping is shifting to online comparison shopping and away from cruising real-world stores looking for what you want. The time and money saved in gas, parking, and standing-in-line frequently more-than-offsets the shipping fees. And, even when it's desirable to intimately compare (i.e., touch, feel, sniff?) items, one needs only a model number to go online and find it at the best price after a product decision is actually made.

The point is, online shopping is becoming far too efficient for even grandma to ignore. It is evolving parallel to people's ability to use it. And Google's Froogle is about to make it even more user friendly than ever before.

Way too easy...

Say, for instance, that you are looking for the ultimate ice bucket. Your research reveals a product called Vin Chilla that reduces the time it takes to chill a bottle of wine from 30 minutes to as little as 4 minutes. You want one and now that you have the name (or model number) you simply enter the specifics into Froogle and voilà! ...you are now "shopping" at ten different stores simultaneously. Your choices range between 3 different models with prices starting at $49.95 to $129.99. The basic model sells for a high of $99.99 and a low of $49.99. The chrome version ranges from $110 to $129. You eve...