Shopping With Bots Online comparison shopping is available at a wide range of sites. Some claim to scan 50 million products. Each of these services is powered by shopping bot software. Some even provide shoppers with the ability to search, compare and buy in a secure e-commerce environment. The majority accept advertising, but a few, like Price Scan claim to be unbiased and objective because it eschews advertising.
Superior service makes fancy cars, designer duds and luxury travel appealing.
It also allows L.L. Bean, Nordstrom's, and a handful of other merchants to charge more for their products than bargain merchandisers selling essentially the same goods. And great service is not going out of style any time soon. In terms of costs, online retailers seem to have obvious advantages over bricks and mortar retailers. They usually can only pull from a 25-mile radius, meaning they need to make a fair margin. While online merchants can set up shop for less, and sell internationally, many have set prices so low that it's impossible for them to make a profit.