Kelkoo Drops Pop-Ups From Shopping Comparison Site
Internet shopping site Kelkoo has begun to roll-out a revamped version of its popular website across Europe, shunning pop-up advertising and reducing the impact of banner adverts.
Italy was the first country to receive the new format site, which allows users to compare the price of goods between online shopping websites. A UK launch of the new site is expected next month, with a focus on products and searching, rather than advertising. The new site design also places important information, such as product descriptions, in easier to read locations.
The move by Kelkoo to remove pop up advertising follows a similar move by Microsoft earlier this year. The computer software giant recently launched a version of its Internet Explorer browser which blocks all pop-up and pop-under formats on websites. The company has also blocked the advertising format from its MSN website, making it the first major online media owner to react to consumer demands against pop-ups (see MSN Bans Pop-Up Advertising Across Entire Network).
According to Kelkoo, the streamlined website has already increased page download time by 30%, making it more attractive to those with low-speed connections such as dial-up modems. Low speed users currently constitute around 48% of the European market.
Commenting on the new site Glen Drury, managing director of Kelkoo UK said: “By providing consumers with even more product information in a clear and easy-to-use format, Kelkoo is making product research even faster and easier. By encouraging more people to complete the research phase of their purchasing path on Kelkoo, we will be able to drive yet more highly qualified traffic through to our network of 2,000 retail partners.”
In addition to being used on the company’s own sites, the new format will be rolled out across Kelkoo’s 40 partner sites, these include MSN Shopping, Ask Jeeves, the Daily Mail and Eurosport.
Kelkoo was purchased by internet giant Yahoo! earlier this year in a deal worth £318 million. The acquisition allowed the company to extend its online presence to include Kelkoo’s comparison shopping service and referral system, bolstering the already successful Yahoo! Shopping directory of online stores (see Yahoo! Acquires Shopping Site Kelkoo For £318 million).
Kelkoo: 020 8971 3000 www.kelkoo.co.ukRecent New Media Stories from NewsLine Yahoo! And Colgate To Study Benefits Of Online Advertising Google And Yahoo! Threaten Local Advertisers Majority Of Internet Users Click On Pop-Ups By Mistake
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