Microsoft launches new Google Base like ecommerce product upload service "Agora"

[mandy]

MICROSOFT HAS LAUNCHED A BETA e-commerce service that allows online merchants to upload their product inventories to the Live Search index.

Code-named "Agora," the Greek word for "marketplace," the service is similar to Google Base, which also allows the uploading of product information into a database...

Access to Microsoft's service is limited to Internet retailers who pre-register with Windows Live. They can upload images, descriptions, prices, and links to online stores; their products also will be added to the index of Windows Live Product Search, Microsoft's beta shopping search engine...

The Microsoft service, which quietly launched over the weekend, potentially is a boon to online retailers...because general consumers do much of their product research at general search engines, even when they plan to purchase offline...

full article: http://publications.mediapost.com/index....leHomePage&art_aid=50755

[BellisimaJ.]

Interesting. This could be a good thing. 8)

Thanks, Mandy.

[regic]

Imagine how interesting it would be if there was a link.  :twistedevil:

Info: http://ideas.live.com/ProgramPage.aspx?v...3d2ada8468&pageId=0

Merchant pre-registration: https://imagine-windowslive.com/minisite...cale=en-us

Blog: http://productsearch.spaces.live.com/

help/FAQ: http://help.live.com/(bWFya2V0PWVuLXVzJn...pe=keyword&query=qaf&fs=1

What is Live Product Search?
Live Product Search lets shoppers find products for sale online from Internet retailers. You can search for everyday items, and it's great for tracking down hard-to-find stuff, too. Refine search results by adding related terms, brands, or specific sellers. Sort the results by relevance or price. Holding your mouse pointer over a product image will show you a larger, more detailed image of the product.

What it is
The Live Product Upload, a free service for merchants interested in making their product catalog available in Live Product Search. This easy-to-use gateway is designed to enable online retailers to:

•  Showcase products on  Live Product Search
•  Upload accurate and up-to-date product data directly into the Live Search index

What it does for you
Here is a quick glance of functionality accessible through this service

Catalog Management
Upload you product catalog in any of the formats support, i.e. text or XML through either HTTP upload or FTP. Products can include images, description, price, and links to web addresses on your site.  You can upload any number of catalogs with no specific limits. Once your catalog is successfully published and has passed the validation steps it will be searchable through Live Product Search.

[BellisimaJ.]

Imagine how interesting it would be if there was a link.

Lol, that reporter needs more training.

Regic, does or will OSCMax support this?

[amy]

Live supports text format .  You could use osC's easypopulate to download your inventory and copy and paste from that file to the Live format.  We do that with Amazon and you can upload hundreds of items in an hour that way.

a free service for merchants

I like free product searches much more than I like paid CPC shopping comparison sites.

[BellisimaJ.]

Thanks, Amy.

Ditto on the free comparison sites!