DEV Community

Marie Weaver
Marie Weaver

Posted on

Price Comparison Website Development: Everything You Need to Know!

Price Comparison Website Development
With the advent of online shopping, many people have begun using price comparison websites to help them find the best deal on products they need to buy. While this is convenient and quick, there are some factors you should be aware of when you’re looking at these sites so that you can get the best deal possible on your purchase. These websites have changed how we shop online.

With the rise of these price comparison websites, you can now find the most affordable prices on items in all categories, such as electronics, health and beauty products, fashion accessories, and more. In this guide, we’ll help you find the right price comparison website development service for your needs. We’ll cover everything from features, cost & time of development to the working model of these websites. So, let’s begin:

How does price comparison websites work?

Price comparison websites work by searching the web for deals and discount codes, bringing you a list of potential items to buy. Some even include user reviews to help ensure you're getting the best product. If you find something you like on one site, but it's out of stock or doesn't have any reviews yet, simply type in the name or URL into another price comparison website and see if they can find it for you!

Why Price Comparison Websites Are Getting Popular Among Customers?

Price comparison websites make finding the best deal on anything from vacation packages to laptops easy, but you don’t have to take our word for it — here are some reasons why price comparison websites are getting popular:

1) Usefulness

Price comparison websites have made it easier for people to shop and find the best deals on a wide variety of items. Whether you're looking for appliances, electronics, clothing or gifts, shopping with price comparison sites can save you time and money. Customers are able to store their preferences so they don't have to search each time they visit a site.

2) Saving Time

It's tedious to find the best deal, which is why price comparison websites can be an asset. Not only do they save you time, but they also save you from feeling overwhelmed by offers and other factors. Some websites will even search for better deals for you so that you don't have to worry about it!

3) Easy to Use

Price comparison websites offer a simple way to search and find deals that are relevant to your needs. It's easy, quick, and convenient. You can also set up alerts that notify you of any deals on items you're interested in purchasing. Furthermore, some of the sites offer rewards for shopping through them, like free shipping or points to use for coupons!

4) No Hidden Fees

For online shoppers, prices on different websites can fluctuate so much that it makes us feel like we are being taken advantage of. But now, thanks to price comparison websites, you no longer have to go from site to site and look at prices again. They scan the internet for you so that all you have to do is click one button to get a list of places with the best prices for your product.

5) Cheap Quality Products

Price comparison websites are really good for finding cheap, quality products that you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. If you're the type of person who likes to get your car repaired, for example, price comparison websites are an excellent place to find a qualified mechanic at an affordable price. And, if you don't trust people near your home, this is a great way to find someone reliable!

6) 100% Satisfaction

When a customer buys an item on our site, they will always be offered the option to purchase with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If at any point in time within the first 30 days of their purchase, they are not satisfied with their purchase for any reason, we will take back the product for free and refund them the full amount. This way, we have faith that our customers know that we stand behind everything that we sell and offer them complete peace of mind when it comes to shopping on our site.

7) Quick Delivery

In a fast-paced world, where everyone is always in a hurry, it can be hard to get all of your shopping done. Instead of wasting time and gas running from store to store and guessing at which one offers the best deals, price comparison websites let you easily compare prices on thousands of items from a single location. It's an amazing tool for saving time and money.

8) Fast Refunds

When you buy something online, the last thing you want to do is wait all day for a product that's not even close to being delivered. Most price comparison websites let you cancel any purchase and get your money back instantly. And, depending on the website, some will offer cash instead of a refund, so you can shop until your heart's content with no fear of spending too much!

9) Great Customer Service

This is especially important if you're on the line with an upset customer who just found out that you're not going to be able to price match a competitor's offer.

10) Impressive Product Range

A price comparison website has everything a shopper could need to buy any product. With the ability to find the cheapest possible product and compare prices between various retailers, online and offline, it's easy to get lost in the process of finding your perfect item. The best part is that you can save yourself time and money with a little bit of research into what products are available at what prices.

How do price comparison websites make money?

If you’ve ever shopped online, you’ve most likely come across advertisements for price comparison websites like Google Shopping or PriceGrabber. These sites help consumers find the best deals on products by comparing them side-by-side, so it only makes sense that businesses would be interested in getting their products featured on these sites to attract more customers and increase sales.

While there are many companies who pay good money to advertise on price comparison websites, they also make money by charging businesses a commission based on each referral they receive. Here’s how they work.

Cost Per Click (CPC) or Pay Per Click (PPC)

To earn revenue, a merchant has to place their products on the site. They're charged each time someone clicks on the product and is directed to their website. The cost per click (CPC) ranges between $0.50 and $2 depending on the level of competition in that category or product. For example, if someone searches for blue shirts and you offer blue shirts, you'll be paid each time someone clicks through your link and buys a blue shirt from your site at full price.

Commission from the order placed

When a consumer uses a shopping engine to look for products, the e-commerce site will pay the shopping engine for their service. This commission is usually based on how much time the customer spends browsing or placing an order. The commission is determined by the e-commerce site, but it may be anywhere from 3% to 20%. When a consumer places an order through an online company, that company pays the website instead of collecting and paying out themselves.

Paid placement

When you're looking for products, you'll often come across ads for various stores. Amazon, Walmart, and Target are just a few of the stores that advertise on Google Shopping. This paid advertising is what helps these retailers earn their revenue.

Google Ads

These websites also earn money from Google Ads , which are located on the side of their website. Clicking on these ads will take you to a third-party website that sells the product. The price comparison site gets paid by the company every time someone clicks an ad, and it doesn't matter if they buy anything or not. The average rate for a click is around $0.05 to $0.10 per click, depending on where you're advertising (US or UK).

Brand advertising

Price comparison sites get their revenue from a mix of brand advertising and charging consumers to use the website. The types of advertisements and where they are displayed is tailored to the customer base of each site. The more wealthy customers that a website attracts, the more it can charge in advertisement fees because there is a likelihood that those individuals will have more disposable income.

Target marketing

Price comparison sites can often offer discounts from various retailers. These discounts come from the retailers themselves and from special deals that are offered only to these sites. Discounts are also offered when a purchase is made on the site instead of directly through the retailer's website.

What are Some Popular Price Comparison Websites?

Here are some of the most popular price comparison websites:

Google Shopping

You can browse through a list of prices on Google Shopping or go to your search engine and type in what you're looking for. For example, let's say you need a new phone charger. Simply type phone charger in your search engine and the first few results will show the price comparisons among other sites. It'll also show an option to see all stores. Choose this option to see all of your price options without having to go from site-to-site.

Shopzilla

Shopzilla is a price comparison website that compares prices on millions of products from over 100,000 stores. They have three categories of stores: retail stores, electronics retailers, and specialty retailers. The best way to search for what you're looking for is by entering a product into their search engine or browsing through the site's lists like Trending Deals or Best Sellers. You can also use this site to find coupons for your favorite store by clicking on Coupons in the left navigation bar.

PriceGrabber

If you're looking for a general overview of prices, Shopzilla is a great option. For specific reviews and product comparisons, you can find what you need on PriceGrabber. If your tastes lean more towards digital products, they can help by showing deals on everything from PCs to mobile phones.

PriceSpy

PriceSpy is a popular website for comparing prices on electronics, and is available in both English and German. They also offer a smart app that can scan barcodes to find the best deals for you.

CamelCamelCamel

CamelCamelCamel , which started in 2009, is an app and website that tracks Amazon prices over time. If you want to know when to buy something on Amazon, this site will show you. It’s also great for finding out if there are better deals elsewhere, or if a product is worth its price.

Top Features Price Comparison Websites Should Have

Price comparison websites, such as Google Shopping and PriceGrabber allow users to compare the prices of various products from multiple e-commerce sites in one place; however, this doesn’t mean that these websites are all created equal or offer the same features. In fact, there are many factors that set price comparison websites apart from one another and that determine which one offers the best value for the user. Let’s identify top features in price comparison websites should have to make shopping easier and more rewarding for consumers who use them.

1. Easy & Quick Registration

One of the first and most important things a price comparison website needs to have is easy and quick registration. Your customers should be able to find the best prices in no time, with just a few clicks of the mouse. No one wants to waste hours of their precious time filling out long surveys that don't even apply to them. They want to know how much they can save as quickly as possible so they can shop with you today!

2. Filters by Brand / Product Type / Category

It can be time-consuming to search for the best deals for a product or specific brand. Even if you're sure of what you want, you may need to switch brands in order to find the best price. For example, let's say that you've narrowed your selection down to two products of similar value and quality but one is manufactured by Adidas and the other by Nike. One way the website could assist customers in finding the cheapest option would be by filtering results by brand.

3. Lowest Prices, Discounts and Cashback Offers

Every customer wants to buy the cheapest product possible. This is why price comparison websites offer low prices, discounts and cashback offers to ensure customers can find the best deal. Furthermore, prices vary from store to store so a website that consolidates the best deals will be able to offer customers a more efficient shopping experience.

4. Listings

Listings are a crucial component to price comparison websites. Your listing will show the customer what you have to offer. You want the first things customers see when they come across your website to be exciting and make them want to purchase the product or service you're offering.

5. Customization (Color, Size, Material)

You should have the ability to customize your product to some degree. Doing so increases the likelihood that a shopper will find what they are looking for on your site because there are options that suit their individual needs. It also builds brand loyalty with your customers and increases customer satisfaction. Furthermore, customizing is usually less expensive for vendors than producing a variety of styles and sizes in bulk.

6. Currency Converter Section

A currency converter is useful for determining the conversion of one currency to another. Most sites only allow users to convert from one fiat currency (legal tender issued by government) to another, but that's not always helpful when you're trying to figure out how much something is in your own country's currency. Having a universal way of converting prices is especially important in an increasingly globalized world.

7. Filters by Stores / Vendors / Shop Sections

A retailer's inventory changes daily, and they may only carry a certain size, color, or style of an item. Filters are helpful to users because they can find the products they want quickly. These filters should allow users to search by specific criteria such as size, color, material, etc.

8. Price Update Alert

Alerts notify users when the price on a product they're interested in has changed. This way, they don't have to constantly check back and they're not going to miss a sale. Whether an item's price has increased or decreased, consumers can find out right away and feel confident that they're always getting the best deal possible.

9. Reviews

It is often hard to judge the quality of a product without hearing what others have to say about it. And with price comparison websites, those reviews are right there for you to read. Customers can give an honest opinion about the product and whether or not they think it's worth buying. With reviews like these, it can be easier for customers who may be skeptical about a particular item from browsing all of their options.

10. Price history

Track the changes in price for any item you're interested in and find out when you should buy. It's not always easy to spot changes, especially if they happen on different days or at irregular intervals. With a price history, you can quickly spot dips in price and decide if now is the time to purchase that item. You can even compare prices over a long period of time or track how an item has changed from one retailer to another.

Steps to creating a price comparison website that will wow your customers

With so many factors to consider, developing a website can be overwhelming, especially if you're inexperienced in this field. But don't worry -- we've got you covered! Here are all the steps needed to create a price comparison site that will wow your customers and bring in more revenue.

Discovery Phase

During the discovery phase, we sit down with you and discover what makes you unique. We'll look at how people are currently using the web today, what makes websites work for different industries, and help uncover the content or image that should be the focal point of your website. The discovery phase of a website is all about defining who you are as an organization or business and then building something great from there. With our background in user experience design, we're able to use data and research gathered from other successful companies and organizations to help identify gaps in information architecture on your site.

Design Phase

Design is the most important part of any project. You want people who visit your site to feel good about what they're seeing, and for them not just to be able to use it but also enjoy using it. The best way to ensure this is by hiring a designer who has empathy for you and the purpose of your project. You might have some ideas in mind already, but be open-minded when meeting with potential designers so you can take home something that better suits your needs. Keep in mind though, this initial phase may cost more than if you were going with pre-designed templates from sites like Creative Market or Unsplash—but it'll make up for the extra expense in spades down the line.

Development and testing phase

Developing and testing the price comparison website can be an arduous process. It takes an in-depth understanding of the development processes and is difficult and time consuming. And there's no guarantee that after you have spent all this time working on it, it won't break when put live. The downside is worth it though, because developing and testing ensures that everything is running smoothly when it goes live. With careful planning and execution this process can go as smooth as silk, making it just as enjoyable as the building phase was!

Website launch

Good design is important, but there are other aspects of the development process that should not be overlooked. You can't know what makes for a successful site until you launch it, so here are seven steps for getting your price comparison website up and running as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

Website maintenance, and improvement phase

Price comparison website maintenance can be challenging, but if you have a plan in place, you should be able to keep things running smoothly. Depending on the type of site and how much time it has received updates, webmasters may only need to perform routine upkeep every 3-6 months. There are also special duties needed for more complex websites, such as multimedia content and streaming services.

Cost of Price comparison Websites Based on the Location

An average Cost of price comparison site from the web application development agency in the UK is practically equivalent to that of other major countries. Despite this, however, developmental firms in the US charge much higher than those in the UK or elsewhere. Below are some quick costs for comparison compiled by a team dedicated to comparing prices between different locations

Location/Country of Team Average Cost in GBP £
The US 150000
Canada 120000
The UK 110000
Australia 100000

Conclusion

I hope this guide helps you answer your queries about price comparison website development. If you also want to have such a website, you should not hesitate to contact a web application development agency. These agencies have experts who can take your idea and turn it into an online reality. Furthermore, the agencies have the resources available to help with the planning process from conception to execution.

Top comments (0)