New retail portal Hoojit.com claims advantage over rivals

A new shopping portal launching this week claims to have a “second generation” advantage over rivals.

Hoojit.com – created by Chris Matthews, who recently sold Telinco to World Online – allows users to compare products and prices gathered from “thousands of online stores”, without having to leave the website.

Most shopping search engines provide only basic comparative information. The site, part of a “family” of similar search sites under the Hoojit umbrella, hopes to attract Internet service providers and portals. “It’s free for them to set up and use, and they will also get a share of the revenue stream Hoojit generates revenue from retailers,” says a spokesman.

Hoojit claims its “keyword” search engine and “advanced directory” are more powerful than anything used by other retail websites. Its technology allows consumers to compare products by brand, shop, feature and price – and to see which colours and sizes are available. If shoppers like what they see, they can click through to the product in an online store and either order it or take a further look. Hoojit claims the entire sales process – from comparing everything that’s on the market to the actual purchase – can take as little as three clicks – and a matter of minutes.

Hoojit faces competition from websites such as Shopsmart.com and Asda-owned Valuemad.com.