Shopping.com

Shopping.com is a comparison-shopping service that helps consumers discover products, compare prices and features, and reach participating online retailers. Its origins date to 1998, when Nahum Sharfman and Amir Ashkenazi founded the Israeli company Papricom. The original service was called DealTime.com and was designed around a downloadable client that would monitor prices for products selected by users and notify them when a target price was reached. The business soon moved away from client software toward a web-based model, establishing the browser-based comparison experience that remained central to the company. DealTime expanded rapidly in 2000. It formed an alliance with Bertelsmann, launched versions of its service for several international markets, and acquired Digital Jones, a product-advisory website. The expansion proved costly, and the company undertook substantial restructuring during 2001 and 2002. It reduced its workforce through several rounds of layoffs, discontinued its Japanese and German sites at that stage, shelved Digital Jones, and abandoned plans for an early initial public offering. The company also changed its merchant economics. More retailers were required to pay for inclusion or preferred placement, and in 2002 DealTime introduced a bidding mechanism that gave higher-placing merchants greater visibility in default comparison results. Users could still sort results by price or rating. These changes helped the business reach profitability in 2003. Under chief executive Daniel T. Ciporin, DealTime acquired Epinions.com in April 2003. Epinions contributed consumer reviews and product advice, complementing DealTime's price-comparison functionality. In September 2003, the combined service relaunched as Shopping.com, using a domain acquired from AltaVista. The rebrand was supported by television advertising and online distribution partnerships, including arrangements with Google and other portals. During 2004, the service briefly ranked among the most visited consumer websites in the United States and was regularly reported within the broader top tier of consumer internet properties. Shopping.com remained an Israeli corporation with research and development facilities in Netanya, while its principal United States corporate presence moved from New York City to Brisbane, California. The company completed an initial public offering in October 2004. eBay acquired Shopping.com in June 2005 for $21 per share in cash, with total consideration reported at approximately $634 million. Following the acquisition, Shopping.com continued as a semi-autonomous eBay division and retained its own consumer-facing website. Over time, its merchant and advertising functions became more closely connected with eBay systems, including the use of PayPal-related payment capabilities for advertising merchants and a cost-per-click bidding model. The brand has operated localized websites in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia, with DealTime.com serving as a legacy name and redirect.

Shopping.com's history began in Israel in 1998 with the creation of Papricom by Nahum Sharfman and Amir Ashkenazi. The company initially operated under the DealTime.com name and developed a downloadable application intended to monitor product prices over time. Users could identify products they wanted to buy and receive a notification when a price reached a selected threshold. Although this model influenced the DealTime name, the company quickly shifted from downloadable software to a web-based service aimed primarily at American consumers. The business pursued an aggressive expansion strategy in 2000. It established a significant alliance with Bertelsmann, added localized versions for several countries, and bought Digital Jones, a site focused on product advice. The expansion increased the company's international reach but also created financial pressure. During 2001 and 2002, DealTime reduced its workforce in three rounds of layoffs, ultimately bringing staffing down to roughly 150 people according to contemporary accounts. It discontinued its Japanese and German operations at that stage, shelved Digital Jones, and dropped plans for an early public offering. DealTime also altered how merchants participated in its comparison service. Whereas retailer inclusion had previously been more broadly available, an increasing share of merchants had to pay to remain listed or to receive preferred exposure. In 2002, the company introduced a bidding system in which merchants offering higher bids received more prominent placement in default results. Consumers retained the ability to sort listings according to factors such as price or rating. The restructuring of staffing, international operations, and merchant monetization helped the company become profitable for the first time in 2003. Daniel T. Ciporin led the company during a major product and brand transition. In April 2003, DealTime acquired Epinions.com, a California-based consumer review and product-advice service. The acquisition broadened the business beyond price discovery by adding editorial and user-oriented information that could support purchase decisions. In September of the same year, the combined operation relaunched as Shopping.com. The company acquired the Shopping.com domain from AltaVista and used the new name to present a broader shopping-search proposition. The relaunch received substantial promotional support, including television advertising and online placements through Google and other internet portals. For part of 2004, Shopping.com ranked as the third-most-visited consumer website in the United States after eBay and Amazon, and it remained within the wider group of heavily visited consumer internet services. During this period the company continued to have an Israeli corporate identity and maintained research and development facilities in Netanya, while its United States headquarters first operated from New York City and later from Brisbane, California. Shopping.com went public in October 2004, but its independent public-market history was brief. In June 2005, eBay completed an acquisition valued at approximately $634 million, paying $21 per share in cash. After the transaction, Shopping.com continued as a semi-autonomous eBay division and retained its own website and consumer brand. Its commercial infrastructure increasingly intersected with eBay's systems. Merchant advertising used cost-per-click bidding, and related payment functionality incorporated PayPal capabilities. The service also expanded or re-established localized operations in France, Australia, and Germany, in addition to the United States and United Kingdom. The DealTime name became a legacy identity, with DealTime.com redirecting to Shopping.com. The brand's historical role is that of an early comparison-shopping service: it combined retailer listings and price discovery with reviews, product information, and paid merchant placement. Its corporate independence ended with the eBay acquisition, but the Shopping.com name and website continued within eBay's broader commerce ecosystem.

• 2009

  Death of co-founder Nahum Sharfman

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  Nahum Sharfman and his wife died in a private-plane crash in Greece.

• 2005

  Acquisition by eBay

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  eBay acquired Shopping.com for $21 per share in cash, for reported total consideration of approximately $634 million.

• 2004

  Initial public offering

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  Shopping.com completed its initial public offering in October.

• 2003

  Epinions acquisition and Shopping.com relaunch

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  DealTime acquired Epinions.com in April and relaunched the combined service as Shopping.com in September.

• 2002

  Merchant bidding system introduced

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  DealTime introduced paid merchant placement based on bidding, while retaining consumer sorting options such as price and rating.

• 2001

  Restructuring and market retrenchment

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  The company reduced staffing and discontinued its Japanese and German websites amid financial pressure.

• 2000

  International expansion and Bertelsmann alliance

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  DealTime expanded internationally, formed an alliance with Bertelsmann, and acquired Digital Jones.

• 1998

  Papricom and DealTime are founded

  [1]Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org

  Nahum Sharfman and Amir Ashkenazi founded the Israeli company that initially operated as Papricom and developed the DealTime price-monitoring concept.

A comparison-shopping platform positioned around helping consumers evaluate products, prices, retailers, and user-oriented product information before purchase.

• Price-comparison service · 2003

  Shopping.com comparison search

  The core Shopping.com service lets consumers search for products and compare prices, retailer offers, and selected product attributes across participating merchants. Results are designed to support shopping research before a consumer proceeds to a retailer or other commerce destination. Merchant visibility can be influenced by paid placement and cost-per-click bidding, while users can use sorting tools such as price or rating.

• Price-alert service · 1998

  DealTime price monitoring

  The original DealTime concept centered on monitoring the prices of products selected by users and notifying them when prices reached a predetermined level. It began as a downloadable client but was converted into a web-based service early in the company's development. The DealTime name later became a legacy brand associated with Shopping.com.

• Consumer product information · 2003

  Epinions product reviews

  Epinions was a California-based product-review and consumer-advice website acquired by DealTime in 2003. Its reviews and buying guidance complemented DealTime's price-comparison functionality and became part of the broader Shopping.com proposition after the relaunch.

• Retailer advertising · 2002

  Merchant advertising placements

  Shopping.com monetizes retailer participation through paid listings and cost-per-click bidding. Merchants can compete for more prominent placement in default comparison results, while consumers retain tools for sorting and evaluating offers. Historical accounts state that merchants were required to pay a minimum of $100, although the applicable period and current applicability are not established here.

• 2003Shopping.com relaunch promotion

  United States

  The rebranding from DealTime to Shopping.com was supported by television advertising and large online placements distributed through Google and other internet portals.

  Outcome. The campaign helped the renamed service gain substantial visibility and contributed to strong consumer-site traffic during 2004.

  Source

• 2005

  Acquisition by eBayM&A

  Background

  Shopping.com had recently become a public company but was operating in a market increasingly shaped by large-scale online commerce platforms.

  Action taken

  eBay acquired Shopping.com for $21 per share in cash, with reported total consideration of approximately $634 million.

  Aftermath

  Shopping.com ceased to operate as an independent public company and continued as a semi-autonomous eBay division, with gradual integration of merchant and payment-related functions.

  Acquisition consideration. $634 million approximately (June 2005)

  Source

• 2003

  Acquisition of Epinions.comM&A

  Background

  DealTime primarily provided price comparison, while Epinions supplied consumer reviews and product advice.

  Action taken

  DealTime acquired Epinions.com in April 2003 and combined the services.

  Aftermath

  The transaction broadened the service's shopping-research content and preceded the Shopping.com relaunch later that year.

  Source

• 2003

  Rebranding as Shopping.comStrategy

  Background

  After the Epinions transaction, the combined business sought a consumer-facing identity broader than the DealTime price-alert name.

  Action taken

  The company relaunched its combined sites under the Shopping.com name and domain in September 2003.

  Aftermath

  Shopping.com achieved significant traffic and brand visibility during 2004 and operated localized services in multiple countries.

  Source

• 2002

  Introduction of paid merchant biddingStrategy

  Background

  Financial losses and the need for a sustainable merchant-revenue model led DealTime to revise how retailers were listed and ranked.

  Action taken

  The company introduced a bidding system in which higher-paying merchants received more prominent placement in default comparison results.

  Aftermath

  The changes, alongside workforce and market reductions, helped the company become profitable in 2003. Consumers could still sort results by price or rating.

  Source

• 2000

  Shift from downloadable client to web serviceStrategy

  Background

  The original DealTime proposition used downloadable software to monitor prices, but the company was targeting consumers through a broader internet service.

  Action taken

  DealTime moved to a purely web-based model, which became the foundation of the later Shopping.com service.

  Aftermath

  The change simplified consumer access and established the browser-based comparison model used during subsequent expansion.

  Source

1. 1Shopping.comen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Shopping.com official websiteshopping.com