Retrevo releases Search Widget for consumer electronics info

Retrevo - a hot new startup presented at DEMOFall 2006 that offers a vertical search engine for Consumer Electronics search - has just introduced a search widget that will make it easy for bloggers to integrate this search capability directly into their blog.

Here's what the widget looks like (go ahead and try it, type in your favorite consumer electronics product):

The widget is pre-configured in different colors; on their widget installation page, the good folks at Retrevo offer direct integration with top blogging platforms like TypePad, Blogger and WordPress.

The Retrevo search widget should be a boon to consumer electronics blogs like Engadget and Gizmodo. Installing this widget into the blog's template gives readers an integrated, easy-to-use facility to check out comprehensive information about products mentioned in the blog post, without even leaving the blog! This information includes product documentation, manuals, reviews, forum and blog articles and manufacturer information.

Creation of this widget is a smart move for Sunnyvale-based Retrevo, since it introduces some viral aspects to the use of this vertical search engine. Retrevo differs from most other vertical search engines in this space by trying to capture the attention of an electronics consumer throughout the life of the product; providing this "powered by Retrevo"-type search facility for blogs should help them get the message out a lot more quickly. Bloggers and web site owners are always looking for ways to improve their sites and provide value to the user. A pre-configured, easy-to-integrate, effective search that combines manufacturer data and user feedback/reviews could very well prove irresistible to blogs focused on consumer electronics - a great way for Retrevo to get in front of more users!

I can imagine a few ways to make the search widget more attractive and help spread its propagation (should we call it a future viral mutation?):

  1. Web site usage

    Retrevo's widget instruction page clearly seems targeted specifically to blogs, without any mention of using the widget on a regular web site (the TOS doesn't seem to address web sites per se, although it does bar commercial use - but I'm no lawyer). In a technical sense, it's hard to imagine that it would work particularly differently on a web site than in a blog, except for the built-in blog platform integration, of course. Since consumer electronics web sites, especially electronics retailers, are natural targets for this widget, I hope that Retrevo will explicitly address the needs of web site owners soon.

  2. Parameters

    Adding parameter support to the search widget, to enable a way to automatically pass in a target product, would be a valuable addition. If I were an electronics blogger writing a post about, say, the iPod Nano, I would want to pre-populate the product name into the search field, so that the user is taken directly to this page on hitting Search, without the need for any typing. This might be a little tricky if the search widget is integrated into the blog template, but should be doable.

  3. Embedded links

    At a general level, it's common wisdom that links, features and advertising that are integrated with the article text in some way are likely to get a lot more usage and clickthroughs than those placed externally, such as in a side bar (some bloggers refer to this as "ad-blindness"). A great way to integrate Retrevo search into blog articles is via text links, as I've done in my iPod Nano example above. It's not clear if this type of usage meets the conditions of the TOS - I hope the Retrevo guys will address and even encourage this type of feature, by providing clear directions, additional parameters and sample uses. On the other hand, there may be technical or business reasons not to do so.

  4. Monetization

    The widget instruction page makes no mention of any type of benefits to the referring bloggers that host the widget. At the risk of sounding mercenary, blog space is valuable, especially on the high-traffic blogs, and bloggers are always making choices and trade-offs: you want to help your users with content and features, balanced with the need to increase income from the user services provided. Some type of referral points, awards system or revenue-sharing to the high-referral bloggers would help speed up the adoption of this widget.

Enhancement ideas aside, the Retrevo folks have been doing a great job with their search engine, and this widget is a cool new addition! Other consumer electronics search engines seem to be focused mainly on shopping and pre-purchase research. By focusing on information for the entire product lifecycle, and by integrating different types of information - manuals, reviews and blog posts - Retrevo has differentiated itself into a space where there are no discernable competitors; it's in a class of its own!

Comments

[consumer electronics]

Nice writing. You are on my RSS reader now so I can read more from you down the road.

Allen Taylor

[pandora bracelets sale]

It shifts the model from a few digging long and hard to find insights to the many not having to dig a lot to find first blush insights and also having the power to easily and quickly dig deeper if they want to.

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