ProductSearch: Optimising online local product inventory search and facilitating ecommerce purchasing for local businesses

亚马逊（Amazon）和eBay等在线平台的定价权和垄断权意味着，在线消费者的支出正流向这些平台，它们从商家那里获得了巨大的定价权。例如，交易价格的30%通常是亚马逊的费用，而亚马逊赞助的文字广告经常将成本推高到购买价格的100%以上，这意味着65%的零售零售价被亚马逊的整体销售成本所掩盖。像Shopify这样的网站可以创建DIY在线电子商务商店，但与商业街上定位良好的商店不同，获得客流量需要大量的广告和营销支出。考虑到优化算法，通常支付最多的客户最终会排在排名的首位，那些在线足迹最大的客户，更青睐那些拥有大量预算的客户，比如大公司。随着越来越多的零售消费转向网上，小型零售商正日益被挤出市场。在封锁期间，这些公司是受突然缺乏客流量影响最大的公司。然而，这些商店提供了社区生活的重要组成部分，也有许多其他竞争优势，如当地生产，方便，即时取货，使用Deliveroo或其他送货方式在一小时内送达。然而，为了利用这些好处，消费者必须能够搜索本地产品。Facebook Marketplace和Gumtree为所有类型商品的私人卖家提供这种服务，但这并不专业，如果有人想买一辆新的戴森汽车，就像在Autotrader上搜索一辆新车一样。我们在Zoopla上搜索房产，过滤条件是最高价，或者房间数。这些都是参数，在网上寻找产品时，这些参数是缺失的。产品搜索和零售商列出商品的功能（不是在亚马逊或eBay上，而是在他们自己的网站上），或者只是通过一个基本的在线库存页面进行购买，都是不可用的。这意味着在线消费者的支出流向了巨头，而戴森也存放在Joe's Hardware，消费者的流量将流向亚马逊，除非Joe's Hardware有一个网站，并在营销广告上投入了大量资金，并生成了能够使其在b谷歌上走得更高的内容。Joe's Hardware的客户获取成本，以及它是一家小型零售商的事实，意味着它无法与亚马逊竞争。也就是说，除非ProductSearch允许搜索其库存的可用性并使用过滤器。Joe's Hardware的戴森可能稍微贵一点，但在当地购买的能力意味着消费者可能要为一小时内送达支付一点额外费用。“最后一英里配送”是最昂贵的，这是有原因的，亚马逊的快递员一直在努力研究如何降低成本，并保持较小的本地配送中心。这些中心本质上是我们在大街上的零售商店，通过ProductSearch，我们将把亚马逊等大型平台的在线收入重新定向到当地的商店网站和库存清单上。

The pricing and monopoly power of online platforms such as Amazon and eBay means that online consumer spend is being directed to these platforms, which extract significant pricing power from merchants. For example, 30% of the transaction price are typically Amazon fees, and further Amazon sponsored word advertising frequently pushes costs above 100% of the purchase price, meaning that the 65% shelf-price of retail is eclipsed by the overall cost of selling on Amazon. Sites such as Shopify enable DIY online eCommerce stores to be created, but unlike a well positioned store on the high street, getting footfall requires significant advertising and marketing spend. Given the optimisation algorithms, typically the customers that pay the most, end up on top of the rankings, those with the biggest online footprint, favouring those with large budgets, such as large companies.Small retailers are increasingly being squeezed out of the market as more retail spend goes online. During lockdown, these were the companies that suffered most from the sudden lack of footfall. Yet, these shops provide a vital component of community life and also have many other competitive advantages, such as local produce, convenience, instant store pick up, delivery within the hour using Deliveroo or other delivery. However, to capitalise on these benefits, consumers have to be able to search for local products. Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree do this for private sellers of all types of wares, but this is not professional and if someone is looking for a new Dyson, just as searching for a new car on Autotrader. We have search for real estate on Zoopla, with filters for max price, or number of rooms. These are all parameters and these parameters are missing when looking for products online.Both product search and the ability for retailers to list their items, not on Amazon or eBay, but on their own websites or simply enable a purchase through a rudimentary online inventory page are not available. This means online consumer spend goes to the giants, whereas the Dyson is also stocked at Joe's Hardware, the consumer traffic will go to Amazon unless Joe's Hardware has a website and has spent significant amount on marketing ads, and generating content to enable it to go higher on Google. The customer acquisition cost for Joe's Hardware, and the fact that it is a small retailer, means it cannot compete with Amazon. That is, unless, ProductSearch enables the searching of its inventory for availability and with filters. The Dyson at Joe's Hardware may be more expensive marginally, but the ability to buy local means a consumer may pay a little extra for delivery within the hour. There is a reason the 'last mile delivery' is the most expensive and couriers to Amazon have been trying to work out how to reduce costs and maintain smaller local hubs. These hubs essentially are our retail stores on the high streets, and with ProductSearch, we'll re-direct online revenue from large platforms like Amazon to local shop websites and inventory listings.