Ask.com launches shopping deals and coupons search engine

Jake Widman
Wednesday, 07 October 2009 01:23

Your IT - Home IT

Number-four search engine Ask.com is hoping to attract bargain hunters with the new Ask Deals shopping feature. The discount finder draws on a database of more than a million deals drawn from multiple sources.

According to the official Ask blog, "coupons" was the sixth most searched for term on Ask in 2008. The search for deals is increasing, the company claims, and shopping statistics show that nearly 60% of consumers are using coupons.

Using "proprietary Deal Detector technology," Ask Deals builds a database of discount offers from almost 40 coupon sites as well as offers being discussed on message boards and blogs.

Searching for a product using key words like "cheap" or "inexpensive" puts a selection of coupons at the top of the list of results, while a less explicit search gives a Best Deals link at the top. Alternatively, shoppers can just click on the "Deal$" tab in the search categories.

Hits come with a link for sharing the results via e-mail or via any of several social networking outlets.

The U.S.-based Ask Deals follows on the success of an Ask Jeeves coupon site in the U.K. last July.

According to an Ask.com spokesperson, Ask Deals is accessible from other countries (such as Australia), and overseas shoppers might find deals they could use from global companies. However, the site filters any offers listed in non-U.S. currency.