• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, October 21, 2004

ConsumerReports.org has made it easier for subscribers to buy the electronics it evaluates by linking to a shopping site created and run by Yahoo!

Web users who access the Yahoo! site from ConsumerReports.org are first taken to an intermediate Web page, which states that a further click will lead to a site that has no connection to Consumer Reports.org.

ConsumerReports.org has no relationship with individual retailers or manufacturers and receives no payment from them, nor does it endorse retailers that appear in search results, said General Product Manager Jerry Steinbrink. "As altruistic as it may sound," said Steinbrink, "our only goal is to make life easier for consumers."

Consumer Reports, published by the non-profit Consumers Union, has long been known for editorial independence. Steinbrink also said Consumers Union had not considered the size and worth of the world electronics market before teaming with Yahoo!-Shopping's retail service.

ConsumerReports.org began a similar program in the fall of 2003 on a pilot basis for digital cameras. Subscriber feedback for the test program was overwhelmingly positive and, on Oct. 15, 2004, Consumers Union decided to expand the feature to include everything from camcorders and digital cameras to plasma and LCD TVs.

ConsumerReports.org had teamed with Bizrate for the pilot program, but decided that Yahoo! was better equipped to implement the larger project, said Steinbrink.