Shopping comparison sites have evolved beyond simple product price comparisons and are becoming an integral part of online purchase decisions, finds a new study released Monday by
Nielsen//NetRatings. The sites, which include Shopping.com, BizRate Shopping, NextTage and PriceGrabber.com, are being used by 21 million online users, or 16 percent of the active U.S. Internet
population, finds the report, which is based on August 2003 data.
