• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, August 4, 2005

Sales management firm Vendio, popular among eBay sellers, recently launched a comparison shopping toolbar dubbed Dealio. Presented as an alternative to comparison Web sites such as Shopping.com and Shopzilla, the free download travels with consumers throughout the Web, providing comparative shopping data for specific products.

The tool will initially focus on consumer electronics and then grow to include other product categories. And while it will eventually, Dealio does not presently feature sponsored links, according to Rodrigo Sales, Vendio's founder and CEO.

For the remainder of 2005, Vendio is accepting product listings from online merchants at no charge in an effort to drive widespread adoption. Thus far, brands and merchants that have listed products on Dealio's toolbar include Sony, Target, Circuit City, Dell, Best Buy, Overstock.com, among others.

Sales describes his new contextual product as an alternative to unpopular spyware and adware. "The tool's purpose is clear and transparent," Sales said. "It doesn't track consumers' individual Web movements or adversely affect system or Internet connection performance, and it doesn't generate pop-ups or any other advertising on a consumer's computer."

Unlike comparison-shopping Web sites, the Dealio toolbar, which can be minimized on command, travels with a consumer throughout the Web and provides comparative shopping data while the consumer is actively shopping for a specific product at e-commerce sites. By entering a ZIP code, which is stored on the computer, a consumer can see the total "true" price of any product, including tax and shipping.

Once a user locates a specific item while shopping online, the Dealio Toolbar automatically alerts the user to the lowest prices on the Web for that item. Clicking on the "alert" button in the navigation bar opens a sidebar within the browser window, providing the consumer with a list of alternative sites where they can purchase the same product, and the prices at which the product is available at those sites.

Users can conduct "manual" searches by entering a specific product make and model or a general category term like "plasma TV" or "digital camera."