Scott Riley is a member of the ZippyCart Content Team – a Daily news team that provides up-to-date news and information about the eCommerce industry. ZippyCart is an ecommerce shopping cart comparison site that reviews and ranks ecommerce solutions for online merchants.

As more and more people flock online to look for the best deals at eCommerce sites, many have used various shopping comparison sites to hunt for the lowest price. Well a new site, Flit.com, is trying to put a new twist on the comparison shopping model by letting consumers compare stores as opposed to individual products. When a user arrives at the site they are presented with a search box to enter the product they are looking for. The unique twist comes in the search results where, instead of listing out the product prices and where to buy it, Flit just lists the companies selling it, without providing prices. The site is very much geared toward the eCommerce shopper who loves certain merchants and prefers to shop based on a trusted provider over finding the lowest price. Many are comparing Flit to a faster version of the mall shopping experience, but in an online environment, because consumers can quickly be presented with all of the stores that carry the item in question. The benefit is that consumers now do not have to drive to the mall to compare at their favorite stores.

However many wonder how this comparison shopping model will survive, since consumers have to spend so much time clicking into individual stores just to compare prices. This is in stark contrast to normal comparison shopping where a user can do a product search on Google, which will then return the actual products and prices, and the option to sort by brand in the left hand navigation. Flit.com requires shoppers to go view each store one by one, where they have to click excessively to find and compare what they are looking for. On top of this, unless they are keeping a running list of their findings, truly comparing prices becomes increasingly difficult with each click.

One thing Flit.com does very well is keep track of all user shopping history including which ecommerce sites they enjoy shopping at the most. Fans of the site need not worry, as it is expected to get improved functionality next month by giving users the options to view side-by-side product comparisons combined with the store shopping experience. Overall the feedback is mixed with the first launch of the product, but Flit.com has the framework and potential to become an amazing ecommerce comparison shopping site, where consumers will love to shop.