Unlike an online shopping search like Amazon or Kelkoo, a local shopping search shows you where to buy what you need in local, real-world shops.

For example, if you enter your postcode and "umbrella", a local shopping search should find the nearest umbrellas and provide you with all the details you need to go and buy one of them.

Why would I use one?

Because you want to avoid:

• the uncertainty and delay of ordering something online


• the frustration of physically travelling from shop to shop - struggling to find what you want

Because you like to:

• research it online before buying, but get it today.


• go directly to the one shop that has exactly what you want.

Isn't that what a business directory does?

The short answer is that business directories find businesses, whereas local shopping search-engines find products.

The long answer is that while business directories may still be very useful for finding businesses that provide services like plumbing or pizza deliveries, they do not present a detailed picture of the specific products being sold in shops. For example if you are looking for a DVD player, a clever online business directory might take the words "DVD player" and suggest an electronics shop, but you still have no way of knowing the prices or descriptions of the DVD players without calling or visiting. A local shopping search, on the other hand, can show specific DVD players in local shops, with prices, product descriptions, photos, and links to further information about each product, providing the information necessary to make the best immediate purchasing decision.

What is unique about AskTheLocal?

We are the first UK-wide local-shopping search.

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