APIs have been helping businesses interact with other businesses for years, and they are supercharging the way consumers interact via the web. In simple English, an API, or application programming interface, lets websites make their content easily available to other web developers, who can import it, display it on their own sites and combine it or “mashup” with other material. Resurrected during the Web 2.0 boom, some of the most frequently used APIs today include Google Maps (probably one of the most utilized), YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
For online retail, one key area where APIs can be particularly powerful is Comparison Shopping Engines (CSEs). CSEs like Froogle (via Google Base), Shopzilla, Shopping.com and Price Grabber allow consumers to compare prices for specific products. Typically, CSEs do not sell products themselves but rather represent retailers to whom the consumer is referred to via the click.
While some CSEs like Google Base and (to some extent) Shopping.com already have APIs in place, it’s mindboggling from a tech perspective how many others do not (and how little support there is for some that do). Besides the inability to get good product level results data out without resorting to manual intervention, a good API would allow a marketer to update pricing and availability in real-time as opposed to the lengthy delays we currently experience. And having the latest information at their finger tips can only mean a better consumer experience.
There are many signs that point to another cautious holiday shopping season for 2009, which means both CSEs and retailers could benefit greatly as consumers look for places to comparison shop. It’s critical to get this CSE and API issue ironed out…if not this year then for next.
Jeffrey Cohen is CIO/CTO of PM Digital.