Bizrate

Author: Kalicia Bateman

Bizrate was founded in 1996 with the idea of helping customers navigate the growing number of online shopping sites. Today, the company is committed to helping customers make the best economical choice as they search for various products online. They offer reviews on its more than 1 million products as well as ratings on its more than 6,000 retailers. They are part of the online shopping comparison sites that includes Shopzilla and Connexity.

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The Good

• Incredible product selection
• Ratings and reports
• Special deals and promotions
• Popular items and searches

Bizrate has nearly two decades of experience to boast as it seeks to give customers the best, most thorough experience possible. In its efforts, the company does many things quite well-things that are definitely enticing to the prospective user. Here are some good things about Bizrate:

• Incredible product selection. Within its 19 categories are a number of subcategories, each packed with a seemingly endless array of products. No matter the product you are looking for, chances are, you'll find it and several comparable ones on Bizrate.
• Sure, a product can look good in the picture and even sound good after reading the description, but the real test comes by reading what other buyers and owners think of it and what their experience has been with the product. In addition, Bizrate will allow buyers to assign ratings to the retailers and report on how smooth and satisfying the buying process was for them. These are tremendous assets for you in your decision to make various purchases through Bizrate.
• A feature not often seen on other product comparison sites, they will list special deals and promotions on a variety of products. These are prominently shown on the homepage, and in the promotional descriptions you see how much you'll be saving with the promotion.
• Popular items and searches. Bizrate will also show you what items are most regularly viewed on Bizrate. This also helps the potential buyer see what items have provided the highest benefit and satisfaction to other buyers on the site.

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The Bad

• Misleading rewards
• Not always easy to find reviews

Bizrate does have some things to work on and elements that could use some attention and improvement. Some of these include the following:

• Misleading "rewards." One frequent complaint and obvious flaw the company has on its site is the offering of a $100 gift for taking a survey. Turns out the "gift" is actually a subscription to a magazine for which you will have to pay for shipping costs. Turning down or getting out of the subscription is not easy; it requires contacting customer service, which can take up more of your time.
• Not always easy to find reviews. Yes, you can read product reviews, but getting to the reviews often takes navigating multiple windows and getting through several layers of the site. The reviews are helpful, but it would be more helpful if the reviews were more readily visible and more easily accessible for shoppers.

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The Bottom Line

If you like variety, you'll love Bizrate. Its site provides more products than you could possibly need. The prices are accurate, and the ability to make purchases is easy. For these reasons, Bizrate is an excellent choice and a definite recommend for buyers. In spite of less-than-stellar customer support, including the "rewards" offer and other flaws, you'll have a positive shopping experience at Bizrate.com.