NexTag
{{Short description|Price comparison service}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Nextag, Inc.
|logo = File:LogoNexTag.png
|type = Private
|industry = Comparison shopping
|num_employees = 350+ (2016)
|foundation =1999
|location_city = Redwood Shores, California
|location_country = United States
|homepage = Nextagshop.com
}}
Nextag was an independent price comparison service website for products, travel, and education. It started as a website where buyers and sellers could negotiate prices for computers and electronics products. From 2000, the business model focused on comparison shopping.Marshall, Matt. [/about/news/mercurynews_04082005.jsp "Surviving, Thriving. Ojha's Determination Helps Rescue Nextag from Dot-Com Crash“] {{Cite web |url=http://www.nextag.com/about/news/mercurynews_04082005.jsp |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-09-15 |archive-date=2008-07-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080707074144/http://www.nextag.com/about/news/mercurynews_04082005.jsp |url-status=bot: unknown }}. San Jose Mercury News. 8 April 2005. Retrieved on 2008-09-23 NexTag also owned Hamburg, Germany-based Guenstiger.de. It provided functionality for tracking the historical prices of a product across various sellers.{{Cite web|url=http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/newsrelease/consumer-watchdog-asks-california-attorney-general-investigate-amazon-pricing-practices-|title=Consumer Watchdog Asks California Attorney General to Investigate Amazon Pricing Practices After Study Reveals Consumers Are Misled by "Discounts" that Don't Exist|website=Consumer Watchdog|date=20 March 2017 |language=en|access-date=2017-05-10}}
Nextag's headquarters were in Redwood Shores, California.[https://web.archive.org/web/20081228125707/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=32160 Businessweek Profile] Retrieved on 2014-11-13
In June 2007, Providence Equity Partners purchased a two-thirds majority of the company.{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB118132496804329288?mod=googlenews_wsj|last=Delaney|title= NexTag Sells Stake to Private Equity |first=Kevin|work=Wall Street Journal|accessdate=2008-09-16 | date=2007-06-09}} Los Angeles-based private equity firm Regent purchased the company in March 2015.In August 2022, the domain name nextagshop com went online and started to focus on wholesale and retail sales of general merchandise, including both B2B and B2C business. In October of the same year, the registration amount exceeded 50 million.{{cite news |last1=Steiner |first1=Ina |title=What Happened to Comparison Shopping Engine NexTag? |url=https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2019/01/07/what-happened-to-comparison-shopping-engine-nextag/ |work=EcommerceBytes |date=7 January 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/nextag.com.html |accessdate=6 January 2019|title=Nextag.com - Is Nextag Right Now?}}
Acquisitions
In November 2010, Nextag announced the acquisition of nextcoupons.com, a Santa Monica, California-based coupon company.CPC_Andrew. [http://blog.cpcstrategy.com/2010/11/nextag-acquires-online-coupon-provider-nextcoupons-com/ NexTag Acquires Online Coupon Provider, NextCoupons.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115064738/http://blog.cpcstrategy.com/2010/11/nextag-acquires-online-coupon-provider-nextcoupons-com/ |date=2010-11-15 }} CPC Strategy 2010-11-09. Retrieved on 2014-11-13 This was a way for Nextag to bring in more talent and resources.Wauters, Robin [https://techcrunch.com/2010/11/08/nextag-nextcoupons/ Nextag Acquires Online Coupon Provider NextCoupons] TechCrunch 2010-11-08. Retrieved on 2014-11-13 In April 2011, Nextag acquired Germany's Guenstiger.de GmbH, the leading online comparison shopping website in Europe's market.Rao, Leena [https://techcrunch.com/2011/04/26/nextag-acquires-german-comparison-shopping-site-guenstiger-de/ NexTag Acquires German Comparison Shopping Site Guenstiger.de] TechCrunch 2011-04-26. Retrieved on 2014-11-13 In October 2011, Nextag acquired thingbuzz, a real-time social shopping platform that tracks the conversation about products in the social media sphere, in a bid to socialize the online shopping experience for its users.{{cite press release|title=Nextag Socializes Online Shopping with Thingbuzz Acquisition|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nextag-socializes-online-shopping-with-thingbuzz-acquisition-132048388.html|publisher=prnewswire|accessdate=13 November 2011}} At the very end of that year, FanSnap was acquired by Nextag.Constine, Josh. [https://techcrunch.com/2011/12/08/nextag-fansnap/ Ticket Search Engine FanSnap Acquired By Shopping Site NexTag, But Employees May Get $0] TechCrunch 2011-12-08. Retrieved on 2014-11-13 This was the fifth acquisition in only 15 months. According to former Nextag CEO Jeffrey Katz, these acquisitions enabled Nextag to be a one-stop e-commerce shop for various products including tickets.{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Bruce |title=Jeff Katz's Price Machine Offers Unbiased Shopping Insight For The Budget Shopper |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2013/12/13/jeff-katz-price-machine-offers-unbiased-shopping-insight-for-the-budget-shopper/ |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=Forbes |language=en}}
Recognition
NexTag was ranked by Time magazine as one of the fifty best websites of 2008.{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1809858_1809955_1811450,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619205855/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1809858_1809955_1811450,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 19, 2008|title=NexTag (in "50 Best Web Sites of 2008")|last=Hamilton|first=Anita|work=Time Magazine|accessdate=2010-12-05 | date=2008-06-17}} Time magazine called Nextag the "plainest comparative-shopping site on the Web", but commended it for quick and comprehensive shopping search results. Nextag provided customers with product reviews and provided the price history for each product.
As of 28 March 2018, it was ranked one of the "10 Top Price Comparison Websites" by Shopify.{{cite web |last1=Hayes |first1=Mark |url=https://www.shopify.com/blog/7068398-10-best-comparison-shopping-engines-to-increase-ecommerce-sales |accessdate=6 January 2019|title=10 Best Comparison Shopping Engines to Increase Ecommerce Sales}}
References
{{reflist}}
Category:Comparison shopping websites
Category:Internet search engines
Category:Financial services companies established in 1999
Category:Companies based in Redwood City, California
Category:Online marketplaces of the United States
Category:Private equity portfolio companies