LONDON, November 20 /PRNewswire/ --

- New "Local-Shopping" Search, AskTheLocal!, Finally Allows UK Internet Users to Find Products Located in Nearby Bricks-and-Mortar Shops to the Detriment of Online Shops.

Instead of shopping online, 90% of UK Internet users research product information on the Internet but then shop offline, in bricks-and-mortar shops, according to the May 2006 report by the Interactive Media and Retail Group. AskTheLocal! is the first UK Internet site that caters to this behaviour. AskTheLocal! compares prices, pictures, and descriptions of products in nearby bricks-and-mortar shops so people can go and buy what they need immediately, instead of waiting for delivery from online shops.

"Local-shopping search-engines take what people love about online shopping, like a wide product selection, price comparison, and convenient search, but do away with what people hate, such as the frustrating wait for online delivery, inability to look products over before buying them, and online security risks," says Paula Abrahamson, 33, CEO of AskTheLocal!.

One new user Jenine Vinluan, after discovering AskTheLocal!, says "I definitely could have used this service because I've had trouble getting the right laptop backpack online - because they sent me the older model. I've had to return two of them back thus far and am just tempted to pay the extra money to get it directly from the manufacturer! If only I knew where I could pick one up in person!"

"It makes a real change to find a local search engine for local people," says Phil Bradley from SearchEngineWatch, the leading international authority on the search industry, "and [AskTheLocal!] is certainly worth exploring if you're in the UK."

Local-shopping search-engines, which find products, should not be confused with yellow pages and other local search sites which find businesses. For example, while a local-shopping search will show pictures, prices, and descriptions of the products searched for, a yellow pages will only show a list of matching businesses, forcing people to phone each business in turn to see if it has the product they want.

AskTheLocal!'s local shopping search engine features a growing database of 7.8 million products, or 88,000 unique products in 3000 shops across the UK, and can be found at: http://www.askthelocal.com/

SearchEngineWatch's review by Phil Bradley can be found at: http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/061114-094046

http://www.askthelocal.com

Contact: Peter Abrahamson, Co-founder AskTheLocal! peter@askthelocal.com tel :: +44-(0)207-735-4756