Telecom's new shopping site goes online

New Zealand's newest on-line shopping site goes on-line today - and offers more than a million products.

Fifty six retailers - including Hill and Stewart, Marbecks, Noel Leeming and Dick Smith - appear on Telecom's new "Ferrit" site, with dozens more signed up.

Ferrit hit the headlines when it was thought that it would be in competition with the record breaking on-line auction site TradeMe. However, Telecom's general manager of Ferrit, Ralph Brayham says that there was no point in duplicating what TradeMe already does so well, so Ferrit only offers new products for sale.

He says retailers will not initially be charged to take part - but that will change as the site takes off.

He says once they have proved to retailers that this is a good way to represent their products and brands, they they will put their hands out for some money.

The shopping site is backed by some of New Zealand's biggest names. 

At this stage, the site offers consumers the chance to search for and compare different products, and then directs them to the appropriate page of the retailers' own on-line commerce sits. Phase 2 of the roll-out of Ferrit will see customers being able to buy directly from the site.

- NEWSTALK ZB