Local Commerce for all!

We have just launched the Local Shopping Widget and the Merchant Widget enabling anyone to create local product search and customized local shopping wherever they want. See the full story on Mashable or below: New Widgets Let Any Website Offer Local Shopping Options Local shopping engine Wishpond has launched three customizable widgets for publishers, brands, and merchants that will instantly give sites that embed them a local commerce offering. A fashion blogger, for instance, might embed a widget with a product field pre-populated so that readers can find local merchants for a specific item nearby. Brands can embed a widget that allows site users to find their product at local merchants, and merchants can use the widget to allow customers to search its inventory. The widgets are also compatible with platforms like Facebook, Twitter, iGoogle,LinkedIn, and Ning (on Facebook and Twitter, a link opens to the widget). The move will help Wishpond differentiate itself from a growing number of services like shoplocal.com andTheFind Local that help connect shoppers with local merchants, as well as larger companies like eBay andGoogle, that have expressed an interest in local shopping. EBay recently acquired Wishpond competitorMilo for $75 million, and Google launched its “blue dot” feature, which designates products in stock at local stores on its product search, in March. Wishpond is the first local shopping search to package itself as a widget, and it’s smartly looking to position itself as a platform rather than a website. Other possibilities for its now open API include integration with location-based games, comparison shopping sites, and search engines. CEO Ali Tajsakandar didn’t reveal any details about what the next move might be, but did cryptically note that Wishpond is in talks about these kind of partnerships with “some companies that you are quite familiar with.” Try out the widgets here.