Direct Scraping vs. CSE data
When it comes to competitor pricing data, you have two choices of how to gather pricing insights. Here is everything you need to know about the differences between direct scraping and comparison shopping engine (CSE) data.
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Direct scraping
Direct scraping services gather data directly from your competitors’ websites. The service provides updates on how much your competitors charge for every product in their assortment. With direct scraping, you’ll always know which products a competitor carries.
Pros
- Full coverage of key competitors
- Always accurate prices
Cons
- Only gives you insights on the competitors you choose to follow, not the market as a whole
Comparison shopping engine data
To understand the market at large, you need comparison shopping engine (CSE) data. CSE data providers scrape prices of products advertised on a comparison shopping engine like Google Shopping. CSEs give you a snapshot of the overall market trends and help you plan better pricing strategies based on market behavior.
Pros
- Comprehensive snapshot of market dynamics
- Help you identify new market entrants
Cons
- Doesn’t show full assortment of competitors, only the products they choose to advertise
Some things are better together
With most dynamic pricing solutions you need to choose one data source or the other. Omnia lets you combine both for the best foundation you could possibly get. When you combine data sources, you’re guaranteed better market coverage, more accurate pricing data, and a deeper understanding of your competitors’ strategies.
Even if you have the two data sources covered though, you still need to make sure the data is actually correct. That’s where a managed scraping service helps.