A comparison shopping architecture over multiple malls: the meta-mall architecture

Abstract

As the number of electronic shopping malls increases astronomically, the difficult of finding and comparing the specification and price of the desired items has resurrected even in the cyberspace. To help the process of visiting multiple sites collecting desired items in individual shopping bag that resides in the buyers personal computer, the Meta-Malls Architecture is proposed. To help the process of seeking comparable items easily and effectively, a buyer is only required to find a sample item in a familiar shopping mall and click the compare button to invoke comparable items. The comparable items are supposed to be inputted by the sellers who want to claim the comparison because the feel their items are more competitive. This comparison claim can be a new way just-in-time advertisement. A Meta-Malls System is developed according to the Meta-Malls Architecture supporting the SET-based, one-stop payment service, and variations are deployed in the commercial sites. This architecture is particularly suitable for business-to-business electronic commerce.