About us

What is PriceRunner?

PriceRunner is the UK's no.1 shopping comparison site. We’ve been zooming around the internet to find you the best deals on millions of items since 1999. You can compare prices and read reviews on over 3 million items from hundreds of the UK's best loved shops all on a single website.

At PriceRunner we pride ourselves on being impartial. This means we list lots of retailers for free as well as those who pay to include links to their websites. We're the only major UK shopping comparison site that does this, even Google only shows shopping results that retailers have paid to display.

That's why we're a trusted partner and have hundreds of the UK's most popular retailers who have worked with us for many years, such as John Lewis, Amazon, Argos and Currys and many more.

We combine state-of-the-art technology with a team of real PriceRunners who whizz around the high street all week seeking out the best prices. We also have a large team of people manually matching up items to make sure our comparisons are 100% accurate and you can find exactly what you're looking for.

How does PriceRunner earn money?

PriceRunner is a shopping comparison site so we don't actually sell anything. We search hundreds of the UK's best-loved shops and compare prices on millions of products so you can find the best deals. We earn our revenue in two ways:

1. Linking to online shops

We show prices from lots of retailers that don't pay us a penny but some shops like us to show their logo and include a link to their site. For these shops we ask for a small commission on each person that clicks on one of our links to visit their site.

We always show the cheapest shop at the top of the list whenever we find more than one retailer selling an item, even if they're not a paying client like in the example below. So you can be sure you're always seeing the best deals around.

2. Advertising onsite & email

We also let selected clients promote their latest products and special offers by running advertising banners on PriceRunner and occasionally promoting carefully selected offers by email.

Verified retailers

We aim to compare prices from every credible online retailer in the UK, as well as shops from overseas that we know have a good reputation.

To do this is no mean feat and takes a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure all the products match up and the information is correct.

Some retailers work with us directly, providing all the prices and item details and paying us a small amount for shoppers that click on their listings on PriceRunner. These retailers work transparently with us so we can verify all the details more accurately, contact them if there’s a problem and nearly always show delivery costs and stock information. For these retailers we show this icon next to all their listings.

Some other retailers don’t work directly with us but we’re still able to compare their prices by scraping information directly from their site or working through a third party. Obviously we don’t have such a close relationship with these shops so we can’t be as confident about the accuracy of their prices or help out with customer service issues.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t shop with them but it’s worth checking the details thoroughly before you buy.

We do our best to make sure everything we list on site is accurate but we’re only human so if you do spot any mistakes then please let us know by emailing hello@pricerunner.com.

Calculating savings

We want to be completely clear about how much you're saving when you use PriceRunner. So we work out your discount based on the average price across all the shops that stock your item.

It works like this:

Some sites will claim to save more by working out the saving based on the highest possible price for your item but we think that's misleading.

Shopping safely

Millions of successful online transactions happen every day, but it’s always important to use common sense when you're shopping online.

Look for the padlock

Whenever you shop online you should be taken to a secure payment page displaying a padlock icon and usually with https in the website address. Don't buy anything from a site that doesn’t display a padlock as it may not be a secure site.

Warning signs

Sites that seem unprofessional, are full of spelling mistakes, don't list their contact details, or make sweeping price promises that seem too good to be true are best avoided. Always trust your instincts.

For more information on your consumer rights visit Which? Consumer Rights or the Trading Standards Institute.

Trusted Shops Accredited

Many retailers choose to get accredited by Trusted Shops, formerly known as the ISIS (Internet Shopping is Safe) Accreditation.

All retailers that take part in the Trusted Shops scheme work to a code of practice that ensures they provide good quality content, payment processes, delivery, and post-sales service.

Basic feed requirements

• A data feed is a text file containing all your product information. You need to provide your feed following all the below requirements.
• Text format: The file has to be in text format, generally xml, txt, csv, html, php or asp. Unfortunately we can’t accept the data feed in Microsoft Excel .xls format or any other non-text formats.
• FTP or HTTP address location: You will need an FTP or HTTP address location that we can collect your file from each day (i.e. ftp://pricerunner:password@ftp.homepage.com or www.homepage.com/pricerunner.csv.). If you don’t have a server where you can post the data then please contact the PriceRunner operations team to discuss other ways of sending us your feed. Please note we do not host feeds.
• Keep the feed URL and name unchanged. Don’t include dates of updates or any other information in the URL. The URL and name must always be the same so we can match it.
• Use one of these encoding formats for the feed: iso-latin-1, iso-8859-1 or utf-8.

Additional requirements

• Make sure that the data feed contains the current prices.
• Do not include any html markups within the fields in the data feed.
• Please be aware that if you limit your feed to less than 80% of your online product inventory (which must be at least 200 products) then we may have to use a previous version of your feed. If the limited feed persists then we may have to deactivate your account. Please talk to your account manager if you have any questions on this.
• The products you list must all be in new condition, we don’t accept refurbished, damaged or secondhand items.

Fields to include in your feed

There is a list and description below of the information fields that the feed should contain. Please note that:

• Please follow the sequence and structure below and in the Sample Product Feed csv file precisely.
• Some fields are MANDATORY and we won’t be able to list you without them. Some fields are RECOMMENDED and we strongly encourage you to include all of those to optimize your listing. There are also a couple of OPTIONAL fields which you can include if you wish.
• If you don’t include a delivery cost in your feed then please contact the operations team or your account manager to advise how you calculate delivery costs for your products.

SKU

A unique product ID. Normally the one used on your website. Please note that:

• The SKU must be unique and unchanged over time. If a product is removed from the feed, its SKU must not be reused for another product.
• The SKU cannot be used for multiple products.

Example: BFC105 Inclusion: Mandatory

Price

The price you charge for the item. Comma or dot separated. The price must:

• Exclude delivery cost.
• Exclude tax in United States
• Include tax (VAT) in Europe

Important: In case there are mail-in-rebates available for the product, the price you list MUST be the price the consumer pays, not the price after the MIR. If you have instant rebates then you must provide the actual price paid at checkout including the rebate in your feed.

Example: 646.77 Inclusion: Mandatory

Manufacturer

This information is important to help us to match your products.

Example: Sony Inclusion: Mandatory

Product/model name

If the product is an accessory for another product, it’s important that this is included in the name, for example “Battery for Nokia 6230”.

Example: Powershot SD300 Inclusion: Mandatory

Category

To match your products as quickly as possible please use the same categories as PriceRunner. The category names should be as descriptive as possible. A category name like “Accessories” or “Other products” makes it difficult for us to match the products. “Accessories mobile phones” is much easier for us to match correctly.

Example: Digital cameras Inclusion: Mandatory

Product URL

The URL to the product on your website.

Example: http://www.site.com/store/product19.html Inclusion: Mandatory

Graphic URL

A URL to an image of the product on your site/server.

• It has to be in gif or jpg format.
• Standard image size on PriceRunner is between 120 and 300 pixels wide. Please try to include the largest possible picture.
• This is especially important in non-comparison categories like clothing, jewellery, toys etc.
• Only include links to real product images. Please exclude links that lead to a “no image” picture or similar.

Example: http://www.site.com/images/product19.jpg Inclusion: Recommended (Mandatory for non-comparison categories, eg. Shoes, Beauty etc.)

Manufacturer SKU

The unique product ID used by the manufacturer. This information increases our matching speed significantly and is mandatory for Computing products.

Example: V11H187020 Inclusion: Recommended (Mandatory for computing category)

Delivery cost

Only include delivery cost if it’s not based on location. If it can vary for each item based on location then please contact your account manager to explain how it’s calculated.

Example: 10.00 Inclusion: Recommended

Availability

Stock availability, please use either “In Stock” or “Out of Stock”.

Example: In stock Inclusion: Recommended

Delivery time

Delivery time from time of order to product arriving with customer.

Example: Delivers in 5-7 days Inclusion: Recommended

Description

A description of the product.

• This is especially important in non-comparison categories like clothing, jewellery, toys etc.
• Customers can search for products by description on PriceRunner so you’ll reach more customer if you include this.

Example: Long sleeve zip-neck sweater. 100% cotton. Inclusion: Recommended

EAN or UPC

A unique universal product code to identify an individual item and the manufacturer.

• The EAN is a 13 digit number to identify a product in Europe.
• The UPC is a 12 digit number to identify a product in the US.
• The EAN/UPC number can also be used in the SKU field if required.

Example: 012569732162 or 4975769285394 Inclusion: Recommended

Retailer message

You can place a message next to your logo on your listings.

• Up to 125 characters total.
• By including this in the feed you can show a different message for each product which is great for free delivery promotions etc.

Inclusion: Optional

Product code (PRID)

This is useful for you to match your own products. The PriceRunner product code (PRID) can be found in the URL string e.g. http://www.pricerunner.com/pl/2-1215526/TVs/Panasonic-Viera-TX-P50S10-Compare-Prices has a product code of 1215526. A list of product IDs is available from your account manager.

Example: 1215526 Inclusion: Optional

Product Feed FAQs

Which is the best product feed format to use?

We’re happy to receive your feed in any text format, most commonly xml, csv or txt files.

Can you work with any plug-ins/add-ins for the feed ie Magento?

No, unfortunately our systems don’t work with any type of plug-ins. We can accept Magento feeds as long as no plug-ins are used and they are in xml format.

Do you accept feeds through feed management companies ie ChannelAdvisor, Feed Optimise, Intelligent Reach, Fuse Pump?

Yes, we can accept feeds from any feed management company as long as they are in one of the required formats (xml, csv or txt).

Can you accept feeds in the same format as Google or any other similar partner?

Yes we can, but we do have slightly different mandatory fields to Google and some other partners so you’ll need to make sure they are all included. Please check the above instructions and the Sample Feed for more details. If you’re not able to provide all the mandatory information we can try to scrape your site but this isn’t always technically possible.

Can I exclude products from the feed that I send to PriceRunner?

It’s up to you to manage the feed you send to us but we recommend starting off with your full product range so we can optimise your account to find the sweet spots. In some instances we may be able to exclude certain categories for you but this will be on a case by case base. If we’re scraping your site to generate the product feed then we’re not able to exclude any products.

How and when can you do a product scrape of my site?

This depends on the structure of your website. It should only take two working days to do a test scrape so we can see whether it’s possible and two more working days to get your account live after that.

When is the feed uploaded onto PriceRunner?

All the product feeds on our site are uploaded between midnight and 4am each night. We’re only able to upload feed updates once a day as it does impact our site load time, which is why we do it at night. Unlike some comparison sites we use our own database to ensure we have the most accurate data but this does slightly limit our flexibility with the update time as we’re dealing with over 4 million products.

Product Feed Checklist

• Check you’ve given the correct URL
• Make sure all headers match the listings instructions and sample feed
• Check that all mandatory fields are included
• Make sure each mandatory field has data throughout the column
• Check category information in your feed, make sure that categories are all separated clearly with the correct products in each one.

If you have any questions at all please contact your account manager.