They've purchased an online retail directory, Yokel.com. Yokel is designed to help you find which local stores carry specific products or brands. Acquisitions such as Yokel will help advance CitySquares' place in the fast-growing local search...
Many business models have developed with these findings in mind including NearbyNow, Yokel, ShopLocal, and StepUp Commerce. Census Bureau reports that e-commerce represents only 2.5 percent of U.S.retail spending.
The larger point is that Google, ShopLocal, CNet and Yokel recognize that after consumers conduct their research online they fundamentally want to know where in their local markets they can buy what they're looking for -- today.
As Brian's post suggests, in the quote from Yokel CEO Scott Randall, e-commerce is less than 3% of total US retail. One of the great challenges of “local shopping” sites like Yokel is getting the data online.
