See Cross-Channel.

Cross-channel shopping, also referred to as ‘precision shopping,’ ‘multi-channel shopping,’ or ‘web-influenced offline sales,’ describes the practice of shoppers researching a product or service online, e.g. keyword search, retail websites, etc., and then purchasing the product or service at a bricks and mortar store.

Both eMarketer and Forrester Research highlight the growing importance of utilizing web marketing to reach cross-channel shoppers because of the appeal of cross-channels shopping to buyers; they can obtain a product immediately, see and touch it before they buy, and avoid shipping costs.

In the 70’s there was a great commercial featuring a sweet-tempered Mother Nature who becomes enraged when she discovers that what she thinks is butter is actually Chiffon margarine. If you’re old enough you might remember the tagline: “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” (Watch the video of the spot in our left sidebar.)

The latest company to get slapped down is Slide, a company that makes widgets to help people express themselves, says Techcrunch. Apparently company employees wrote a slew of fake reviews on the company’s own reviews board.

Are you tempted to lob some false comments on a blog or forum to get some good buzz for your brand?  Just don’t do it---chances are you’ll get caught. And since actions speak louder than words, people will judge your brand by your company’s bad behavior.

Bazaarvoice utilizes consumer-generated content to drive customer loyalty and multi-channel sales. Solutions include products to enable customers to rate and review products, ask and answer questions, and share personal experiences to build an online community, establish brand loyalty, and increase buyer confidence.

They also include solutions to enable brands to capture, publish and syndicate consumer-generated product reviews.

MSN Live Search services include MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger, MSN Search, Groups, Shopping, and Personal Finance.

Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions provides solutions for marketers to connect with their target consumers across multiple digital touchpoints.

Google provides web search as well as specialized search.

Google News (including archives)
Google Patents
Google Product Search
Google Scholar (Scholarly papers)
Google Special Searches (including Public Service & Government)
Google Video Search

Yahoo! provides search services as well as a variety of marketing products.

Local Advertising 
Target prospective customers searching for businesses in your area on Yahoo! Local—and drive them to your web pages or physical location.

Search Submit
 Help expand your reach by ensuring that your business appears in our natural (non-sponsored) search results index.

Product Submit 
Reach millions of motivated potential buyers through the Yahoo! Shopping product search, Gift Finder and Buyer’s Guide pages

Travel Submit 
Help increase your bookings by promoting your offers and deals to eager travelers on Yahoo! Travel.

Email Marketing 
Boost web site traffic and build customer loyalty with Campaigner® easy-to-use email marketing tools.

Technology Solutions
Advertisers, technology providers and agencies: Build a better business with our API Programs.

Epinions helps people make informed buying decisions. It is a premier consumer reviews platform on the Web and a reliable source for consumer insight, unbiased advice, in-depth product evaluations and personalized recommendations.

MyPoints in an online loyalty marketing program that enables customers to earn points-based rewards by responding to email offers, surveys, shopping online, etc.

ShopLocal provides users with a selection of timely online and in-store offers on their site, including products and up-to-date weekly sales, deals, and coupons for consumer electronics, apparel, groceries and more.

They also offer marketing solutions to advertisers.