Through its business information subsidiary ENCODEX, GfK has bought a 51% stake in Etilize; a US firm which aggregates product data from thousands of manufacturers, and delivers it as ecommerce-ready web content to online retailers, distributors and resellers. No terms were disclosed.

The data output – which spans multiple industries – can then be used in ecommerce functions such as keyword search, parametric search, guided selling, side-by-side comparisons, up-selling/cross-selling and more. Customers include manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, online shopping sites, search engines and price comparison sites.

Denver, Colorado-based Etilize was founded in 2000 and now has a staff of more than 300 in North America, Europe and South East Asia. While ENCODEX is active in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Etilize’s main focus is in the North American market.

Encodex’s product information platform is based on the results of the GfK retail panel. The company currently offers data on more than 4 million products from over 150 categories in 26 countries and 17 languages. Sectors covered include IT/Telecoms, consumer electronics, photo, domestic appliances and DIY.

GfK says that the acquisition will open up new customer potential for both firms worldwide, and generate synergies in the companies’ article catalogue, IT and product range.

Etilize Founder, CEO and President Ahzar Hameed will continue to run the company.

Web sites: www.gfk.com , www.encodex.com and www.etilize.com .

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