WebProNews

Comparison shopping site PriceGrabber.com has been acquired by Experian and will be part of Experian's existing initiatives in interactive marketing.

The six-year-old privately-held comparison shopping site PriceGrabber.com joins GUS plc's Experian, the company said in a statement. The $485 million purchase places the site with Experian's other online properties like LowerMyBills.com.

PriceGrabber's comparison technology operates on some 300 websites, including MSN, Ask Jeeves, and About.com. Its index of over 9,000 merchants allows users to compare millions of products in a number of categories.

The site had over 17 million visitors for the month of November, as the holiday shopping season began in earnest. Experian believes that with its marketing expertise and scale, it can help grow PriceGrabber's market share.

Also, the deal gives Experian an entry into new markets. PriceGrabber has been extending its reach into other vertical markets like auto and travel, the statement said. That could help the company fulfill Experian's expectations for "strong organic growth" over PriceGrabber's estimate of $60 million in sales and $25 million in earnings before interest and tax.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.