Collect Product Information

The most common form of data collection on the web is the web crawler, also known as a web spider or web robot. The web crawler is, essentially, a package of code that browses through web sites in a methodical manner, often with a predetermined set of instructions from the user. They can be useful for a variety of things, from indexing sites for a search engine to gathering information for marketing. In this case, we’ll take a look at how they can be used to collect product information, and how that information can be used for your business’s benefit.

Crawlers work by hopping from site to site across available links. They usually pick up information as they go, depending on what the user has specified for them to do. A common function for web crawlers is picking up client data, such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers, either for lead generation or marketing purposes. They can also be used to maintain one’s own website, by accessing and testing links and images and fixing broken ones, all automatically. The user can specify which type or field of information he or she wishes the spider to collect, and what sort of web sites he or she wants it to browse for. Setting a spider to collect product information is an easy way to get a leg up on the competition.

If you send your spider out to collect product information, either from a competitor’s website or to set prices, it will then compile that information into a readable format for you. This allows you to easily create spreadsheets and graphs, balance prices and research, and even get information on how competitor’s websites and support networks operate. A well-behaved spider will announce itself as it crawls, and certain websites might want to block your spider in a variety of ways.

This can be tricky. It is difficult to ignore a website’s instructions in, say, robots.txt (a generic file used to give commands and restrictions to automated crawlers) without violating a terms of use or privacy agreement. Therefore, it is best to have permission in the form of an agreement or licensing act before crawling a site that doesn’t necessarily want you there. Having a spider to collect product information can be immensely useful, but one must always remember while using it that one is responsible for the spider even though it is an automated, independent entity.

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