Saved Search Email Alerts Easier To Identify

We've tweaked the Saved Search email function to make it easier to identify and scan Saved Search email alerts.

Previously, the "From" email address was Tradeloop Customer Service. We changed it to read "Tradeloop Saved Search." That makes the email's purpose more clear and also allows you to set up an email filter to route Saved Search alerts to a designated folder.

This is a small change, but most members say they welcome any tool that helps them manage their overloaded email inboxes. A 2008 New York Times article estimated that United States businesses lost $650 billion in productivity due to worker interruptions from email and other distractions. We can help with that problem! Use these Tradeloop member tools to manage your time more efficiently:

• Saved Search: receive an email when someone uploads a part or parts that match your search.
  
• Inventory Match alerts you when a buyer searches on your inventory.
• Price history charts are a helpful market research tool.

We frequently roll out new tools and features to make Tradeloop a more valuable business resource for members. Watch the member blog for new announcements!

Standard Search Boxes Make It Easier to Search for Dealers, Parts, & More

We've created a unified theme for the search boxes on the Tradeloop Web site. Now, search boxes on the home page, Broadcast page, Trading Floor, and Dealer Directory are all located in the same place with the same layout.

Previously, all these pages used search boxes, but the boxes were displayed in different places on the page and presented in a variety of shapes and sizes. We know that our members need the ability to search for a particular part number or dealer. But few want to spend time searching the page just to find the search box!

The search box is now located directly under the main menu. Here's how it looks on the Tradeloop home page:


In addition to the basic search function, we've previously implemented a number of other search tools to help you quickly find the products you're interested in and/or determine who's buying or selling them.

• Search the Dealer Directory by continent, country, or city.
• Search History - a valuable market research tool.
• Saved Search alerts you when someone uploads a part you've been searching for.

The new, unified search theme makes the search process quicker and easier, while Tradeloop's other search options help you monitor the market, set pricing, and quickly locate hard to find items.

Better Results & Sales Leads From Search Queries & Reports

We've added a new filter option to the "Recent Searches" and "Top Searches" results pages that increases the relevance of the results display. It also generates better search reports for sellers. This should make it even easier for searchers to find the parts they need and give sellers more useful, targeted sales leads.

Previously, if someone searched on a generic term like "duo," the query returned thousands of results. No doubt, the exact part the searcher needed was in that list, but who had the time to comb through the results to find it? Sellers faced a similar problem when looking at search reports. It was time-consuming to decide what was a good sales lead and what wasn't.

The new search query filters out any match that returns "excessive" results - approximately 200 or more. That means the searcher might review several dozen results that are relevant instead of several hundred that aren't. And a seller who receives "Saved Search" alerts will also receive more consistent and useful reports.

Of course, you may prefer to view all the results. We give you that option on both the "Top Searches" and "Recent Searches" reports. It's an option titled "Hide Excessive Results" and displays just above the search results. The default is set to "Yes," but you can see all results by clicking on the down arrow to the right and selecting "No."

In this screen shot, the new option is underlined in red:


This new option, combined with the other filter options, should help you quickly determine the demand for parts. That helps sellers price parts appropriately and locate buyers more easily. Other filter options include:

• Filter by Top Searches or Recent Searches.
• Search All Tradeloop, your company's parts, or just your own inventory list
• View searches by Everyone, End Users only, Public users only, Dealers only, or both Dealers and End Users.
• Filter by time period ranging from 1 hour to the past 30 days.
  

Tradeloop is a valuable business tool because it helps match buyers and sellers and our new search filters help streamline the matchmaking task. They save you time and help you connect with buyers who are searching for your products.

Search Directly From Your Saved Search Report

It's easier than ever for Tradeloop members to monitor the market and locate hard-to-find components. We've added links to the saved search report that allows members to run searches directly from their report pages.

Tradeloop's "Saved Search" tool replaced the old "Email Alert" system last May and it quickly become one of our most popular features. If you're looking for a hard-to-find part - or for products you need on a regular basis - the Saved Search tool saves you time by eliminating the need for regular, manual searches on the Trading Floor.

Once you have a search query saved, we'll send you a notification email every time someone uploads that part to Tradeloop. You can save one search, a dozen, or more.

Modify or delete your saved searches at any time just by going your "Account Information" page and selecting the "Email Center" link. From there, select the "Your Saved Search Alerts" option in the right-hand column. It takes you to your "Saved Search" report where you can change or delete saved searches.

And now, you can even repeat the searches directly from your Saved Search report. Each individual named search is also a link that will repeat the search on the Trading Floor and display the most current results.

Learn more about how Saved Search works or set up your own Saved Searches when you search Tradeloop's Trading Floor.

Search History Upgrade Adds "End Users" To Search Filter

Tradeloop's search tools help members monitor and research the market. You can see who's searching on your inventory, the most popular searches, most recent searches, and more.Our latest upgrade gives you yet another option: members can see who was searching and limit the results to dealers, registered end-users, or public searchers.

See how easy it is to use. The Search History text link is located underneath the main menu. It takes you to the main Search History page. Select one of the four options. The filters appear at the top of the results page:


This new option lets you customize your search to match your business objectives. Members who only operate in the wholesale market can filter out results from end user searches. Other members who do both wholesale and retail can quickly generate separate reports for each market.

Learn more about the Search History function and how to use Saved Search. They're both valuable features that help you quickly locate buyers and sellers on Tradeloop. Use Search History to see what both wholesale and retail buyers are looking for and let the Saved Search report help you find what you need!

Trading Floor Upgrades Help Tradeloop Members With Market Research, Pricing, and More

Want to search for a particular part, description, manufacturer, perform market research, track price fluctuations, or find out who's searching for what at Tradeloop? You can do all that and more from Tradeloop's Trading Floor. We've spent the first half of 2009 adding features, search queries, and other new options that make it easy to find the information you need.

The most recent change to the Trading Floor and search function is the option to sort results by either manufacturer name or product description. These used to be contained in the same field, which made sorting difficult. Other sort options include: date, vendor, country, part number, condition, quantity, and price.

There's even more information available on the search results page:

1. Recent Searches - See who's been performing the same search, and filter results by date range, Tradeloop members, public users, and receive a notice when someone searches on a particular item. Learn more about the Search History function.
2. Save Search and Alert Me - We'll notify you when items matching your search term are posted at Tradeloop. Learn more about how to use Saved Search.
3. Price History - See seasonal price fluctuations for particular parts, broken out by high, low, and average wholesale and retail pricing. Learn more about Price History data.

These new features are part of our commitment to making Tradeloop the most valuable Web resource for our members. Your membership already gives you the opportunity to safely connect with other dealers worldwide - a group that has passed our rigorous member screening process.

Tradeloop is more than a great place to do business; it's also a market research, pricing, and business tracking tool.

Saved Search: Let Tradeloop Watch The Market For You

Never miss out on a hard-to-find item again! Tradeloop's new Saved Search feature automatically notifies you by email when someone uploads a part that matches your saved search.

This feature replaces the old "Email Alerts" system which used to match "Want to Buy" lists to "Want to Sell" lists. The new system is much more efficient and easy to use.

For instance, suppose you've purchased some refurbished Sony VAIO laptops and need 30 replacement batteries for them. A search on part number "DR5472" returns two results with a total of 16 batteries available. You still need more, so save your search by clicking on the "Save this search and Alert Me" link underneath the search bar.

You'll be prompted to give your search a descriptive name. Once you save the query, we'll send you a notification email each time someone uploads that part. Search for a dozen parts or just one. Each part has its own Saved Search name and report.

You can modify or delete your saved searches at any time just by going your "Account Information" page and selecting the "Email Center" link. From there, select the "Your Saved Search Alerts" option in the right-hand column. It takes you to your "Saved Search" report where you can change or delete saved searches.

As you use the Saved Search feature to find the parts you need, remember that Tradeloop members can also receive alerts when someone else is searching for a particular part. Use the Search History feature to find new buyers or as a market research tool.

Both features help you avoid time-consuming searches for buyers and sellers. Use the Search History to see what buyers are looking for, and let the Saved Search report help you find what you need!