Ciao (website)
Encyclopedia
Ciao is a European based online-shopping portal with websites in the United Kingdom
, France
, Spain
, Germany
, the Netherlands
, Italy
and Sweden
. In February 2008, the company launched an American version of the site, Ciao.com. The site provides a forum where registered users can write reviews and give their opinions on a wide variety of products to help others make decisions. These reviews are available to the general public to help consumers, but are also rated by other Ciao users on their usefulness on a scale ranging from exceptional to off-topic. When a review is read by a member, the author gets money added to their account. Members may also receive money through online surveys and referring friends. Ciao is free to sign up for.
As well as offering reviews, the site also provides price comparison (working with merchants and agencies who provide data feeds) and allows the user to click through and purchase products.
Ciao claims that it gets 38 million visitors per month in Europe.
made an offer of $486 million in late August 2008 to purchase Greenfield Online, the owner of Ciao GmbH and Ciao, Inc. Representatives from Microsoft said the purchase was primarily made to boost the company's Internet search and e-commerce business in Europe.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In February 2008, the company launched an American version of the site, Ciao.com. The site provides a forum where registered users can write reviews and give their opinions on a wide variety of products to help others make decisions. These reviews are available to the general public to help consumers, but are also rated by other Ciao users on their usefulness on a scale ranging from exceptional to off-topic. When a review is read by a member, the author gets money added to their account. Members may also receive money through online surveys and referring friends. Ciao is free to sign up for.
As well as offering reviews, the site also provides price comparison (working with merchants and agencies who provide data feeds) and allows the user to click through and purchase products.
Ciao claims that it gets 38 million visitors per month in Europe.
Microsoft Purchases Ciao
MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
made an offer of $486 million in late August 2008 to purchase Greenfield Online, the owner of Ciao GmbH and Ciao, Inc. Representatives from Microsoft said the purchase was primarily made to boost the company's Internet search and e-commerce business in Europe.