RSS Applications: Product Alerts

RSS is the technology behind syndicating blog content. But its potential is much more, as this CNET story reveals:

Retailers like eBags, Ice.com, Tower Records and others are using RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, to feed product alerts to Internet users.

Retailers who are employing RSS feeds are ahead of the curve, analysts said, but not unreasonably so.

RSS is “a way to basically position highly relevant microsites in front of consumers.”

RSS feeds are an alternative to email alerts. As this trend spreads, RSS readers and aggregators may morph to accomodate different types of RSS alerts. These tools may have to add new features like filtering, categorization of alerts etc.