New PriceRunner homepage

PriceRunner has been relaunched with a new design: new homepage, and new header/footer on the whole site; but no real changes on the user experience itself. The changes have been rolled out in all countries where PriceRunner operates. A few thoughts:

• Two-columns presentation with categories on the left, and a mix of editorial content and generated content (“popular products”, “popular searches”) on the right… Tabs at the top (“Home”, “Categories”, “Guides and advice”, “Additional features”)… This new homepage has a lot in common with the new Kelkoo homepage. Sure, I may be partial, and it’s not easy to innovate in the world of CSEs ;)…
• Nice execution in terms of design: colors, icons, shadows give a fresh air to PriceRunner. It’s very personal feeling, but I like it :)
• I don’t understand the skyscraper ad on the right side:
  • By removing this placement, PriceRunner could have extended the width of its main site: the current size of ~810px is not damageable for the homepage, but the search result pages would have been easier to read with a wider site (especially when filters are displayed in a left column, like in electronics)
  • Moreover, this ad placement seems difficult to sell, as only PriceRunner ads are currently displayed.