Procter & Gamble, maker of Tide and Pampers, launching Web site mainly to study its customers

P&G jumping into retail online, testing new site

CINCINNATI — The maker of Tide detergent, Pampers diapers and Gillette shavers is taking hundreds of its popular consumer products directly to shoppers through a new Web site.

Procter & Gamble Co., the world’s largest consumer products maker, expects to launch a branded retail site this spring that could put it in direct competition with some of its biggest customers, major traditional retailers.

But P&G officials call the “eStore” a consumer research “learning lab” for online marketing that also will benefit the retailers.

PFSweb Inc. of Plano, Texas, which manages e-commerce for a variety of businesses, will run the site, including sales and shipping. Pricing is still being decided, but eStore is set to initially offer $5 flat-rate shipping.