Looking to capitalize on its shopping analytics, Seattle's Mpire today is rolling out about 80 new e-commerce "widgets."

Mpire's new widgets present product and pricing information

The free "widgets" -- small online applications or tools that easily plug in to Web sites -- will allow bloggers and online publishers to post shopping related content to their sites and make money by passing leads on to Amazon.com and eBay. Those who download the widgets will keep 100 percent of the revenue, with Mpire hoping to make money by selling custom widgets to large search engines, online marketplaces or other players. It also hopes that the widgets -- if added to hundreds or thousands of Web sites -- will boost Mpire's rankings in search engine results.

"A lot of the bloggers are looking for revenue streams beyond Google AdSense or they are looking for things that are fun and interesting related to what they are blogging about," said Mpire Chief Executive Matt Hulett, adding that 40 percent of MySpace users have an average of 3.2 widgets per blog. To help populate the blogosphere with the Mpire widgets, the company has inked deals with distributors such as Whateverlife.com and developed them to integrate easily with MySpace, TypePad, WordPress and other blogging platforms.

"A lot of pundits have been saying this is the year of the widget, that this is the year that this really blows out to bloggers and Web publishers," said Hulett. "A lot of folks are going to keep introducing interesting technology on their sites, and today it has been more related to sticking up your Flickr images or PhotoBucket or video, but there is a new trend towards creating revenue-generating widgets."

The Mpire widgets are designed around specific product categories, such as books, sports, electronics, environmental products and movies. Dave Cotter, co-founder and chief marketing officer at Mpire, said the new applications will allow bloggers to offer specific products or detailed information about those products.

"If I have an air purification information site, it is going to convert much better for me and be more relevant for my users if they see something in the left hand bar at the bottom that shows various products that have been specifically chosen for them or the top air purification systems," said Cotter. He added that the concept is "the next evolution of advertising."

A lot of other folks are attempting to ride this wave, as was pointed out in a post by TechCrunch this week about advertising widget provider Tumri. While a lot of companies are experimenting with new methods for deploying advertising on blogs and Web sites, Cotter said no one else has the historical pricing data packaged in a widget or a revenue model that ties directly into major e-commerce vendors.

"We are making the bet that the data is so unique and compelling that the click-throughs are better than what the standard affiliate products have been like in the past," said Hulett, adding that some existing e-commerce plug ins are from the "Cro-Magnon era of widgets."

I also had a little time to ask Hulett about new-found competition from Judy's Book, something I touched on in this post earlier this week. Hulett, who estimates the shopping category is worth about $150 billion, thinks there is enough room for multiple players to try new things.

"Imagine Lake Union being $150 billion and there are two big salmon swimming around -- Judy's Book and Mpire. There is a lot of room to swim," said Hulett, adding that they probably will partner with Judy's Book in the future. He added that Judy's Book is focused more on local shopping, while Mpire is focused on shopping data. But he still thinks both can succeed.

"Sequoia backed both AtomFilms and YouTube. You could say, well, 'They both have something to do with video.' The timing on one was maybe a little better in terms of exit value," said Hulett, a former executive at AtomFilms and Expedia. "You try to get a good team together, you try to get a good business plan together and then the rest is luck."

Backed with $10 million in venture funding, Mpire attracted about 800,000 unique visitors last month. That's up from about 700,000 in March, Hulett said. He said it was too early to say what sort of impact the widget strategy would have on the company's traffic numbers.

UPDATE: Duncan Riley of TechCrunch writes that Mpire is entering a "crowded space," but notes that the company's widgets "stand out from the crowd" because they incorporate meta-shopping data.