1 ONLINE ADVERTISING SYSTEM FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved advertising system, and in particular, a system which allows the sellers to better access potential purchasers 5 online. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION With increased access to computers and the vast majority of businesses having some form of online presence, the internet has provided unprecedented access to information. Search engines such as Google, allow users to search on 10 any topic they may desire. As consumers become more comfortable with this type of information, they are increasingly turning to the internet to research products they intend to buy. By utilizing search engines consumers can locate links directed to company websites, or various review sites and thereby access the desired information. 15 A further industry has evolved whereby consumers are able to select and purchase products online, and have those products delivered direct to their door. In these cases generally speaking the overheads of the online retailer are lower than those of a traditional brick and mortar retail outlet. Whilst traditional businesses have many overheads including rent and salaries, the online stores 20 are able to provide products at a cheaper cost by not having to cover such overheads. They also provide the added convenience of the consumer not having to leave their own premises and still obtain the product that they desire. However, one disadvantage of this system, is that whilst the online store does enable the convenience and cost saving to consumers, It does not allow 25 those consumers to touch or view the actual physical product. Further, whilst it is possible for use of a product to the demonstrated online, many consumers still like to see the actual product demonstrated in front of them. The Increasing reliance on the internet has also brought about new mechanisms to advertise products. Previously retailers may only have relied on 30 placed advertisements in local newspapers, and by also placing advertising material in letterboxes. Whilst the newspapers could reach a much wider audience, there was no guarantee that purchasing consumers would actually view the advertisement. Further, it is possible that consumers interested in such 2 products on viewing the advertisement would not be located in an area convenient to the actual retailers outlet. By delivering advertising material directly to consumers letterboxes, the retailers were more likely to reach those consumers to which their retail outlet was convenient. However, again there was 5 no guarantee that such consumers even bothered to read the advertising material. With the advent of the internet these traditional methods have no longer been appropriate. Instead retailers have had to resort to the use of banner advertisements, keyword advertising, and click-through advertising to name a 10 few. In some cases retailers would make arrangements with various popular sites to ensure that a banner with their advertisement was displayed on the screen of consumers. Another option was for retailers to purchase so-called keywords, such that when entering that keyword into a search engine, either pop up advertisements of their products would appear on the screen, or in the 15 alternative links to their website would be displayed on the screen. The costing of such advertising can vary depending on the medium. For keyword advertising it is not uncommon for competing retailers to bid for use of a particular keyword. The retailer then prepared to pay the highest price for that keyword would then gain the benefit. In other alternatives those retailers that 20 made arrangements to have links to their own websites placed on popular websites would be invoice based on the number of clicks on that link. However, these methods have been subject to fraudulent use of technology to artificially generate clicks throughs. In each case the desire is for the user to link through to a particular 25 retailers website. One difficulty for retailers and consumers alike, is that these various advertising options have been developed by search engines and thus are not optimum for either retailers or consumers, For example, a website might promote a special offer to consumers and advise to see their local dealer. However, given that the intemet has a global reach, it is always possible that that 30 local dealer does not exist for the consumer in questions. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved way of advertising online for both retailers and consumers. Ideally the present 3 invention will allow sellers to reach and provide material to purchasing consumers, and conversely purchasing consumers or buyers will be able to locate the products they desire. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 5 With the above in mind, the present invention provides in one aspect an online advertising system including: an input means for receiving images, said images representing promotional material of at least one seller; said input means further receiving seller defined data relating to said 10 images; an enquiry means to enable a buyer to search said seller data; and a display means to display said images relating to said seller data located by said enquiry means. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 15 Figure 1 exemplifies the overall arrangement of the preferred system. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present invention provides an online advertising search engine which will be of particular advantage to those retailers who already utilize traditional media for advertisements. The system allows retailers to publish existing 20 advertising material on the internet so that potential customers are able to locate the retail offers. Conversely, consumers will be able to search for currently advertised retail products and services and define their shopping radius. The present system is not intended to replace existing media or promotional systems. Rather it is intended to be an extension to campaigns which retailers are able to 25 take advantage of and thereby provide an online presence without the need for maintaining and promoting a website. The present invention takes advantage of traditional advertising methods in that advertisements created for retailers and distributed either via letterbox drops, newspaper advertisements or the like are utilized. In this way the retailer 30 does not have to redesign any advertisements or pay for additional artwork. The retailer can make use of any electronic Image of the advertisement. This could be taken from the electronic documents utilized by the publisher, or in the alternative the retailer may elect to simply scan-in the existing advertisement.
4 The retailer then uploads the electronic image to the system. In doing so the retailer will also enter relevant data related to the images. For example, the retailer can nominate when the advertisement will be displayed and for what time period the advertisements will remain active on the system. In this way the 5 retailer may elect to have certain promotional material available for viewing by consumers for a set period in advance. The retailer would also nominate whether the advertisements are to be available in certain suburbs, a city as a whole, or a state. That is, depending on the profile of the retailer, and the consumers that they are endeavouring to reach with the promotional offer, the advertisements 10 can be targeted. As an example, a national company may elect for certain promotional material to be available to a consumer regardless of their location. However if that same retailer was to open a new store in a particular area, they may elect to make certain promotional material available only to consumers in that vicinity. 15 The retailer would also enter in other information such as categories or keywords upon which the purchasing consumer may search. A consumer interested in a particular product will initiate a search of the system. The search can be based on category, keywords, preferred retailers, and/or a shopping location. In the preferred arrangement once the search has 20 been completed, the system will display thumbnails of each of the relevant advertisements to the search. Ideally, the user would be able to pass the cursor over each thumbnail which would automatically enlarge the thumbnail so that the user can view sufficient detail on the advertisement to verify whether it is the advertisement they are interested in. Once an advertisement has been selected, 25 the system will then be able to display and/or print the advertisement for the consumer. Whilst various formats may be used for the images, the Applicants believe that usage of the pdf format or jpg is the most optimal. Pdf in particular has been selected as it is considered that most internet users already have suitable readers 30 installed on their computers. Further, the documents usually provide sufficient clarity of text and retention of formatting such that the advertisements can be easily viewed.
5 In the preferred arrangement the system will also include sufficient security to address the integrity of the system. For example, the retailer wishing to advertise on the system would have their own usemame and password which would only provide them with access to that advertisement. 5 In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the system will also allow for a notification system. That is, if a particular product a consumer was interested in was not presently being advertised by any retailers, they could submit a request to the system to be notified when any such advertisement for the product in question is submitted by a retailer. In this way the consumer could 10 be made aware when a product they are particularly interested in is promoted. These notifications could be sent via email, text sms messages or by any other means.