Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles
ALEXANDRIA, VA June 10, 2004 -- While analysts expect online shoppers to shell out more than $150 billion by year-end 2004, consumers are missing the opportunity to save hundreds-of-millions of dollars when they shop. "Cash back shopping mall sites, such as Butterflymall.com, offer a great selection of name brand and niche merchants that you can shop from as usual including online coupons. But they offer an added benefit -- automatic rebates," says Dan Sondhelm, proprietor of Butterflymall.com, an online shopping portal which offers cash back bonuses on every sale.
"Butterflymall.com gives back most of the referral fees (the commission a merchant pays Butterflymall.com for referring sales) on all sales back to shoppers, either as cash, or as credits to each consumer's secure Butterflymall.com shopping account which can be used for future shopping," Sondhelm adds. Shoppers can earn an average of 4% or up to 40% cash back on every purchase.
"Retailers, who understand the brand loyalty of their prized customers and appreciate each and every sale, are happy to partner with Butterflymall.com and rebate a percentage of the sales made through the Butterflymall.com Web site," Sondhelm explains. "However, unlike other online shopping portals which also collect referral fees, and quietly tuck them into their own pockets, Butterflymall.com refunds 80% of those referral fees back to its shoppers," he adds. "Receiving a rebate on purchases is a nice way to give yourself a little gift every time you shop!"
Here's a sample of the rebates available at Butterflymall.com:
Barnes & Noble = 4% cash back
Circuit City = up to 2.4% cash back
Expedia = up to 4% cash back
The Gap = 4% cash back
Nordstrom = 4% cash back
Office Max = 3.2% cash back
Orbitz = $4 rebate
Overstock.com = up to 12% cash back
Smart Bargains = 6.4% cash back
Target = 4% cash back
Wal-Mart = up to 8% cash back
While online shopping offers its own rewards -- 24/7 shopping, speedy price comparisons, no crowds, no need to stake out parking spaces, or wait in long lines -- Butterflymall.com's cash back offer is an added benefit that all savvy shoppers can take advantage of. "It's perfect for cost-conscious businesses owners who order office supplies, computer equipment or secure travel arrangements for employees, as well as cash-strapped college students and retirees who prefer to ship presents directly to loved ones," Sondhelm sums up.
Shoppers simply log onto Butterflymall.com and register for a free shopping account. They then choose from among 600 well-known retail establishments, and select the perfect holiday, birthday, anniversary or any time gifts for family and friends. They can do their routine shopping as they normally would. All new users get an immediate $3 credit. Additionally, online coupons can always be used at Butterflymall.com for added discounts. If your favorite online merchant is not on the site, you can ask for it to be added.
Following are analyst growth projections for online shopping:
- Only 4% of retailing done on the web currently
- Sales reaching $230 billion in 2008, up from $76 billion in 2002 and $100 billion in 2003
- 63 million shoppers will buy online for first time over next 5 years
- Experienced Web shoppers will buy larger number and broader variety of products
- 76 million subscribers with internet access in US in 2004, up from 59 million in 2001
- Broadband subscriptions will reach 35 million for easier shopping in 2005
A Twist on Father's Day Shopping - ButterflyMall.com Gives Shoppers Cash Back Rebates - Online Shoppers Can Earn Up to 40% Case Back on Every Purchase
Why All The Fuss Over Online Shopping?
Author: Alexandra Warner
Source: articleage.com
I have a friend who recently purchased a home. Shortly after that time, he discovered charges being added to his credit cards. He isn't a big online shopper, so we ruled out the possibility of his being careless with his information online somewhere.
To make a long story short, after a police and credit card fraud department investigation, he found out that his identity had been stolen somewhere in the process of buying his property. He wasn't anywhere near the internet when his identity was stolen.
There are many people who are terrified of the very thought of shopping online, but online shopping offers many benefits that you won't find when shopping in a brick and mortar store or by mail. For those hardcore shoppers, you can shop at three in the morning, because the internet is always open - seven days a week, 24 hours a day - and bargains are immeasurable online.
If you're one of those people who quivers at the thought of shopping online, here are a few tips to ensure your online shopping safety;
• Use a secure browser. This is the software that you use to get around the Internet. Your browser should comply with industry security standards, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). These standards scramble the purchase information you send over the Internet, helping to secure your transaction. Most computers come with a browser already installed. You also can download other browsers for free over the Internet.
• Shop with companies that you know. Anyone can set up shop online under almost any name. If you're not familiar with a merchant, ask for a paper catalog or brochure to get a better idea of their merchandise and services. Also, determine the company's refund and return policies before you place your order. These should be posted on the company's Web site.
• Keep your password(s) private. Be thoughtful when you establish a password, and don't give it to anyone. Avoid using a telephone number, birth date or a portion of your Social Security number. Instead, use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols.
• Pay by credit or charge card. If you pay by credit or charge card online, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under this law, you have the right to dispute charges under certain circumstances and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor is investigating them. In the event of unauthorized use of your credit or charge card, you generally would be held liable only for the first $50 of charges. Some companies offer an online shopping guarantee that ensures you will not be held responsible for any unauthorized charges made online, and some cards may provide additional warranty, return and/or purchase protection benefits.
• Keep a record of your transactions. Print a copy of your purchase order and confirmation number for your own records. Also, the Mail and Telephone Order Merchandise Rule covers online orders. This means that unless the company states otherwise, your merchandise must be delivered within 30 days; and if there are delays, the company must notify you.
• Before paying your bills online, evaluate how the company secures your financial and personal information. Most companies explain their security procedures on their Web site. If you don't see a security description, call or email the company and ask them.
Companies now have the ability to collect information about you and potentially give or sell that information to others. While the Internet can serve as a tremendous resource for information, products, and services, you should be sure to safeguard your privacy online by following these tips.
• Keep personal information private. Don't disclose personal information - such as your address, telephone number, Social Security number, or email address - unless you know who is collecting the information, why they are collecting it, and how they will use it. If you have children, teach them to check with you before giving out personal - or family - information online.
• Look for a privacy policy on the site. Most companies post their privacy policies in its own section on their Web site. This policy should tell you what information is being collected on the Web site and how that information will be used. Before you provide a company with personal information, check its privacy policy. If you can't find a policy, send an email or written message to the Web site to ask about its policy and request that it be posted on the site.
• Make decisions. Many companies give you a choice on their web site as to how and whether your personal information is used. These companies allow you to decline - or "opt-out" of having personal information, such as your email address, used for marketing purposes or shared with other companies. Look for this choice as part of the company's privacy policy.
A. Warner.
Copyright 2006 Alexandra Warner All Rights Reserved
Online shopping can be a real time saver if you follow some basic rules. Shop smart with over 300 recognized merchants at http://www.thefashionmap.com Your map to fashionable online shopping & entertainment.
Source: articleage.com
I have a friend who recently purchased a home. Shortly after that time, he discovered charges being added to his credit cards. He isn't a big online shopper, so we ruled out the possibility of his being careless with his information online somewhere.
To make a long story short, after a police and credit card fraud department investigation, he found out that his identity had been stolen somewhere in the process of buying his property. He wasn't anywhere near the internet when his identity was stolen.
There are many people who are terrified of the very thought of shopping online, but online shopping offers many benefits that you won't find when shopping in a brick and mortar store or by mail. For those hardcore shoppers, you can shop at three in the morning, because the internet is always open - seven days a week, 24 hours a day - and bargains are immeasurable online.
If you're one of those people who quivers at the thought of shopping online, here are a few tips to ensure your online shopping safety;
• Use a secure browser. This is the software that you use to get around the Internet. Your browser should comply with industry security standards, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). These standards scramble the purchase information you send over the Internet, helping to secure your transaction. Most computers come with a browser already installed. You also can download other browsers for free over the Internet.
• Shop with companies that you know. Anyone can set up shop online under almost any name. If you're not familiar with a merchant, ask for a paper catalog or brochure to get a better idea of their merchandise and services. Also, determine the company's refund and return policies before you place your order. These should be posted on the company's Web site.
• Keep your password(s) private. Be thoughtful when you establish a password, and don't give it to anyone. Avoid using a telephone number, birth date or a portion of your Social Security number. Instead, use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols.
• Pay by credit or charge card. If you pay by credit or charge card online, your transaction will be protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under this law, you have the right to dispute charges under certain circumstances and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor is investigating them. In the event of unauthorized use of your credit or charge card, you generally would be held liable only for the first $50 of charges. Some companies offer an online shopping guarantee that ensures you will not be held responsible for any unauthorized charges made online, and some cards may provide additional warranty, return and/or purchase protection benefits.
• Keep a record of your transactions. Print a copy of your purchase order and confirmation number for your own records. Also, the Mail and Telephone Order Merchandise Rule covers online orders. This means that unless the company states otherwise, your merchandise must be delivered within 30 days; and if there are delays, the company must notify you.
• Before paying your bills online, evaluate how the company secures your financial and personal information. Most companies explain their security procedures on their Web site. If you don't see a security description, call or email the company and ask them.
Companies now have the ability to collect information about you and potentially give or sell that information to others. While the Internet can serve as a tremendous resource for information, products, and services, you should be sure to safeguard your privacy online by following these tips.
• Keep personal information private. Don't disclose personal information - such as your address, telephone number, Social Security number, or email address - unless you know who is collecting the information, why they are collecting it, and how they will use it. If you have children, teach them to check with you before giving out personal - or family - information online.
• Look for a privacy policy on the site. Most companies post their privacy policies in its own section on their Web site. This policy should tell you what information is being collected on the Web site and how that information will be used. Before you provide a company with personal information, check its privacy policy. If you can't find a policy, send an email or written message to the Web site to ask about its policy and request that it be posted on the site.
• Make decisions. Many companies give you a choice on their web site as to how and whether your personal information is used. These companies allow you to decline - or "opt-out" of having personal information, such as your email address, used for marketing purposes or shared with other companies. Look for this choice as part of the company's privacy policy.
A. Warner.
Copyright 2006 Alexandra Warner All Rights Reserved
Online shopping can be a real time saver if you follow some basic rules. Shop smart with over 300 recognized merchants at http://www.thefashionmap.com Your map to fashionable online shopping & entertainment.
Bargain Shopping : Rewriting the Rules Online and In Stores
Author: Melanie Vuynovich
Source: articleage.com
According to The American Interactive Consumer Survey nearly 120 million adults searched for product information online last year - and close to 100 million of them made website and in store purchases after doing their research.
Why search online? Because smart shoppers know that using the Internet as a shopping tool is the #1 way to save money. Below are three easy steps to becoming a modern savvy shopper:
Step One - Comparison Shopping Online
According to a survey by Forrester Research and the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, 93% of shoppers buy their purchases in stores. But, by using an online comparison shopping resource before they leave the house, these shoppers can save both time and money.
At Cairo.com, for example, consumers can see all the local sales from their favorite grocery stores and retailers in one place - instead of waiting for Sunday and spending an hour elbow deep in newspaper circulars.
Cairo's Grocery Saver lets consumers enter their weekly grocery list - then sends them alerts when their everyday items go on sale locally. For people looking for a specific item, Cairo lets them input that item - for example, a new DVD, digital camera or shoes - and then searches over 60 different local retailers to find the best sale prices.
Step Two - Reward Yourself by Buying Online
For wily shoppers who like to shop from home, online rewards programs such as MyPoints.com are another great money-saving resource.
Similar to frequent flier programs, MyPoints.com online shopping program rewards shoppers with points for every purchase they make online.
Consumers who want to purchase a new laptop, for example, can log into MyPoints.com, go to the Office Depot or Dell website link, purchase the computer they already wanted - AND - (bonus!) earn as many as 5000 points. These points are then redeemable for valuable gift cards - from more than 80 stores and restaurants such as Starbucks, Target Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, Red Lobster and Chili's.
Step Three - Combine and Save Even More!
The real trick to mastering bargain online shopping, is to combine these services to get the most for your money. Search for the best price online at a comparison shopping site, purchase the product through a rewards program site, and pay for it with a cash-back or airline credit card. Each step will save you money or reward you for your purchase - making you the model savvy shopper!
For more informaton about stretching your online dollar or saving money by shopping in store sales, please visit http://www.mypoints.com or http://www.cairo.com.
Source: articleage.com
According to The American Interactive Consumer Survey nearly 120 million adults searched for product information online last year - and close to 100 million of them made website and in store purchases after doing their research.
Why search online? Because smart shoppers know that using the Internet as a shopping tool is the #1 way to save money. Below are three easy steps to becoming a modern savvy shopper:
Step One - Comparison Shopping Online
According to a survey by Forrester Research and the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, 93% of shoppers buy their purchases in stores. But, by using an online comparison shopping resource before they leave the house, these shoppers can save both time and money.
At Cairo.com, for example, consumers can see all the local sales from their favorite grocery stores and retailers in one place - instead of waiting for Sunday and spending an hour elbow deep in newspaper circulars.
Cairo's Grocery Saver lets consumers enter their weekly grocery list - then sends them alerts when their everyday items go on sale locally. For people looking for a specific item, Cairo lets them input that item - for example, a new DVD, digital camera or shoes - and then searches over 60 different local retailers to find the best sale prices.
Step Two - Reward Yourself by Buying Online
For wily shoppers who like to shop from home, online rewards programs such as MyPoints.com are another great money-saving resource.
Similar to frequent flier programs, MyPoints.com online shopping program rewards shoppers with points for every purchase they make online.
Consumers who want to purchase a new laptop, for example, can log into MyPoints.com, go to the Office Depot or Dell website link, purchase the computer they already wanted - AND - (bonus!) earn as many as 5000 points. These points are then redeemable for valuable gift cards - from more than 80 stores and restaurants such as Starbucks, Target Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, Red Lobster and Chili's.
Step Three - Combine and Save Even More!
The real trick to mastering bargain online shopping, is to combine these services to get the most for your money. Search for the best price online at a comparison shopping site, purchase the product through a rewards program site, and pay for it with a cash-back or airline credit card. Each step will save you money or reward you for your purchase - making you the model savvy shopper!
For more informaton about stretching your online dollar or saving money by shopping in store sales, please visit http://www.mypoints.com or http://www.cairo.com.
How to Shop Online Safely
Author: Natalie Aranda
Source: articleage.com
Online shopping has now become very popular. Besides vast information at your fingertips to help you learn more about products and services before making a purchase decision, you can compare prices with a few clicks whether you go for comparison shopping for computer hardware, compare prices for sporting goods or compare watches prices to find perfect birthday gifts for your loved ones. Home appliances comparison shopping could safe you a lot of money. As more and more people use the Internet for convenient shopping, con-artists are getting into online world as well. In virtual world, you send money with a click and without physical interaction with a cashier.
Most online shopping sites accept credit cards, and many of them take debit cards and e-check. Some B2B exchange even accept purchase orders. paypal now has over 70 millions of users world-wide, and it's common for people to conduct transaction purely in emails. Shopping on the Internet is no less safe than shopping in a store or by mail if we follow the same principles of safe offline shopping.
* Shop at Trusted Sites - Shop at the websites of companies that you know and trust is the beginning of safe online shopping. You'll likely have a happy shopping experience without getting into potential troubles later on.
* Make sure a site is what it claims to be - Some con-artists create websites looking like trusted websites. I receive at least one ebay scam email almost everyday - those who pretend to be ebay or paypal customer service to lure you to give out your username and passwords. Look at the URL carefully and use a secure connection for your payment submission. Secure browser not only encrypts the purchase information you send over the Internet but also authenticate the owner of a website to ensure a site is what it claims to be, not a predator.
* Use payment options which offer protections - If you shop on a authenticated trusted website, online shopping is actually safer than offline shopping since every transaction is tracked and you'll receive confirmation email too. Both credit card transactions and paypal transactions are protected by the payment service processors or issuers.
* Think twice before giving out private information - Before giving out personal information, ask yourselves whether the information is necessary for a transaction. Trusted websites will usually ask for minimum information that is required to process the order, no more no less.
* Keep records of your online transactions - This is necessary in case you ask for a refund or file a dispute. Keep all your transaction confirmation e-mails in one folder for easy access and make backup copy of important electronic information.
* Review your monthly credit card and bank statements - This is the time to identify any errors or unauthorized purchases and to reconcile your account balance. Review the statement thoroughly, call their customer service promptly and notify your card issuers if you had identified disparity or unauthorized transactions.
Happy online shopping.
Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer. She writes about family, health, business experience and travel. She reguarly use online comparison shopping to compare prices for sporting goods or compare watches prices to find perfect gifts for her loved ones.
Source: articleage.com
Online shopping has now become very popular. Besides vast information at your fingertips to help you learn more about products and services before making a purchase decision, you can compare prices with a few clicks whether you go for comparison shopping for computer hardware, compare prices for sporting goods or compare watches prices to find perfect birthday gifts for your loved ones. Home appliances comparison shopping could safe you a lot of money. As more and more people use the Internet for convenient shopping, con-artists are getting into online world as well. In virtual world, you send money with a click and without physical interaction with a cashier.
Most online shopping sites accept credit cards, and many of them take debit cards and e-check. Some B2B exchange even accept purchase orders. paypal now has over 70 millions of users world-wide, and it's common for people to conduct transaction purely in emails. Shopping on the Internet is no less safe than shopping in a store or by mail if we follow the same principles of safe offline shopping.
* Shop at Trusted Sites - Shop at the websites of companies that you know and trust is the beginning of safe online shopping. You'll likely have a happy shopping experience without getting into potential troubles later on.
* Make sure a site is what it claims to be - Some con-artists create websites looking like trusted websites. I receive at least one ebay scam email almost everyday - those who pretend to be ebay or paypal customer service to lure you to give out your username and passwords. Look at the URL carefully and use a secure connection for your payment submission. Secure browser not only encrypts the purchase information you send over the Internet but also authenticate the owner of a website to ensure a site is what it claims to be, not a predator.
* Use payment options which offer protections - If you shop on a authenticated trusted website, online shopping is actually safer than offline shopping since every transaction is tracked and you'll receive confirmation email too. Both credit card transactions and paypal transactions are protected by the payment service processors or issuers.
* Think twice before giving out private information - Before giving out personal information, ask yourselves whether the information is necessary for a transaction. Trusted websites will usually ask for minimum information that is required to process the order, no more no less.
* Keep records of your online transactions - This is necessary in case you ask for a refund or file a dispute. Keep all your transaction confirmation e-mails in one folder for easy access and make backup copy of important electronic information.
* Review your monthly credit card and bank statements - This is the time to identify any errors or unauthorized purchases and to reconcile your account balance. Review the statement thoroughly, call their customer service promptly and notify your card issuers if you had identified disparity or unauthorized transactions.
Happy online shopping.
Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer. She writes about family, health, business experience and travel. She reguarly use online comparison shopping to compare prices for sporting goods or compare watches prices to find perfect gifts for her loved ones.
Traditional Shopping Versus Online Shopping
Author: A Nutt
Source: isnare.com
Shopping is something that can be a lot of fun, but it takes time. It also costs money. But ask any Canadian and it is very likely that he or she will tell you that they really like to shop. There is just something about spending money that can really make a person happy. But what if time and money are a factor? What if you are not able to do the shopping that you desire to do because a lack of deals or a lack of time to shop?
Before answering that question, it is important to look at traditional shopping and online shopping.
Traditional shopping
When it comes to traditional shopping, here is what it entails:
• You must get dressed and make yourself presentable for going out into public.
• You need to drive to your destination.
• You then have to spot the deals at various stores. This could result in quite a bit of driving.
• You then get to walk around and check out the many pieces of merchandise and the sales.
• You have to carry your purchases around if shopping in a mall and you have to load up the car.
• You then drive home and evaluate your purchases before putting them in their rightful places.
Seems like a rather fun day out, doesn’t it? But it is something that takes time. There are plenty of individuals who love traditional shopping and it is something that none of us can really help at times. But online shopping in Canada is also an option that can solve various shopping ailments.
Online shopping
Online shopping is a completely different ballgame than traditional shopping. This is because you don’t even leave your home. Online shopping in Canada is as simple as turning on your computer and browsing the many shopping sites on the web. The times have even reached the point in which you can purchase groceries online. You can have food delivered right to your door on certain delivery dates.
So here is what online shopping in Canada entails:
• You do not have to leave your home at all. You can shop in your pajamas.
• You do not have to drive to your destinations, so you are not spending extra money on gas.
• Instead of having to walk for great distances, you shop sitting down.
• There are no purchases that you have to carry around.
When you shop online, you do have to wait for your purchases to arrive, but the amount of money that you can save is quite substantial. It is easier to comparison shop online and you do save a lot of time. Many Canadians are able to shop online on their lunch breaks. This is how many people buy gifts for holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries without having to battle the clock.
But as there are cons to traditional shopping, there are cons to online shopping in Canada as well. You do have the wait in which the merchandise will show up at your door. You also do not have the traditional payment options. You cannot pay by cash and very few online venues are taking checks. You have the option to pay with credit, debit, PayPal or payment through other sites that operate much like PayPal.
Another issue that some people may run into is the determination of clothing sizes. Clothing sizes are not consistent amongst manufacturers, so it is good to make sure there is a good return policy in case you need to exchange for another size.
All-in-all, online shopping is the way to go when you want to save both money and time. And because you don’t have to leave your home, you can be quite comfortable when spending money.
Canadian Online shopping offering reward points every time you make a purchase an item trough us. We offer electronics, gifts, clothing, dell computers and many more.
Source: isnare.com
Shopping is something that can be a lot of fun, but it takes time. It also costs money. But ask any Canadian and it is very likely that he or she will tell you that they really like to shop. There is just something about spending money that can really make a person happy. But what if time and money are a factor? What if you are not able to do the shopping that you desire to do because a lack of deals or a lack of time to shop?
Before answering that question, it is important to look at traditional shopping and online shopping.
Traditional shopping
When it comes to traditional shopping, here is what it entails:
• You must get dressed and make yourself presentable for going out into public.
• You need to drive to your destination.
• You then have to spot the deals at various stores. This could result in quite a bit of driving.
• You then get to walk around and check out the many pieces of merchandise and the sales.
• You have to carry your purchases around if shopping in a mall and you have to load up the car.
• You then drive home and evaluate your purchases before putting them in their rightful places.
Seems like a rather fun day out, doesn’t it? But it is something that takes time. There are plenty of individuals who love traditional shopping and it is something that none of us can really help at times. But online shopping in Canada is also an option that can solve various shopping ailments.
Online shopping
Online shopping is a completely different ballgame than traditional shopping. This is because you don’t even leave your home. Online shopping in Canada is as simple as turning on your computer and browsing the many shopping sites on the web. The times have even reached the point in which you can purchase groceries online. You can have food delivered right to your door on certain delivery dates.
So here is what online shopping in Canada entails:
• You do not have to leave your home at all. You can shop in your pajamas.
• You do not have to drive to your destinations, so you are not spending extra money on gas.
• Instead of having to walk for great distances, you shop sitting down.
• There are no purchases that you have to carry around.
When you shop online, you do have to wait for your purchases to arrive, but the amount of money that you can save is quite substantial. It is easier to comparison shop online and you do save a lot of time. Many Canadians are able to shop online on their lunch breaks. This is how many people buy gifts for holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries without having to battle the clock.
But as there are cons to traditional shopping, there are cons to online shopping in Canada as well. You do have the wait in which the merchandise will show up at your door. You also do not have the traditional payment options. You cannot pay by cash and very few online venues are taking checks. You have the option to pay with credit, debit, PayPal or payment through other sites that operate much like PayPal.
Another issue that some people may run into is the determination of clothing sizes. Clothing sizes are not consistent amongst manufacturers, so it is good to make sure there is a good return policy in case you need to exchange for another size.
All-in-all, online shopping is the way to go when you want to save both money and time. And because you don’t have to leave your home, you can be quite comfortable when spending money.
Canadian Online shopping offering reward points every time you make a purchase an item trough us. We offer electronics, gifts, clothing, dell computers and many more.
Important Tips For Online Shopping
Author: Rolf Joho
Source: isnare.com
Online shopping is the act of transacting purchases via the internet. There are many advantages and disadvantages of shopping for products and services online. In spite of the many advantages and also disadvantages of online shopping, there are some tips and reminders that a person should always be aware of when transacting online.
Security
Keeping one's data and finances secure while online shopping is one of them most important things to keep in mind. Security is important not only for one purchase or transaction but for all others. There are many different ways that people can access your finances with just a few relevant data that they can lift from one unsecure transaction. There are signs that show if the website you are using the transaction in is secure or not. Many sites use technology that makes transactions safe like secure sockets layers and encryption to dissuade pilfering of information and data during online shopping and other delicate transactions on the World Wide Web.
Signs that the web site used is secure for online shopping and the like, may come in the beginning of the site's address, which will be HTTPS instead of the usual HTTP. A closed padlock sign at the bottom of the screen may also indicate a secure site for online shopping and other transactions. Other signs of a secure site are an unbroken key or a lock at the bottom of the screen which show the level of safety for online shopping and other transactions.
Some sites for online shopping also feature an option for the consumer to phone in instead of doing the transaction online. This option can be considered secure by some people as there may be only a single person dealing with the transaction instead of God knows how many people are online. Of course, call in option for online shopping may not be exactly fool proof since the person on the other side of the phone line may have every intention of using your credit card information for something else. This possibility is quite far fetched but the possibility is still there.
The use of different passwords is encouraged when doing online shopping and other financial transactions in the internet. This precaution may not necessarily work when dealing with seasoned hackers and internet thieves but it may still deter some people. Some online shopping tips regarding passwords are to use random letters and numbers instead of words and a set of numbers which may be linked to the individual. Birthdays, anniversary dates, names and other easy to remember passwords are also easy to use on the part of the internet thieves. A combination of alpha numeric characters and symbols may help deter or discourage thieves who may find the extra effort too much of a hassle.
Other reminders for those who like to do online shopping is to be wary of phone calls, emails and other correspondence from people asking for data and information. Most credit card companies discourage their clients from divulging such information through unsecure lines. Credit card companies also do not usually ask for passwords when they talk to their clients on the telephone or deal with them via the internet.
Be wary of spam and other emails from people you do not know or emails that are forwarded. Viruses and spyware are distributed via internet connections and the email addresses of the initial victim's contact's list. Crafty individuals can get a hold of one's online information through spyware and other adware that can infiltrate the computer. Be careful regarding which site one does online shopping with as well as which site one leaves one's email address and other relevant information.
Rolf Joho is owner of Internet InfoMedia and writes on a variety of subjects. For more Tips For Online Shopping visit: Tips For Online Shopping
Source: isnare.com
Online shopping is the act of transacting purchases via the internet. There are many advantages and disadvantages of shopping for products and services online. In spite of the many advantages and also disadvantages of online shopping, there are some tips and reminders that a person should always be aware of when transacting online.
Security
Keeping one's data and finances secure while online shopping is one of them most important things to keep in mind. Security is important not only for one purchase or transaction but for all others. There are many different ways that people can access your finances with just a few relevant data that they can lift from one unsecure transaction. There are signs that show if the website you are using the transaction in is secure or not. Many sites use technology that makes transactions safe like secure sockets layers and encryption to dissuade pilfering of information and data during online shopping and other delicate transactions on the World Wide Web.
Signs that the web site used is secure for online shopping and the like, may come in the beginning of the site's address, which will be HTTPS instead of the usual HTTP. A closed padlock sign at the bottom of the screen may also indicate a secure site for online shopping and other transactions. Other signs of a secure site are an unbroken key or a lock at the bottom of the screen which show the level of safety for online shopping and other transactions.
Some sites for online shopping also feature an option for the consumer to phone in instead of doing the transaction online. This option can be considered secure by some people as there may be only a single person dealing with the transaction instead of God knows how many people are online. Of course, call in option for online shopping may not be exactly fool proof since the person on the other side of the phone line may have every intention of using your credit card information for something else. This possibility is quite far fetched but the possibility is still there.
The use of different passwords is encouraged when doing online shopping and other financial transactions in the internet. This precaution may not necessarily work when dealing with seasoned hackers and internet thieves but it may still deter some people. Some online shopping tips regarding passwords are to use random letters and numbers instead of words and a set of numbers which may be linked to the individual. Birthdays, anniversary dates, names and other easy to remember passwords are also easy to use on the part of the internet thieves. A combination of alpha numeric characters and symbols may help deter or discourage thieves who may find the extra effort too much of a hassle.
Other reminders for those who like to do online shopping is to be wary of phone calls, emails and other correspondence from people asking for data and information. Most credit card companies discourage their clients from divulging such information through unsecure lines. Credit card companies also do not usually ask for passwords when they talk to their clients on the telephone or deal with them via the internet.
Be wary of spam and other emails from people you do not know or emails that are forwarded. Viruses and spyware are distributed via internet connections and the email addresses of the initial victim's contact's list. Crafty individuals can get a hold of one's online information through spyware and other adware that can infiltrate the computer. Be careful regarding which site one does online shopping with as well as which site one leaves one's email address and other relevant information.
Rolf Joho is owner of Internet InfoMedia and writes on a variety of subjects. For more Tips For Online Shopping visit: Tips For Online Shopping
Canada Online Shopping Boom
Author: Tomer Harel
Source: articlesfactory.com
Canadians live in a beautiful corner of the world abundant with many amazing outdoor recreational pursuits to participate in. So while there is a multitude of opportunities available outside, Canada's online shopping industry is experiencing a boom with many Canadians choosing the option of doing their shopping inside and online.
In a recent study conducted in Canada, it was discovered that online shopping in Canada is on the rise with 55 percent of Canadians making their purchases via the Internet. The majority of online shoppers are women, and also include a widespread population across the age groups of 25 and 64. There are a number of shopping studies being conducted at the moment and one group, JC Williams Group, has found that "Canadians are embracing E-Commerce as a shopping channel and using the internet and catalog to conduct product research".
Many International companies have offered web based shopping options for their customers for a while, however now more than ever retailers in Canada are beginning to expand their existing websites to include more than just the location details and telephone numbers of their stores. By providing clients with catalogs both in hard copy and via email, secure online environments, price comparison, reduced shipping costs and easy to use web based interfaces Canada's online shopping experience is now better than ever.
It seems that online shopping in Canada is producing a large number of savvy shoppers or bargain hunters - some are self confessed "clickaholics", indulging in the world of coupons and special deals. Canadian online shoppers, specifically, are looking for that little bit extra such as convenience, low price, brand, quality, performance, and easy use of coupons.
Canadian online shopping allows the consumer to buy anything from women's and men's apparel, beauty products, sporting goods, household furniture and electrical appliances. There are a number of great shopping forums available to Canadian online shoppers which will ensure that shoppers get the best deals in Canada, shoppers can access the best Canadian shopping deals and flyers, coupons, cash back and rebates just to mention a few advantages.
Online Shopping in Canada is meeting the needs of the consumers by offering not only and increased amount of advertisement through both print and other media, but by also offering product comparison sites that guarantee people will be able to find the best in-store and online Canadian retail prices.
There are several websites that provides the Canadian online shopping industry with a quality comparison shopping options that enable users to compare Canadian prices for products such as computers, electronics, gadgets, cameras and books from Canadian retailers in Canadian dollars.
One of the key benefits to online shoppers is the access to online stores without the extra fees of shipping or cross-border taxes. Most comparison shopping sites will offer a wide selection of Canadian Retailers to create a truly competitive arena.
Those websites are typically very user friendly and within only a few clicks it is possible for the consumer to read reviews on any product they are interested in purchasing. The information pages typically contain descriptions on the product including the model, price and product.
Comparison sites often face the challenge of keeping the data accurate. Some websites are more advanced than others and can run frequent updates several times a day.
For the last couple of years, online shopping in Canada has been consistently growing in strength. Canadian consumer studies suggest that there is huge growth potential for online shopping, which is needed for the increased trend of online consuming.
Canada's online shopping sites provide a large product range, quality reviews from the retailers, comparison options to help you get the best deal and most importantly a secure interface to complete your transaction. Consumers in Canada want to feel confident that they are getting the best deal for their money and it is becoming an increasingly competitive environment to be involved in which can only provide Canadian consumers with better deals in the future.
Source: articlesfactory.com
Canadians live in a beautiful corner of the world abundant with many amazing outdoor recreational pursuits to participate in. So while there is a multitude of opportunities available outside, Canada's online shopping industry is experiencing a boom with many Canadians choosing the option of doing their shopping inside and online.
In a recent study conducted in Canada, it was discovered that online shopping in Canada is on the rise with 55 percent of Canadians making their purchases via the Internet. The majority of online shoppers are women, and also include a widespread population across the age groups of 25 and 64. There are a number of shopping studies being conducted at the moment and one group, JC Williams Group, has found that "Canadians are embracing E-Commerce as a shopping channel and using the internet and catalog to conduct product research".
Many International companies have offered web based shopping options for their customers for a while, however now more than ever retailers in Canada are beginning to expand their existing websites to include more than just the location details and telephone numbers of their stores. By providing clients with catalogs both in hard copy and via email, secure online environments, price comparison, reduced shipping costs and easy to use web based interfaces Canada's online shopping experience is now better than ever.
It seems that online shopping in Canada is producing a large number of savvy shoppers or bargain hunters - some are self confessed "clickaholics", indulging in the world of coupons and special deals. Canadian online shoppers, specifically, are looking for that little bit extra such as convenience, low price, brand, quality, performance, and easy use of coupons.
Canadian online shopping allows the consumer to buy anything from women's and men's apparel, beauty products, sporting goods, household furniture and electrical appliances. There are a number of great shopping forums available to Canadian online shoppers which will ensure that shoppers get the best deals in Canada, shoppers can access the best Canadian shopping deals and flyers, coupons, cash back and rebates just to mention a few advantages.
Online Shopping in Canada is meeting the needs of the consumers by offering not only and increased amount of advertisement through both print and other media, but by also offering product comparison sites that guarantee people will be able to find the best in-store and online Canadian retail prices.
There are several websites that provides the Canadian online shopping industry with a quality comparison shopping options that enable users to compare Canadian prices for products such as computers, electronics, gadgets, cameras and books from Canadian retailers in Canadian dollars.
One of the key benefits to online shoppers is the access to online stores without the extra fees of shipping or cross-border taxes. Most comparison shopping sites will offer a wide selection of Canadian Retailers to create a truly competitive arena.
Those websites are typically very user friendly and within only a few clicks it is possible for the consumer to read reviews on any product they are interested in purchasing. The information pages typically contain descriptions on the product including the model, price and product.
Comparison sites often face the challenge of keeping the data accurate. Some websites are more advanced than others and can run frequent updates several times a day.
For the last couple of years, online shopping in Canada has been consistently growing in strength. Canadian consumer studies suggest that there is huge growth potential for online shopping, which is needed for the increased trend of online consuming.
Canada's online shopping sites provide a large product range, quality reviews from the retailers, comparison options to help you get the best deal and most importantly a secure interface to complete your transaction. Consumers in Canada want to feel confident that they are getting the best deal for their money and it is becoming an increasingly competitive environment to be involved in which can only provide Canadian consumers with better deals in the future.
Online shopping - an emotional experience
Author: Steve Hawker
Source: articlesfactory.com
This short essay explores the history of online shopping from the author's perspective. The essay concludes with a list of e-commerce features that should meet the needs of emotional shoppers.
A few years ago, someone prophesised that workplace offices wouldn't need paper in the future. The prophecy didn't 'come to pass' though, largely because it overlooked some significant human emotions.
One such, was the emotional need for safety and security, which was undermined apparently by new paper-less procedures. Another was the emotional satisfaction that we all derive from manipulating tangible objects, which was also undermined by the sudden lack of paper.
Yes, paper-less working was one of those 'flights of fancy' often indulged-in by visionaries at the forefront of exciting new technologies. These 'flights' are forgivable because enthusiasm, even misguided enthusiasm, is a valuable resource in our sceptical world.
I must admit, when I first heard about online shopping, I was more sceptical than enthusiastic. 'Assistant-less shops' seemed just a little too much like 'paper-less offices'. Yet, the online shopping revolution has taken hold, to the extent now that some very big retailers see the Internet as a viable and important selling channel.
Why was I, along with so many other potential shoppers, sceptical at the outset? So sceptical that I held-off making my first credit card purchase via the Internet for several years.
Even when I did make my first purchase, boxed software as I recall, I experienced terrible feelings of foreboding. The foreboding was worsened by the 'cart' summarily rejecting my first few attempts to buy online, because I'd left spaces after every set of four digits, as I'd always done when buying by card over the telephone previously.
During my long 'hold-off' period, the media had fuelled my scepticism and undermined my enthusiasm, with scary stories of insecure servers, crackable encryption codes and stolen identities. Consequently, one day I'd feel brave enough to make my first purchase, the next I'd decide to hold-off a few months longer. In all probability, I could have gone ahead with my software purchase without any problems or worries at all, as long as I'd stayed in the 'right' shopping neighbourhoods.
As with paper-less offices then, when the idea was first mooted, assistant-less shops made me feel unsafe and insecure. This affected my subsequent shopping behaviour. Like many others I'm sure, I wanted to be a part of the 'dot com' revolution. However, the perceived wisdom was that card purchases over the Internet were inadvisable, if not dangerous. The whole industry was just too immature initially, apparently.
As well as unsafe and insecure, I felt isolated and exposed in the early days of online shopping. I was a hesitant pioneer, wary of being caught out in the open by 'bandits'. I wanted to talk to other pioneers, to share my experiences with them; yes, and to hide amongst them at times. As a species, we humans like to belong to social groups. There's safety in numbers, you see.
We also like to feel loved by others. However, some of my early online shopping experiences, when customer support was still in its infancy, made me feel more like the enemy than a friend. Thank goodness I was an able-bodied, young(ish), white, male Briton with English as my first language. Otherwise, I might have felt totally alienated!
Another emotional need that wasn't addressed well by early e-commerce sites was the need for mastery. You see, I'd mastered a large raft of skills to do with shopping offline, in the real world, in real shops.
In many virtual shops though, I felt de-skilled. Rather than online shopping being as much as possible like offline shopping, many virtual shops were designed on a computer world somewhere beyond Mars, or so it seemed. I wanted to offer some of the earliest online shop designers some advice. 'Keep it simple and, above all, keep it familiar,' I wanted to say.
Let's turn now to the emotions of shopping itself. Specifically, the emotions associated with buying various commodities.
In the early days of online shopping, I sensed that the selection of goods for sale was more to do with what could be sold over the Internet very easily, rather than what could be sold over the Internet. Boxed software, with little 'personality' and simple shipping, was a ubiquitous offering. Very few online shops though offered the kind of big, expensive products that often require multi-sensory approaches whilst shopping.
When working in offices, we seek the security of manipulating tangible objects like paper invoices and sales reports. Likewise, when shopping, we seek the security provided by stroking settees, smelling their leather covers and listening to the noises they make as we sink into them.
To address the esteem needs associated with 'prestige purchases', like leather settees, many online shops still have some way to go, even today. Thumbnail colour photographs for such items are insufficient I'm afraid.
So, what have we learnt from this essay about the emotions of online shopping? In my humble opinion, online shopping requires further attention in a number of key areas, if it is to fulfil its potential:
* Journalists and pundits have roles to play in ensuring there is no complacency regarding the personal and financial security of online transactions. At the same time, the e-commerce industry must remain proactive in its pursuit of secure purchases, free from fraud and trickery.
* Online shops should implement, where necessary, friendly forums and the like, which allow the free exchange of concerns and ideas between shop staff and their customers.
* Online shops should be designed by people who live in the real world. The online shopping experience should mimic as far as possible the offline shopping experience that shoppers know and trust. Prototypes of new shops should be tested with potential shoppers from all backgrounds, including age, gender, race, ability, language etc.
* Designers must continue to push the boundaries of what can be sold over the Internet. Some 'big-ticket' items will demand the innovative use of 'rich' media, like video and audio. Sometimes hybrid media applications will be necessary, requiring the despatch of leather swashes say, to meet needs for tactile manipulation.
The 'assistant-less shops' revolution will succeed. To give everyone - including the isolated, disabled and housebound - the information they need to make satisfying purchases, the e-commerce industry must manage the growth of online shopping proactively and implement new media in innovative ways.
Source: articlesfactory.com
This short essay explores the history of online shopping from the author's perspective. The essay concludes with a list of e-commerce features that should meet the needs of emotional shoppers.
A few years ago, someone prophesised that workplace offices wouldn't need paper in the future. The prophecy didn't 'come to pass' though, largely because it overlooked some significant human emotions.
One such, was the emotional need for safety and security, which was undermined apparently by new paper-less procedures. Another was the emotional satisfaction that we all derive from manipulating tangible objects, which was also undermined by the sudden lack of paper.
Yes, paper-less working was one of those 'flights of fancy' often indulged-in by visionaries at the forefront of exciting new technologies. These 'flights' are forgivable because enthusiasm, even misguided enthusiasm, is a valuable resource in our sceptical world.
I must admit, when I first heard about online shopping, I was more sceptical than enthusiastic. 'Assistant-less shops' seemed just a little too much like 'paper-less offices'. Yet, the online shopping revolution has taken hold, to the extent now that some very big retailers see the Internet as a viable and important selling channel.
Why was I, along with so many other potential shoppers, sceptical at the outset? So sceptical that I held-off making my first credit card purchase via the Internet for several years.
Even when I did make my first purchase, boxed software as I recall, I experienced terrible feelings of foreboding. The foreboding was worsened by the 'cart' summarily rejecting my first few attempts to buy online, because I'd left spaces after every set of four digits, as I'd always done when buying by card over the telephone previously.
During my long 'hold-off' period, the media had fuelled my scepticism and undermined my enthusiasm, with scary stories of insecure servers, crackable encryption codes and stolen identities. Consequently, one day I'd feel brave enough to make my first purchase, the next I'd decide to hold-off a few months longer. In all probability, I could have gone ahead with my software purchase without any problems or worries at all, as long as I'd stayed in the 'right' shopping neighbourhoods.
As with paper-less offices then, when the idea was first mooted, assistant-less shops made me feel unsafe and insecure. This affected my subsequent shopping behaviour. Like many others I'm sure, I wanted to be a part of the 'dot com' revolution. However, the perceived wisdom was that card purchases over the Internet were inadvisable, if not dangerous. The whole industry was just too immature initially, apparently.
As well as unsafe and insecure, I felt isolated and exposed in the early days of online shopping. I was a hesitant pioneer, wary of being caught out in the open by 'bandits'. I wanted to talk to other pioneers, to share my experiences with them; yes, and to hide amongst them at times. As a species, we humans like to belong to social groups. There's safety in numbers, you see.
We also like to feel loved by others. However, some of my early online shopping experiences, when customer support was still in its infancy, made me feel more like the enemy than a friend. Thank goodness I was an able-bodied, young(ish), white, male Briton with English as my first language. Otherwise, I might have felt totally alienated!
Another emotional need that wasn't addressed well by early e-commerce sites was the need for mastery. You see, I'd mastered a large raft of skills to do with shopping offline, in the real world, in real shops.
In many virtual shops though, I felt de-skilled. Rather than online shopping being as much as possible like offline shopping, many virtual shops were designed on a computer world somewhere beyond Mars, or so it seemed. I wanted to offer some of the earliest online shop designers some advice. 'Keep it simple and, above all, keep it familiar,' I wanted to say.
Let's turn now to the emotions of shopping itself. Specifically, the emotions associated with buying various commodities.
In the early days of online shopping, I sensed that the selection of goods for sale was more to do with what could be sold over the Internet very easily, rather than what could be sold over the Internet. Boxed software, with little 'personality' and simple shipping, was a ubiquitous offering. Very few online shops though offered the kind of big, expensive products that often require multi-sensory approaches whilst shopping.
When working in offices, we seek the security of manipulating tangible objects like paper invoices and sales reports. Likewise, when shopping, we seek the security provided by stroking settees, smelling their leather covers and listening to the noises they make as we sink into them.
To address the esteem needs associated with 'prestige purchases', like leather settees, many online shops still have some way to go, even today. Thumbnail colour photographs for such items are insufficient I'm afraid.
So, what have we learnt from this essay about the emotions of online shopping? In my humble opinion, online shopping requires further attention in a number of key areas, if it is to fulfil its potential:
* Journalists and pundits have roles to play in ensuring there is no complacency regarding the personal and financial security of online transactions. At the same time, the e-commerce industry must remain proactive in its pursuit of secure purchases, free from fraud and trickery.
* Online shops should implement, where necessary, friendly forums and the like, which allow the free exchange of concerns and ideas between shop staff and their customers.
* Online shops should be designed by people who live in the real world. The online shopping experience should mimic as far as possible the offline shopping experience that shoppers know and trust. Prototypes of new shops should be tested with potential shoppers from all backgrounds, including age, gender, race, ability, language etc.
* Designers must continue to push the boundaries of what can be sold over the Internet. Some 'big-ticket' items will demand the innovative use of 'rich' media, like video and audio. Sometimes hybrid media applications will be necessary, requiring the despatch of leather swashes say, to meet needs for tactile manipulation.
The 'assistant-less shops' revolution will succeed. To give everyone - including the isolated, disabled and housebound - the information they need to make satisfying purchases, the e-commerce industry must manage the growth of online shopping proactively and implement new media in innovative ways.
Online Shopping - The way of the Future.
Author: Mohmad Nazam Adam
Source: download
A survey has revealed that the internet has brought a dramatic change in in the way people shopped. More and more people are using the internet to do their shopping online and this is because of the convenience of doing the online shopping. While five years ago, people are rather sceptics and felt insecure of using their credit cards to do online shopping, nowadays their perceptions are different. With the security of doing online shopping is getting better and the technology is advancing, people are feeling that online shopping today is much secure than say, five or six years ago. The survey also agree that consumer confidence in online shopping has greatly improved.
Broadband will also be an important factor in this. With more people subscribing to broadband and availability is much easier, more people are expecting to use the internet to shop online.
However, with regards to security of online shopping we cannot be complacent. Whilst the security of online shopping may be better, the unscrupulous people will always find some loopholes to penetrate the security and putting people's information such as credit cards,addresses and other private information at risk.Therefore those companies that provide websites certifications really must keep updating their technology for at least one step ahead.
Popular Products
The survey also indicated that there are seven products that are going to record phenomenal growth sales. The products include flowers, jewelry, luxury goods, sporting goods, food and beverage, home goods, health and beauty products and apparels.The sales of the last three are mainly driven by women who now doing more online shopping than men.
Apart from that, other products that registered double digit growth including computer hardwares and softwares, ticket sales and books. The entry of large grocers into home delivery of online shopping has also driven food and beverage sales.
Advantages of Online Shopping
Whilst online shopping gives us convenience of shopping at home, the advantages to retailers may not be so obvious. Marketing costs for online sales are generally higher than for store or catalog sales. This is because the retailers need to spend higher on promoting their products to attract more customers to do online shopping. There will be a lot of discounts and bargain prices to be offered to customers so that they are willing to shop online.
Nevertheless, with the rapid development of technology and much easier availability of broadbands throughout the world, online shopping will be the way of the future.
SURVEY FINDINGS
" 94% have bought online compared to 37% five years ago
67% surprised by how much they use the internet now
Nearly half think that 40% of purchases will be online in five years time
74% say internet usage has soared
85% buy more often now than five years ago
96% believe the internet has made it easier to buy goods and services "
..Extracted from BBC.
The article can be reproduced and distributed provided that author by-lines and hyperlinks are kept intact and unchanged.
This articles was written by Nazam Adam. He has a website at http://www.living-simple.com as an affiliate selling a large selection of top merchants. He can be contacted at livings@living-simple.com.
Source: download
A survey has revealed that the internet has brought a dramatic change in in the way people shopped. More and more people are using the internet to do their shopping online and this is because of the convenience of doing the online shopping. While five years ago, people are rather sceptics and felt insecure of using their credit cards to do online shopping, nowadays their perceptions are different. With the security of doing online shopping is getting better and the technology is advancing, people are feeling that online shopping today is much secure than say, five or six years ago. The survey also agree that consumer confidence in online shopping has greatly improved.
Broadband will also be an important factor in this. With more people subscribing to broadband and availability is much easier, more people are expecting to use the internet to shop online.
However, with regards to security of online shopping we cannot be complacent. Whilst the security of online shopping may be better, the unscrupulous people will always find some loopholes to penetrate the security and putting people's information such as credit cards,addresses and other private information at risk.Therefore those companies that provide websites certifications really must keep updating their technology for at least one step ahead.
Popular Products
The survey also indicated that there are seven products that are going to record phenomenal growth sales. The products include flowers, jewelry, luxury goods, sporting goods, food and beverage, home goods, health and beauty products and apparels.The sales of the last three are mainly driven by women who now doing more online shopping than men.
Apart from that, other products that registered double digit growth including computer hardwares and softwares, ticket sales and books. The entry of large grocers into home delivery of online shopping has also driven food and beverage sales.
Advantages of Online Shopping
Whilst online shopping gives us convenience of shopping at home, the advantages to retailers may not be so obvious. Marketing costs for online sales are generally higher than for store or catalog sales. This is because the retailers need to spend higher on promoting their products to attract more customers to do online shopping. There will be a lot of discounts and bargain prices to be offered to customers so that they are willing to shop online.
Nevertheless, with the rapid development of technology and much easier availability of broadbands throughout the world, online shopping will be the way of the future.
SURVEY FINDINGS
" 94% have bought online compared to 37% five years ago
67% surprised by how much they use the internet now
Nearly half think that 40% of purchases will be online in five years time
74% say internet usage has soared
85% buy more often now than five years ago
96% believe the internet has made it easier to buy goods and services "
..Extracted from BBC.
The article can be reproduced and distributed provided that author by-lines and hyperlinks are kept intact and unchanged.
This articles was written by Nazam Adam. He has a website at http://www.living-simple.com as an affiliate selling a large selection of top merchants. He can be contacted at livings@living-simple.com.
Online shopping is an emotional experience
Author: Steve Hawker
Source: articleage.com
This short essay explores the history of online shopping from
the author's perspective. The essay concludes with a list of
e-commerce features that should meet the needs of emotional
shoppers.
A few years ago, someone prophesised that workplace offices
wouldn't need paper in the future. The prophecy didn't 'come to
pass' though, largely because it overlooked some significant
human emotions.
One such, was the emotional need for safety and security, which
was undermined apparently by new paper-less procedures. Another
was the emotional satisfaction that we all derive from
manipulating tangible objects, which was also undermined by the
sudden lack of paper.
Yes, paper-less working was one of those 'flights of fancy'
often indulged-in by visionaries at the forefront of exciting
new technologies. These 'flights' are forgivable because
enthusiasm, even misguided enthusiasm, is a valuable resource in
our sceptical world.
I must admit, when I first heard about online shopping, I was
more sceptical than enthusiastic. 'Assistant-less shops' seemed
just a little too much like 'paper-less offices'. Yet, the
online shopping revolution has taken hold, to the extent now
that some very big retailers see the Internet as a viable and
important selling channel.
Why was I, along with so many other potential shoppers,
sceptical at the outset? So sceptical that I held-off making my
first credit card purchase via the Internet for several
years.
Even when I did make my first purchase, boxed software as I
recall, I experienced terrible feelings of foreboding. The
foreboding was worsened by the 'cart' summarily rejecting my
first few attempts to buy online, because I'd left spaces after
every set of four digits, as I'd always done when buying by card
over the telephone previously.
During my long 'hold-off' period, the media had fuelled my
scepticism and undermined my enthusiasm, with scary stories of
insecure servers, crackable encryption codes and stolen
identities. Consequently, one day I'd feel brave enough to make
my first purchase, the next I'd decide to hold-off a few months
longer. In all probability, I could have gone ahead with my
software purchase without any problems or worries at all, as
long as I'd stayed in the 'right' shopping neighbourhoods.
As with paper-less offices then, when the idea was first mooted,
assistant-less shops made me feel unsafe and insecure. This
affected my subsequent shopping behaviour. Like many others I'm
sure, I wanted to be a part of the 'dot com' revolution.
However, the perceived wisdom was that card purchases over the
Internet were inadvisable, if not dangerous. The whole industry
was just too immature initially, apparently.
As well as unsafe and insecure, I felt isolated and exposed in
the early days of online shopping. I was a hesitant pioneer,
wary of being caught out in the open by 'bandits'. I wanted to
talk to other pioneers, to share my experiences with them; yes,
and to hide amongst them at times. As a species, we humans like
to belong to social groups. There's safety in numbers, you
see.
We also like to feel loved by others. However, some of my early
online shopping experiences, when customer support was still in
its infancy, made me feel more like the enemy than a friend.
Thank goodness I was an able-bodied, young(ish), white, male
Briton with English as my first language. Otherwise, I might
have felt totally alienated!
Another emotional need that wasn't addressed well by early
e-commerce sites was the need for mastery. You see, I'd mastered
a large raft of skills to do with shopping offline, in the real
world, in real shops.
In many virtual shops though, I felt de-skilled. Rather than
online shopping being as much as possible like offline shopping,
many virtual shops were designed on a computer world somewhere
beyond Mars, or so it seemed. I wanted to offer some of the
earliest online shop designers some advice. 'Keep it simple and,
above all, keep it familiar,' I wanted to say.
Let's turn now to the emotions of shopping itself. Specifically,
the emotions associated with buying various commodities.
In the early days of online shopping, I sensed that the
selection of goods for sale was more to do with what could be
sold over the Internet very easily, rather than what could be
sold over the Internet. Boxed software, with little
'personality' and simple shipping, was a ubiquitous offering.
Very few online shops though offered the kind of big, expensive
products that often require multi-sensory approaches whilst
shopping.
When working in offices, we seek the security of manipulating
tangible objects like paper invoices and sales reports.
Likewise, when shopping, we seek the security provided by
stroking settees, smelling their leather covers and listening to
the noises they make as we sink into them.
To address the esteem needs associated with 'prestige
purchases', like leather settees, many online shops still have
some way to go, even today. Thumbnail colour photographs for
such items are insufficient I'm afraid.
So, what have we learnt from this essay about the emotions of
online shopping? In my humble opinion, online shopping requires
further attention in a number of key areas, if it is to fulfil
its potential:
* Journalists and pundits have roles to play in ensuring there
is no complacency regarding the personal and financial security
of online transactions. At the same time, the e-commerce
industry must remain proactive in its pursuit of secure
purchases, free from fraud and trickery.
* Online shops should implement, where necessary, friendly
forums and the like, which allow the free exchange of concerns
and ideas between shop staff and their customers.
* Online shops should be designed by people who live in the real
world. The online shopping experience should mimic as far as
possible the offline shopping experience that shoppers know and
trust. Prototypes of new shops should be tested with potential
shoppers from all backgrounds, including age, gender, race,
ability, language etc.
* Designers must continue to push the boundaries of what can be
sold over the Internet. Some 'big-ticket' items will demand the
innovative use of 'rich' media, like video and audio. Sometimes
hybrid media applications will be necessary, requiring the
despatch of leather swashes say, to meet needs for tactile
manipulation.
The 'assistant-less shops' revolution will succeed. To give
everyone - including the isolated, disabled and housebound - the
information they need to make satisfying purchases, the
e-commerce industry must manage the growth of online shopping
proactively and implement new media in innovative ways.
Source: articleage.com
This short essay explores the history of online shopping from
the author's perspective. The essay concludes with a list of
e-commerce features that should meet the needs of emotional
shoppers.
A few years ago, someone prophesised that workplace offices
wouldn't need paper in the future. The prophecy didn't 'come to
pass' though, largely because it overlooked some significant
human emotions.
One such, was the emotional need for safety and security, which
was undermined apparently by new paper-less procedures. Another
was the emotional satisfaction that we all derive from
manipulating tangible objects, which was also undermined by the
sudden lack of paper.
Yes, paper-less working was one of those 'flights of fancy'
often indulged-in by visionaries at the forefront of exciting
new technologies. These 'flights' are forgivable because
enthusiasm, even misguided enthusiasm, is a valuable resource in
our sceptical world.
I must admit, when I first heard about online shopping, I was
more sceptical than enthusiastic. 'Assistant-less shops' seemed
just a little too much like 'paper-less offices'. Yet, the
online shopping revolution has taken hold, to the extent now
that some very big retailers see the Internet as a viable and
important selling channel.
Why was I, along with so many other potential shoppers,
sceptical at the outset? So sceptical that I held-off making my
first credit card purchase via the Internet for several
years.
Even when I did make my first purchase, boxed software as I
recall, I experienced terrible feelings of foreboding. The
foreboding was worsened by the 'cart' summarily rejecting my
first few attempts to buy online, because I'd left spaces after
every set of four digits, as I'd always done when buying by card
over the telephone previously.
During my long 'hold-off' period, the media had fuelled my
scepticism and undermined my enthusiasm, with scary stories of
insecure servers, crackable encryption codes and stolen
identities. Consequently, one day I'd feel brave enough to make
my first purchase, the next I'd decide to hold-off a few months
longer. In all probability, I could have gone ahead with my
software purchase without any problems or worries at all, as
long as I'd stayed in the 'right' shopping neighbourhoods.
As with paper-less offices then, when the idea was first mooted,
assistant-less shops made me feel unsafe and insecure. This
affected my subsequent shopping behaviour. Like many others I'm
sure, I wanted to be a part of the 'dot com' revolution.
However, the perceived wisdom was that card purchases over the
Internet were inadvisable, if not dangerous. The whole industry
was just too immature initially, apparently.
As well as unsafe and insecure, I felt isolated and exposed in
the early days of online shopping. I was a hesitant pioneer,
wary of being caught out in the open by 'bandits'. I wanted to
talk to other pioneers, to share my experiences with them; yes,
and to hide amongst them at times. As a species, we humans like
to belong to social groups. There's safety in numbers, you
see.
We also like to feel loved by others. However, some of my early
online shopping experiences, when customer support was still in
its infancy, made me feel more like the enemy than a friend.
Thank goodness I was an able-bodied, young(ish), white, male
Briton with English as my first language. Otherwise, I might
have felt totally alienated!
Another emotional need that wasn't addressed well by early
e-commerce sites was the need for mastery. You see, I'd mastered
a large raft of skills to do with shopping offline, in the real
world, in real shops.
In many virtual shops though, I felt de-skilled. Rather than
online shopping being as much as possible like offline shopping,
many virtual shops were designed on a computer world somewhere
beyond Mars, or so it seemed. I wanted to offer some of the
earliest online shop designers some advice. 'Keep it simple and,
above all, keep it familiar,' I wanted to say.
Let's turn now to the emotions of shopping itself. Specifically,
the emotions associated with buying various commodities.
In the early days of online shopping, I sensed that the
selection of goods for sale was more to do with what could be
sold over the Internet very easily, rather than what could be
sold over the Internet. Boxed software, with little
'personality' and simple shipping, was a ubiquitous offering.
Very few online shops though offered the kind of big, expensive
products that often require multi-sensory approaches whilst
shopping.
When working in offices, we seek the security of manipulating
tangible objects like paper invoices and sales reports.
Likewise, when shopping, we seek the security provided by
stroking settees, smelling their leather covers and listening to
the noises they make as we sink into them.
To address the esteem needs associated with 'prestige
purchases', like leather settees, many online shops still have
some way to go, even today. Thumbnail colour photographs for
such items are insufficient I'm afraid.
So, what have we learnt from this essay about the emotions of
online shopping? In my humble opinion, online shopping requires
further attention in a number of key areas, if it is to fulfil
its potential:
* Journalists and pundits have roles to play in ensuring there
is no complacency regarding the personal and financial security
of online transactions. At the same time, the e-commerce
industry must remain proactive in its pursuit of secure
purchases, free from fraud and trickery.
* Online shops should implement, where necessary, friendly
forums and the like, which allow the free exchange of concerns
and ideas between shop staff and their customers.
* Online shops should be designed by people who live in the real
world. The online shopping experience should mimic as far as
possible the offline shopping experience that shoppers know and
trust. Prototypes of new shops should be tested with potential
shoppers from all backgrounds, including age, gender, race,
ability, language etc.
* Designers must continue to push the boundaries of what can be
sold over the Internet. Some 'big-ticket' items will demand the
innovative use of 'rich' media, like video and audio. Sometimes
hybrid media applications will be necessary, requiring the
despatch of leather swashes say, to meet needs for tactile
manipulation.
The 'assistant-less shops' revolution will succeed. To give
everyone - including the isolated, disabled and housebound - the
information they need to make satisfying purchases, the
e-commerce industry must manage the growth of online shopping
proactively and implement new media in innovative ways.
Surge of Holiday Online sales
Author: VMT Singuillo
Source: articleage.com
Shopping in the "brick and mortar" world is a lot of hassle not
just in the US but even worldwide during the holiday season. In
many countries, the crowds in the malls are just too much; the
waiting in lines is unbearable; too much traffic in nearby
shopping centers; the battle for bus and taxi transportation
among commuters exist. For those of us who use our cars in going
to the shopping malls, imagine how hard it is to find a parking
spot during the crowded holiday season!
Fortunately in the highly developed countries where online
shopping exist and people can afford computers and internet
services, the hassle of holiday shopping is a bit minimized.
Imagine the comfort, all you do is sit in front of your
computer, hook up to your internet service, search for a product
in your favorite search engines, choose the product you want,
click a button to order, fill out the necessary payment
information, and you are done! All you need is wait for the
order to be delivered down to your doorsteps.
While online shopping is a lot comfortable than doing shopping
in a nearby mall, always remember that you will have to pay for
the shipping and handling expense. If returns or exchanges have
to be made, you will incur extra shipping charges which may not
be refundable - depending on the policy of the websites
concerned.
Today, here is a typical shopping scenario during the holidays.
Jane goes to a shopping mall to buy a cu
ckoo clock or a grandfather clock for
an uncle. There is too much traffic in going to the mall which
takes her almost an hour to get to the parking place alone. Upon
arriving at the parking lot, several turns have to be made until
a vacant spot is located. Jane would be lucky is she finds a
spot immediately upon arriving at the parking lot.
While inside the mall, the shoving and pushing of the crowds
have to be avoided. Jane goes to one store and finds the clock
she wants. She takes note of the price and goes to another store
to search for a better price. Unfortunately, the other store
sells the clock at a higher rate. She then goes back to the
previous store. Upon talking to the sales clerk of the
availability of the clock, she finds out that it has now been
sold out. She then goes back to the other store. If the cuckoo
clock in that store is still available, she buys the clock and
waits in a very long line taking so much of her time just to buy
one cuckoo clock.
Suppose she does not find the cuckoo clock, she now goes home
and shops through the internet. While shopping in the internet,
she finds shopping in less than 30 minutes.
This scenario is now common in the US. No wonder many people now
are simply taking advantage of online shopping. As holidays
come, more and more people are now simply shopping online at the
comfort of their homes or their offices.
As expected, with the advent of the internet, there will be a
surge of internet sales year after year after year.
Source: articleage.com
Shopping in the "brick and mortar" world is a lot of hassle not
just in the US but even worldwide during the holiday season. In
many countries, the crowds in the malls are just too much; the
waiting in lines is unbearable; too much traffic in nearby
shopping centers; the battle for bus and taxi transportation
among commuters exist. For those of us who use our cars in going
to the shopping malls, imagine how hard it is to find a parking
spot during the crowded holiday season!
Fortunately in the highly developed countries where online
shopping exist and people can afford computers and internet
services, the hassle of holiday shopping is a bit minimized.
Imagine the comfort, all you do is sit in front of your
computer, hook up to your internet service, search for a product
in your favorite search engines, choose the product you want,
click a button to order, fill out the necessary payment
information, and you are done! All you need is wait for the
order to be delivered down to your doorsteps.
While online shopping is a lot comfortable than doing shopping
in a nearby mall, always remember that you will have to pay for
the shipping and handling expense. If returns or exchanges have
to be made, you will incur extra shipping charges which may not
be refundable - depending on the policy of the websites
concerned.
Today, here is a typical shopping scenario during the holidays.
Jane goes to a shopping mall to buy a cu
ckoo clock or a grandfather clock for
an uncle. There is too much traffic in going to the mall which
takes her almost an hour to get to the parking place alone. Upon
arriving at the parking lot, several turns have to be made until
a vacant spot is located. Jane would be lucky is she finds a
spot immediately upon arriving at the parking lot.
While inside the mall, the shoving and pushing of the crowds
have to be avoided. Jane goes to one store and finds the clock
she wants. She takes note of the price and goes to another store
to search for a better price. Unfortunately, the other store
sells the clock at a higher rate. She then goes back to the
previous store. Upon talking to the sales clerk of the
availability of the clock, she finds out that it has now been
sold out. She then goes back to the other store. If the cuckoo
clock in that store is still available, she buys the clock and
waits in a very long line taking so much of her time just to buy
one cuckoo clock.
Suppose she does not find the cuckoo clock, she now goes home
and shops through the internet. While shopping in the internet,
she finds shopping in less than 30 minutes.
This scenario is now common in the US. No wonder many people now
are simply taking advantage of online shopping. As holidays
come, more and more people are now simply shopping online at the
comfort of their homes or their offices.
As expected, with the advent of the internet, there will be a
surge of internet sales year after year after year.
Online Office Furniture Shopping Saves Businesses Time and Money
Author: Amy Lieberfarb
Source: articleage.com
Due to the ease of online ordering and comparison shopping, more and more businesses purchase their office chairs and furniture online. The volume and product growth is expanding in the Business and Industrial Categories on eBay, Overstock.com and other shopping based sites due to consumer demand.
Some office supply e-commerce sites specialize in a single category such as computer desks or executive furniture and office chairs, while others offer an extensive array of office products in their catalog. Most of the office shopping sites have a wide variety of items, ranging from the great closeout deals to the high-end custom ordered chairs and equipment.
Search long enough and a business should be able to find an office chair or computer desk to fit any need or function. It seems that a company can not only find amazing discounts online but can also make sure they are getting exactly what is required. The average details in most good shopping sites include anything and everything you would want to know about the item.
When walking into your average office furniture and supply retail store, the presentation is an array of chairs and supplies with a price tag and a model number. Not very helpful in choosing the right chair. Normally, no one is on hand in order to help explain the different features, making choosing the right product difficult.
However, in today's online shopping experience, most office items are explained in full. The adjustability features, dimensions, warranty and options are all listed on the product detail page. Such attention to details is just as important to a large business ordering a bulk number of leather chairs as to that small start-up needing that all important conference table.
Companies that are involved in an office space move or a new start up usually have a long list of supplies needed. With the high volume of work involved in any change, there is not always time for furniture shopping. An online office catalog can take care of that need and save time and energy, while working from the comfort of the office. Allowing businesses to find just what is needed with easy payment options and no hassle direct delivery.
Online competition is tough and pricing on some models can become very competitive, with most sites offering a price match guarantee. Searching different sites before making your purchase is also key, as price can differ greatly from site to site for the exact same models. Businesses can usually receive a quantity quote from most larger sized e-commerce sites for a great discount on bulk ordering.
Entire eBay stores are open with office furniture and supplies as their speciality and many online domains exist with a huge selection of office products. Large chain retail stores such as Walmart, Target and Office Depot are now offering their products through e-commerce websites with online ordering and direct shipment as well. This is all in answer to the growing demand from large business and home businesses to buy products online.
Many businesses have learned that with the ease of having the product shipped, sometimes even set-up through a delivery service, that they should order their products online and save that time and energy to work on building their own company. With all of the upgrades and security added to most online shopping sites, buying office equipment online can save valuable time while also allowing the business to make a more educated purchase.
Amy Lieberfarb has been in the office furniture interiors and sales industry for 11 years and currently operates two office furniture online sites, Liebs Wholesale, with information about how to pick the right chair for you and hundreds of different models to choose from. Please see her website for more information or to just browse the extensive selection of products.
http://stores.ebay.com/liebswholesale
Source: articleage.com
Due to the ease of online ordering and comparison shopping, more and more businesses purchase their office chairs and furniture online. The volume and product growth is expanding in the Business and Industrial Categories on eBay, Overstock.com and other shopping based sites due to consumer demand.
Some office supply e-commerce sites specialize in a single category such as computer desks or executive furniture and office chairs, while others offer an extensive array of office products in their catalog. Most of the office shopping sites have a wide variety of items, ranging from the great closeout deals to the high-end custom ordered chairs and equipment.
Search long enough and a business should be able to find an office chair or computer desk to fit any need or function. It seems that a company can not only find amazing discounts online but can also make sure they are getting exactly what is required. The average details in most good shopping sites include anything and everything you would want to know about the item.
When walking into your average office furniture and supply retail store, the presentation is an array of chairs and supplies with a price tag and a model number. Not very helpful in choosing the right chair. Normally, no one is on hand in order to help explain the different features, making choosing the right product difficult.
However, in today's online shopping experience, most office items are explained in full. The adjustability features, dimensions, warranty and options are all listed on the product detail page. Such attention to details is just as important to a large business ordering a bulk number of leather chairs as to that small start-up needing that all important conference table.
Companies that are involved in an office space move or a new start up usually have a long list of supplies needed. With the high volume of work involved in any change, there is not always time for furniture shopping. An online office catalog can take care of that need and save time and energy, while working from the comfort of the office. Allowing businesses to find just what is needed with easy payment options and no hassle direct delivery.
Online competition is tough and pricing on some models can become very competitive, with most sites offering a price match guarantee. Searching different sites before making your purchase is also key, as price can differ greatly from site to site for the exact same models. Businesses can usually receive a quantity quote from most larger sized e-commerce sites for a great discount on bulk ordering.
Entire eBay stores are open with office furniture and supplies as their speciality and many online domains exist with a huge selection of office products. Large chain retail stores such as Walmart, Target and Office Depot are now offering their products through e-commerce websites with online ordering and direct shipment as well. This is all in answer to the growing demand from large business and home businesses to buy products online.
Many businesses have learned that with the ease of having the product shipped, sometimes even set-up through a delivery service, that they should order their products online and save that time and energy to work on building their own company. With all of the upgrades and security added to most online shopping sites, buying office equipment online can save valuable time while also allowing the business to make a more educated purchase.
Amy Lieberfarb has been in the office furniture interiors and sales industry for 11 years and currently operates two office furniture online sites, Liebs Wholesale, with information about how to pick the right chair for you and hundreds of different models to choose from. Please see her website for more information or to just browse the extensive selection of products.
http://stores.ebay.com/liebswholesale
Safe Online Shopping
Author: Mandy Kung
Source: articleage.com
With technology keeps enhancing, online shopping become much easier and secure. I love shopping online for the convenience and varieties it provides. Do I worry about privacy and security? Of course, I do. That's why when shopping online; there are a few things I must check before placing an order.
Secure Server Site - Make sure the online shopping site is using 128-bit encryption technology. How do do you know? There are 2 ways. When browsing to pages that require entering personal or login information, check the website address if it begins with "https" not "http". Also, there should be a closed lock icon at the bottom right-hand corner of your browser (IE). Why is this important? When your information is transferred to the merchant's server, it goes through many different routers. If your data is not encrypted, network sniffer can easily read and collect your data. What is a network sniffer? Sniffer is a tool, which utilizes network interfaces of computer to capture data packets which destination is other computers. Network sniffers can be used both for legitimate network management functions and for stealing information off a network.Ok.This is getting too technical. If you are interested in knowing more about network sniffer, google "network sniffer" and you will find a lot of information.
Phone Number - Although email is the most common means of communication nowadays, I still prefer deal with companies that do provide a contact phone number just in case. For me, that is basic customer service. If shopping site does not provide that, be extra cautious!
Refund Policy - Make sure the merchant has one and read it through and make sure you understand the terms and am comfortable with it. There is no 1 rule for refund policy. Say, for books & CDs, it is understandable that there is no refund after a few days. This is a judgment call from your part to decide whether the refund policy is reasonable or not.
Privacy Policy - Make sure the shopping site has one and that they DO NOT sell or rent your information to third parties. Make sure your data is private to the merchant. Highly recommend companies that do not store your credit card information.
A few things that I check after placing the order.
Reference Numbers - Write down the payment reference number and order number. These will be the essential information you need if anything goes wrong. Usually, you should receive an order confirmation email with this information. Just in case, if you do not, you still have this information on hand.
Credit Card Statement - If you do your banking online (yeah, I do), the order will usually show up after a few days (after the merchant shipped out your order). Check it and make sure the charge is correct.
Product - Check the product right after you received it. If there is any problems, report to the online shopping site asap as there is usually a time restriction for refund. Don't wait!
That's all! Happy and safe online shopping!
Written By Mandy Kung, web editor of Miego Inc. at http://www.miego.com/
Source: articleage.com
With technology keeps enhancing, online shopping become much easier and secure. I love shopping online for the convenience and varieties it provides. Do I worry about privacy and security? Of course, I do. That's why when shopping online; there are a few things I must check before placing an order.
Secure Server Site - Make sure the online shopping site is using 128-bit encryption technology. How do do you know? There are 2 ways. When browsing to pages that require entering personal or login information, check the website address if it begins with "https" not "http". Also, there should be a closed lock icon at the bottom right-hand corner of your browser (IE). Why is this important? When your information is transferred to the merchant's server, it goes through many different routers. If your data is not encrypted, network sniffer can easily read and collect your data. What is a network sniffer? Sniffer is a tool, which utilizes network interfaces of computer to capture data packets which destination is other computers. Network sniffers can be used both for legitimate network management functions and for stealing information off a network.Ok.This is getting too technical. If you are interested in knowing more about network sniffer, google "network sniffer" and you will find a lot of information.
Phone Number - Although email is the most common means of communication nowadays, I still prefer deal with companies that do provide a contact phone number just in case. For me, that is basic customer service. If shopping site does not provide that, be extra cautious!
Refund Policy - Make sure the merchant has one and read it through and make sure you understand the terms and am comfortable with it. There is no 1 rule for refund policy. Say, for books & CDs, it is understandable that there is no refund after a few days. This is a judgment call from your part to decide whether the refund policy is reasonable or not.
Privacy Policy - Make sure the shopping site has one and that they DO NOT sell or rent your information to third parties. Make sure your data is private to the merchant. Highly recommend companies that do not store your credit card information.
A few things that I check after placing the order.
Reference Numbers - Write down the payment reference number and order number. These will be the essential information you need if anything goes wrong. Usually, you should receive an order confirmation email with this information. Just in case, if you do not, you still have this information on hand.
Credit Card Statement - If you do your banking online (yeah, I do), the order will usually show up after a few days (after the merchant shipped out your order). Check it and make sure the charge is correct.
Product - Check the product right after you received it. If there is any problems, report to the online shopping site asap as there is usually a time restriction for refund. Don't wait!
That's all! Happy and safe online shopping!
Written By Mandy Kung, web editor of Miego Inc. at http://www.miego.com/
The Benefits Of Shopping Online
Author: Obinna Heche
Source: articlemarketer.com
Online shopping is a type of electronic commerce used for business to business and business to consumer transactions. Online Shopping is a great resource for finding products that are being liquidated. It is definitely the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the internet. According to experts, online shopping is arguably the most predictable way to shop because because online shopping is becoming more and more popular and website that wants to gain more shoppers will use four major principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. Whether or not online shopping is secure is one question which gets asked over and over again by those who are considering making a purchase online.
Online
Online shopping has become extremely routine and predictable, which is one of its great appeals to the consumer. Online shoppers commonly use credit card to make payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means such as debit card and Various types of electronic payment proccessor. These stores are usually available 24 hours a day and many consumers have internet access both at work and at home. Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturers packaging will be available for direct inspection. Online shopping widened the target audience to men and women of the middle class. It provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store.
Shopping
Shopping has been a way of identifying oneself in todays culture by what we purchase and how we use our purchases. Shopping has evolved from single stores to large malls with different services such as offering delivery, attentive service and store credit and accepting return. Shopping Portals are important tools in Search engine marketing and make it simple to compare pricing and purchase with confidence. Online shopping has always been a middle to high class commodity since its first arrival on the internet. In recent years, online shopping has become popular, however, it still caters to the middle and upper class.
Information
Some stores allow consumers to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. For customers it is not only because of the high level of convenience but also because of the broader selection, competitive pricing and greater access to information. Designers of online shops should consider the effects of information load. The notion of information load is directly related to concerns about whether consumers can be given too much information in virtual shopping environments.
Compared with conventional retail shopping, computer shopping enriches the information environment of virtual shopping by providing additional product information, such as comparative products and services, as well as various alternatives and attributes of each alternative. Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice or how to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy.
However, one third of people that shop online use a search engine to find what they are looking for and about one fourth of people find websites by word of mouth. Online shopping provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store. A weakness of online shopping is that, even if a purchase can be made 24 hours a day, the customer must often be at home during normal business hours to accept the delivery. One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Online shopping is relatively a new concept and most people though it will not stand the test of time but now we have evidence that online shopping is doing pretty well.
Obinna Heche: Los Angeles, California.
For more info on shopping, products and services visit.. http://www.biggsmall.com
Source: articlemarketer.com
Online shopping is a type of electronic commerce used for business to business and business to consumer transactions. Online Shopping is a great resource for finding products that are being liquidated. It is definitely the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the internet. According to experts, online shopping is arguably the most predictable way to shop because because online shopping is becoming more and more popular and website that wants to gain more shoppers will use four major principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control. Whether or not online shopping is secure is one question which gets asked over and over again by those who are considering making a purchase online.
Online
Online shopping has become extremely routine and predictable, which is one of its great appeals to the consumer. Online shoppers commonly use credit card to make payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means such as debit card and Various types of electronic payment proccessor. These stores are usually available 24 hours a day and many consumers have internet access both at work and at home. Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturers packaging will be available for direct inspection. Online shopping widened the target audience to men and women of the middle class. It provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store.
Shopping
Shopping has been a way of identifying oneself in todays culture by what we purchase and how we use our purchases. Shopping has evolved from single stores to large malls with different services such as offering delivery, attentive service and store credit and accepting return. Shopping Portals are important tools in Search engine marketing and make it simple to compare pricing and purchase with confidence. Online shopping has always been a middle to high class commodity since its first arrival on the internet. In recent years, online shopping has become popular, however, it still caters to the middle and upper class.
Information
Some stores allow consumers to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. For customers it is not only because of the high level of convenience but also because of the broader selection, competitive pricing and greater access to information. Designers of online shops should consider the effects of information load. The notion of information load is directly related to concerns about whether consumers can be given too much information in virtual shopping environments.
Compared with conventional retail shopping, computer shopping enriches the information environment of virtual shopping by providing additional product information, such as comparative products and services, as well as various alternatives and attributes of each alternative. Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice or how to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy.
However, one third of people that shop online use a search engine to find what they are looking for and about one fourth of people find websites by word of mouth. Online shopping provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store. A weakness of online shopping is that, even if a purchase can be made 24 hours a day, the customer must often be at home during normal business hours to accept the delivery. One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Online shopping is relatively a new concept and most people though it will not stand the test of time but now we have evidence that online shopping is doing pretty well.
Obinna Heche: Los Angeles, California.
For more info on shopping, products and services visit.. http://www.biggsmall.com
The Truth About Online Shopping
Author: Obinna Heche
Source: articlemarketer.com
Indeed, online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the internet. According to sociological perspective online shopping is arguably the most predictable way to shop. The main idea of shopping online is not in having a good looking website that could be listed in a lot of search engines and it is not about the art behind the site. A theory can be used in terms of online shopping, because online shopping is becoming more and more popular and website that wants to gain more shoppers will use four major principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control.
Online
Online shopping has become extremely routine and predictable, which is one of its great appeals to the consumer. Online shoppers commonly use credit card to make payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means such as debit card and various types of electronic payment proccessor. These stores are usually available 24 hours a day and many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home. Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturers packaging will be available for direct inspection. Online shopping widened the target audience to men and women of the middle class. It provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store.
Shopping
Shopping has been a way of identifying oneself in todays culture by what we purchase and how we use our purchases. Shopping has evolved from single stores to large malls with different services such as offering delivery, attentive service and store credit and accepting return. Shopping portals are important tools in Search engine marketing and make it simple to compare pricing and purchase with confidence.
Information
Some stores allow consumers to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. For customers it is not only because of the high level of convenience but also because of the broader selection, competitive pricing and greater access to information. Designers of online shops should consider the effects of information load. The notion of information load is directly related to concerns about whether consumers can be given too much information in virtual shopping environments.
Compared with conventional retail shopping, computer shopping enriches the information environment of virtual shopping by providing additional product information, such as comparative products and services, as well as various alternatives and attributes of each alternative. Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy.
One third of people that shop online use a search engine to find what they are looking for and about one fourth of people find websites by word of mouth. Online shopping provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store. A weakness of online shopping is that, even if a purchase can be made 24 hours a day, the customer must often be at home during normal business hours to accept the delivery. One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Online shopping is relatively a new concept and most people though it will not stand the test of time but now we have evidence that it is doing pretty well even in a perceived or real recession.
Obinna Heche:
For more info on shopping, products and services visit.. http://www.biggsmall.com
Source: articlemarketer.com
Indeed, online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the internet. According to sociological perspective online shopping is arguably the most predictable way to shop. The main idea of shopping online is not in having a good looking website that could be listed in a lot of search engines and it is not about the art behind the site. A theory can be used in terms of online shopping, because online shopping is becoming more and more popular and website that wants to gain more shoppers will use four major principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control.
Online
Online shopping has become extremely routine and predictable, which is one of its great appeals to the consumer. Online shoppers commonly use credit card to make payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means such as debit card and various types of electronic payment proccessor. These stores are usually available 24 hours a day and many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home. Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturers packaging will be available for direct inspection. Online shopping widened the target audience to men and women of the middle class. It provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store.
Shopping
Shopping has been a way of identifying oneself in todays culture by what we purchase and how we use our purchases. Shopping has evolved from single stores to large malls with different services such as offering delivery, attentive service and store credit and accepting return. Shopping portals are important tools in Search engine marketing and make it simple to compare pricing and purchase with confidence.
Information
Some stores allow consumers to sign up for a permanent online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. For customers it is not only because of the high level of convenience but also because of the broader selection, competitive pricing and greater access to information. Designers of online shops should consider the effects of information load. The notion of information load is directly related to concerns about whether consumers can be given too much information in virtual shopping environments.
Compared with conventional retail shopping, computer shopping enriches the information environment of virtual shopping by providing additional product information, such as comparative products and services, as well as various alternatives and attributes of each alternative. Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy.
One third of people that shop online use a search engine to find what they are looking for and about one fourth of people find websites by word of mouth. Online shopping provides more freedom and control than shopping in a store. A weakness of online shopping is that, even if a purchase can be made 24 hours a day, the customer must often be at home during normal business hours to accept the delivery. One of the hardest areas to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Online shopping is relatively a new concept and most people though it will not stand the test of time but now we have evidence that it is doing pretty well even in a perceived or real recession.
Obinna Heche:
For more info on shopping, products and services visit.. http://www.biggsmall.com
Online PC Repair Services Gaining In Popularity
Author: Emma Elle
Source: articlesbase.com
Are you combating with yourself to understand those components, cables, and devices installed in your PC but end up with frustration? Well! No need to feel bad anymore. Nowadays instant computer repair solutions are readily available in form of online PC repair services. The technicians offering online computer support possess in-depth computer knowledge and help to boost your PC learning experience and make it fun. Since everything is done before you, you get to learn a lot about the intricacies involved with your PC. You will realize an increased level of acquaintance with your computer and its components that once used to look strange to you. Once armed with the right knowledge, you can fix computer problems on your own in future. Other benefits include large availability of choices, cost efficiency, and experts̢۪ advice. Opposed to online PC repair resources, you must be having hardly two or three computer repair shops in your area. This leaves you with no option and you require hauling your PC to the same shop irrespective of good or bad. On the other hand, there are more than thousands online vendors, each offering unique services thereby opening choices to you. Here, you are not compelled to narrow down on a single vendor. With online PC repair services, you get your computer repaired in the convenience of your home. Using remote desktop connection, the technicians diagnose your system and resolve the issues then and there. No matter where you live, you simply require the Internet connection. In case, you don't have the Internet at home, you can choose to avail the computer help at over phone. Starting from extremely simple computer issues like installation of any software to critical issues like virus deletion, fixing blue screen of death error, you can contact computer support resources for anything. Online personal computer repair works for most issues except critical computer hardware problems. Online computer repair services are certainly better and cheaper options than calling any prohibitive technicians at premises or taking your computer outside for repair. On call technicians charge on the basis of per hour whereas you pay a fixed fee to online computer repair shops that even offer you a free rate policy. This means that you don't need to pay if the issue has not been resolved.
Source: articlesbase.com
Are you combating with yourself to understand those components, cables, and devices installed in your PC but end up with frustration? Well! No need to feel bad anymore. Nowadays instant computer repair solutions are readily available in form of online PC repair services. The technicians offering online computer support possess in-depth computer knowledge and help to boost your PC learning experience and make it fun. Since everything is done before you, you get to learn a lot about the intricacies involved with your PC. You will realize an increased level of acquaintance with your computer and its components that once used to look strange to you. Once armed with the right knowledge, you can fix computer problems on your own in future. Other benefits include large availability of choices, cost efficiency, and experts̢۪ advice. Opposed to online PC repair resources, you must be having hardly two or three computer repair shops in your area. This leaves you with no option and you require hauling your PC to the same shop irrespective of good or bad. On the other hand, there are more than thousands online vendors, each offering unique services thereby opening choices to you. Here, you are not compelled to narrow down on a single vendor. With online PC repair services, you get your computer repaired in the convenience of your home. Using remote desktop connection, the technicians diagnose your system and resolve the issues then and there. No matter where you live, you simply require the Internet connection. In case, you don't have the Internet at home, you can choose to avail the computer help at over phone. Starting from extremely simple computer issues like installation of any software to critical issues like virus deletion, fixing blue screen of death error, you can contact computer support resources for anything. Online personal computer repair works for most issues except critical computer hardware problems. Online computer repair services are certainly better and cheaper options than calling any prohibitive technicians at premises or taking your computer outside for repair. On call technicians charge on the basis of per hour whereas you pay a fixed fee to online computer repair shops that even offer you a free rate policy. This means that you don't need to pay if the issue has not been resolved.
Emma is an online Online computer support specialist for iYogi, a leading IT support company Headquartered in India, iYogi provides computer support via phone and remote access for home and small business users globally. Live 24/7 Remote computer repair service from India.
Shops Online
Author: 101ShoppersToday.com
Source: articledashboard.com
Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the internet. An online shop, internet shop, web shop or online stores bring to mind the physical resemblance of buying products and services at a bricks mortar retailer or in a shopping mall. It is an electronic commerce application used for B2B or B2C.
Online shopping is most popular mainly because of its 'speed and ease of use.' Some issues of concern can include fluctuating exchange rates for foreign currencies, local and international laws and delivery methods. The downloading of digital goods is a top choice via electronically - your computer.
Shops and stores - Quickly increasing in importance are on line shops, where products and services can be ordered for physical delivery, downloading or practical delivery. There are three major types of retailing, two of which have buildings that the customer can visit to do business with. The first is counter-service, once the only type of shop, but now rare excluding selected items. The second, and now more widely used method of retail, is self-service.
Price comparison - An advantage of shopping online is being able to use the 'power of the internet' to seek out the lowest prices for items or services. For example, if one is buying a computer notebook he/she should enter ' computer or notebooks' into a search engine or a price search engine. Most preview services have the advantage of store ratings and reviews. Getting the lowest price is important, but it is more important to make sure the merchant or store the customer is purchasing from is reputable and quality goods and services.
Coupons & Discounts - There is websites that compiles coupon information for most online merchants. Before purchasing online, it is usually worth checking for coupons. Typing the name of the online merchant along with the word 'coupon' in a search engine will provide multiple results. Some of the more popular websites will already have items with coupons & discounts. This is a great advantage and if you don't have the time. Convenience & Time!
Rebates - There are at least three major shopping portals that provide members rebates for shopping via their sites. How does it work? The portals share the proceeds with the member/s. Rebates usually range in the 2-5% choice. Membership is free, but some porticos require a higher rebate balance before payout. Some will send out a payment automatically, others wait until the member/s requests one.
Steps when buying online - Browse product categories using a web browser. Put items into virtual shopping cart or market basket. Just as in a physical store viewing the contents of the cart can be done at any time. Quantities of products can be changed or deleted.
Checkout - Log in or register by choosing a username and a password. Enter personal data. Billing address Shipping address - can be different from the billing address. Phone number and E-Mail address - usually optional. Choose payment method. Choose delivery speed and method - post, courier and logistics service, etc. Confirm order after editing the personal data a confirmation page is displayed so that the online shopper can approve, change or cancel the order. Then logout.
Means of payment - Online shoppers commonly use their Credit card for making payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as - Debit card, EFT - various electronic money transfer types, C.O.D. - Cash on delivery, E online Check - works just like a debit, Wire Transfer - delivery of payment, Postal money order.
Once a payment has been accepted the goods or services can either be downloaded from the internet or delivered to the consumer via traditional means next day which is by air or ground shipping.
Security issues - User and payment data is encrypted by SSL when it is transferred on the Internet. Quality seals can be placed on the Shop/s or on line store/s webpage. If it has undergone an independent assessment and meets all requirements of the company issuing the security seal. The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of the online shoppers, the existence of many different best security seals this effort privacy of personal information.
About: 101ShoppersToday.com is the premier internets' reputable shop at home online source of products and services that compares for bargain shoppers. By shoppers that Web Shop. In addition, our 'The Shops Around' web blog and news page updates, daily shopper discounts, promotions, news, information, tips, bargains, links and manufacture discounts, rebates, outlet shops, uniqueness, gadgets and on line retailers & 'More.'
ฉ 2006 - 101ShoppersToday.com All Rights Reserved.
Link back to this web site required only!
Source: articledashboard.com
Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the internet. An online shop, internet shop, web shop or online stores bring to mind the physical resemblance of buying products and services at a bricks mortar retailer or in a shopping mall. It is an electronic commerce application used for B2B or B2C.
Online shopping is most popular mainly because of its 'speed and ease of use.' Some issues of concern can include fluctuating exchange rates for foreign currencies, local and international laws and delivery methods. The downloading of digital goods is a top choice via electronically - your computer.
Shops and stores - Quickly increasing in importance are on line shops, where products and services can be ordered for physical delivery, downloading or practical delivery. There are three major types of retailing, two of which have buildings that the customer can visit to do business with. The first is counter-service, once the only type of shop, but now rare excluding selected items. The second, and now more widely used method of retail, is self-service.
Price comparison - An advantage of shopping online is being able to use the 'power of the internet' to seek out the lowest prices for items or services. For example, if one is buying a computer notebook he/she should enter ' computer or notebooks' into a search engine or a price search engine. Most preview services have the advantage of store ratings and reviews. Getting the lowest price is important, but it is more important to make sure the merchant or store the customer is purchasing from is reputable and quality goods and services.
Coupons & Discounts - There is websites that compiles coupon information for most online merchants. Before purchasing online, it is usually worth checking for coupons. Typing the name of the online merchant along with the word 'coupon' in a search engine will provide multiple results. Some of the more popular websites will already have items with coupons & discounts. This is a great advantage and if you don't have the time. Convenience & Time!
Rebates - There are at least three major shopping portals that provide members rebates for shopping via their sites. How does it work? The portals share the proceeds with the member/s. Rebates usually range in the 2-5% choice. Membership is free, but some porticos require a higher rebate balance before payout. Some will send out a payment automatically, others wait until the member/s requests one.
Steps when buying online - Browse product categories using a web browser. Put items into virtual shopping cart or market basket. Just as in a physical store viewing the contents of the cart can be done at any time. Quantities of products can be changed or deleted.
Checkout - Log in or register by choosing a username and a password. Enter personal data. Billing address Shipping address - can be different from the billing address. Phone number and E-Mail address - usually optional. Choose payment method. Choose delivery speed and method - post, courier and logistics service, etc. Confirm order after editing the personal data a confirmation page is displayed so that the online shopper can approve, change or cancel the order. Then logout.
Means of payment - Online shoppers commonly use their Credit card for making payments, however some systems enable users to create accounts and pay by alternative means, such as - Debit card, EFT - various electronic money transfer types, C.O.D. - Cash on delivery, E online Check - works just like a debit, Wire Transfer - delivery of payment, Postal money order.
Once a payment has been accepted the goods or services can either be downloaded from the internet or delivered to the consumer via traditional means next day which is by air or ground shipping.
Security issues - User and payment data is encrypted by SSL when it is transferred on the Internet. Quality seals can be placed on the Shop/s or on line store/s webpage. If it has undergone an independent assessment and meets all requirements of the company issuing the security seal. The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of the online shoppers, the existence of many different best security seals this effort privacy of personal information.
About: 101ShoppersToday.com is the premier internets' reputable shop at home online source of products and services that compares for bargain shoppers. By shoppers that Web Shop. In addition, our 'The Shops Around' web blog and news page updates, daily shopper discounts, promotions, news, information, tips, bargains, links and manufacture discounts, rebates, outlet shops, uniqueness, gadgets and on line retailers & 'More.'
ฉ 2006 - 101ShoppersToday.com All Rights Reserved.
Link back to this web site required only!
Online Shopping: 10 Tips For Safe Online Shopping
Author: I-key Benney
Source: articleage.com
Have you ever bought a product or service from the internet?
Yes? Me too. You're not alone…
Some of the reasons why most people are shopping online are: they can buy anything at anytime because Internet shopping is available 24 hours, all the time.
You can shop from the convenience of your home. You can avoid traffic and crowding at the malls.
Online shopping is one of the best ways to locate hard-to-find items not available in your local stores.
Whatever you buy can be delivered by mail to your house.
Most online stores and companies provide excellent values and discount prices because they do not have to pay the overhead of owning a physical business that will cost them insurance, employee pay, taxes and more.
VeriSign, Inc. says that online sales recorded during the prime holidays shopping season was about $2.2 billion dollars.
According to a study by Forrester Research Company, by 2010, online sales will reach $331 billion dollars.
More consumers are shopping online today than a year ago. The range of products they buy are many: software, hardware, electronics, digital products, music, toys, e-books, books, programs, DVD, flowers, pets, jewelry, clothes, air tickets, insurance, cars, prescription drugs, comic books, games, gifts and more.
They are flocking to buy from online bookstores, software stores, online computer stores, target stores, pet stores, liquor stores, drug stores, music stores, furniture stores, fabric stores, the Disney store, outlet stores, surplus stores, discount stores, thrift stores, gift stores, candy stores, lingerie stores, sports stores, video stores, sex stores, department stores, game stores, clothing stores and others.
Be a smart and savvy online shopper. Shop wisely and safely.
Here are a few tips to help you do your online shopping safely.
(1) Shop at the websites of companies that you know and are popular offline.
If you're not sure of the company, request their catalog or brochure first.
Be sure they have a physical address and phone, as well as an e-mail address. Call them and speak to a human being first.
Check with the yellow pages and the Better Business Bureaus to be sure the company is legitimate.
Read all the fine print and the refund policy before you place an order.
You may read about product reviews and what other shoppers have to say about a company at:
http://www.epinions.com, http://www.consumersearch.com, http://www.productopia.com, http://www.deja.com
Here are some internet shopping agents' sites:
http://www.comparenet.com, http://vo.infospace.com, http://bottomdollar.com
To read about reviews on shopping stores, regarding ease of use, pricing, selection and service go to:
http://www.gomez.com, http://www.bizrate.com , http://www.ratingwonders.com
To read about web business frauds and get help to avoid being a victim, go to:
http://www.fraud.org , http://www.bbbonline.org , http://www.webassured.com
(2) Keep a record of all your purchases.
Most people are by nature disorganized and unable to keep records. Learn to keep records of all your online purchases. This will help you keep track of your spending and shopping.
Print all receipts or save them on your computer in a folder named "receipts".
This will help you locate orders that you placed but were never delivered.
The more organized you are the less negative online shopping experience you'll have.
(3) Keep all your important personal information safe.
Don't give them to strangers who may call you over the phone or request them by e-mail.
Personal information includes: your address, e-mail address, phone number, social security number, drivers license, age, information about your family.
Don't give them to any stranger and, also, teach your children not to do so.
(4) Keep your passwords private.
When creating a password, avoid using phone numbers, birth dates or social security numbers.
Be creative. Use a password that is not easy for others to guess, and yet not easy for you to forget.
Change your passwords often. Use phrases to help you remember them.
Don't disclose passwords to anyone.
(5) Use a credit (but never debit) card to make your payment.
Be sure to keep all credit card payment receipts. Check your credit card account statements to be able to spot any unauthorized charges.
When you buy certain goods and services from some companies, sometimes they will keep billing you thereafter. So scrutinize your statements. If you see a charge you're not sure of, call the billing merchant and check it out.
Keep your credit cards secure.
Avoid making a payment using your credit card on a public computer.
Report any lost credit cards immediately and have them cancelled. Don't give anyone that you don't know your credit card number.
(6) Read the return policy before placing an order.
Be sure that you read and understand the return policy and warranty.
(7) Read and understand the company's privacy statement (or policy).
A privacy statement tells you how and why a business is collecting your information, and how that information may be used.
You may find the company's privacy statement (or policy) at the very bottom of the home page or inside their "Terms & Conditions" or "Terms of Service" (TOS).
(8) Use a secure browser and server.
Be sure whatever browser you're using complies with the industry's security standards, such as secure sockets layer (SSL).
This security protocol scrambles or encrypts the personal information you send over the Internet to ensure your transaction is secured.
How do you know if the server is secure where you're making a payment?
If a Web site is using secure technology, its Web address begins with https and a tiny locked padlock appears at the bottom right corner of the screen.
(9) Check out a few stores and compare prices before buying.
Look for hidden costs such as shipping and handling.
(10) Use Yahoo Search Engine for all your searches.
Yahoo continues to be, not only the largest online company, but also, the best Search Engine.
Unlike the other popular Search engine, which keeps companies in a sandbox for many months and refuses to give them rankings for many months, Yahoo is pro business and gives immediate rankings to companies and business.
Their search result is also excellent. That may be one reason why 60% of people online (including me) love Yahoo.
Also, they have the most reliable and the best hosting service in the world.
For these reasons, I strongly recommend you use Yahoo to do all your searches.
Happy and safe online shopping.
Warmly,
I-key Benney
Visit Maychic's website at: http://www.maychic.com
And also Maychic's Amazon.com Store at:
http://www.maychic.com/amazonstore
Download free "TMT Power Secrets" Book-1 at:
http://www.tmtworldwide.org
Source: articleage.com
Have you ever bought a product or service from the internet?
Yes? Me too. You're not alone…
Some of the reasons why most people are shopping online are: they can buy anything at anytime because Internet shopping is available 24 hours, all the time.
You can shop from the convenience of your home. You can avoid traffic and crowding at the malls.
Online shopping is one of the best ways to locate hard-to-find items not available in your local stores.
Whatever you buy can be delivered by mail to your house.
Most online stores and companies provide excellent values and discount prices because they do not have to pay the overhead of owning a physical business that will cost them insurance, employee pay, taxes and more.
VeriSign, Inc. says that online sales recorded during the prime holidays shopping season was about $2.2 billion dollars.
According to a study by Forrester Research Company, by 2010, online sales will reach $331 billion dollars.
More consumers are shopping online today than a year ago. The range of products they buy are many: software, hardware, electronics, digital products, music, toys, e-books, books, programs, DVD, flowers, pets, jewelry, clothes, air tickets, insurance, cars, prescription drugs, comic books, games, gifts and more.
They are flocking to buy from online bookstores, software stores, online computer stores, target stores, pet stores, liquor stores, drug stores, music stores, furniture stores, fabric stores, the Disney store, outlet stores, surplus stores, discount stores, thrift stores, gift stores, candy stores, lingerie stores, sports stores, video stores, sex stores, department stores, game stores, clothing stores and others.
Be a smart and savvy online shopper. Shop wisely and safely.
Here are a few tips to help you do your online shopping safely.
(1) Shop at the websites of companies that you know and are popular offline.
If you're not sure of the company, request their catalog or brochure first.
Be sure they have a physical address and phone, as well as an e-mail address. Call them and speak to a human being first.
Check with the yellow pages and the Better Business Bureaus to be sure the company is legitimate.
Read all the fine print and the refund policy before you place an order.
You may read about product reviews and what other shoppers have to say about a company at:
http://www.epinions.com, http://www.consumersearch.com, http://www.productopia.com, http://www.deja.com
Here are some internet shopping agents' sites:
http://www.comparenet.com, http://vo.infospace.com, http://bottomdollar.com
To read about reviews on shopping stores, regarding ease of use, pricing, selection and service go to:
http://www.gomez.com, http://www.bizrate.com , http://www.ratingwonders.com
To read about web business frauds and get help to avoid being a victim, go to:
http://www.fraud.org , http://www.bbbonline.org , http://www.webassured.com
(2) Keep a record of all your purchases.
Most people are by nature disorganized and unable to keep records. Learn to keep records of all your online purchases. This will help you keep track of your spending and shopping.
Print all receipts or save them on your computer in a folder named "receipts".
This will help you locate orders that you placed but were never delivered.
The more organized you are the less negative online shopping experience you'll have.
(3) Keep all your important personal information safe.
Don't give them to strangers who may call you over the phone or request them by e-mail.
Personal information includes: your address, e-mail address, phone number, social security number, drivers license, age, information about your family.
Don't give them to any stranger and, also, teach your children not to do so.
(4) Keep your passwords private.
When creating a password, avoid using phone numbers, birth dates or social security numbers.
Be creative. Use a password that is not easy for others to guess, and yet not easy for you to forget.
Change your passwords often. Use phrases to help you remember them.
Don't disclose passwords to anyone.
(5) Use a credit (but never debit) card to make your payment.
Be sure to keep all credit card payment receipts. Check your credit card account statements to be able to spot any unauthorized charges.
When you buy certain goods and services from some companies, sometimes they will keep billing you thereafter. So scrutinize your statements. If you see a charge you're not sure of, call the billing merchant and check it out.
Keep your credit cards secure.
Avoid making a payment using your credit card on a public computer.
Report any lost credit cards immediately and have them cancelled. Don't give anyone that you don't know your credit card number.
(6) Read the return policy before placing an order.
Be sure that you read and understand the return policy and warranty.
(7) Read and understand the company's privacy statement (or policy).
A privacy statement tells you how and why a business is collecting your information, and how that information may be used.
You may find the company's privacy statement (or policy) at the very bottom of the home page or inside their "Terms & Conditions" or "Terms of Service" (TOS).
(8) Use a secure browser and server.
Be sure whatever browser you're using complies with the industry's security standards, such as secure sockets layer (SSL).
This security protocol scrambles or encrypts the personal information you send over the Internet to ensure your transaction is secured.
How do you know if the server is secure where you're making a payment?
If a Web site is using secure technology, its Web address begins with https and a tiny locked padlock appears at the bottom right corner of the screen.
(9) Check out a few stores and compare prices before buying.
Look for hidden costs such as shipping and handling.
(10) Use Yahoo Search Engine for all your searches.
Yahoo continues to be, not only the largest online company, but also, the best Search Engine.
Unlike the other popular Search engine, which keeps companies in a sandbox for many months and refuses to give them rankings for many months, Yahoo is pro business and gives immediate rankings to companies and business.
Their search result is also excellent. That may be one reason why 60% of people online (including me) love Yahoo.
Also, they have the most reliable and the best hosting service in the world.
For these reasons, I strongly recommend you use Yahoo to do all your searches.
Happy and safe online shopping.
Warmly,
I-key Benney
Visit Maychic's website at: http://www.maychic.com
And also Maychic's Amazon.com Store at:
http://www.maychic.com/amazonstore
Download free "TMT Power Secrets" Book-1 at:
http://www.tmtworldwide.org
Shop Online For the Best Consumer Electronics Information, Prices, and Availability
Author: Chris Robertson
Source: articleage.com
Shopping for consumer electronics can be difficult because you have so many options. Consumer electronics such as a new DVD player, portable audio components, an MP3 player, computer, and digital camera are often hard to buy in the store because pushy sales people hound you. It's hard enough to determine what you want from your audio equipment, or even household items, clothing, and collectibles, but when you have a sales person hounding you and pressuring your, it becomes even more difficult.
Buying consumer electronics doesn't have to be difficult. One of the best ways to buy the items you want and need is to shop online for them. There are a lot of great retailers online that can hook you up with new video games, a new computer, that digital camera you've been looking at, or gifts for your family and friends. When you shop with online retailers you don't have to deal with pushy sales people that have their own motives in selling you a particular product. What's even better is that when you shop online you can often buy the products you want and need at wholesale prices.
Not only can you purchase consumer electronics online for wholesale and outstanding prices, you can also buy collectables, as seen on TV products, clothing, household items, and more. Anything you can think of, and then some, can be purchased online. You don't have to leave home to buy the things that you want, you don't have to deal with pushy or unknowledgeable sales people, and you don't even have to get dressed if you don't want to!
Shopping with online retailers and wholesale vendors can also be beneficial if you are looking for an item that is sold out or not offered at stores in your local area. Depending on the electronics retailers and other retail stores you have in your area, you may not be able to obtain the products for your home or your personal use that you want. Often times you can get online and find a great retailer or wholesale vendor that can get you the products that you want for less than you had anticipated. Because you pay less than you had planned online, you can often purchase other items for yourself, you can spend more on gifts, or you can simply keep the money in the bank account for the next time you want to shop!
Consumer electronics are often way over priced if you shop locally. That MP3 player that you have been looking at locally may be purchased for up to 30% less if you shop online with the right retailer or wholesale vendor. The same can be said for a DVD player, portable audio equipment, video games, computer equipment, digital cameras, and more, making online shopping a great way to get the most for your money.
Before you buy from any source you may want to check out consumer electronics reviews that will put you in touch with other peoples specific impressions of the electronics items you may purchase. All of this information can be found easily online, so you know that you are buying the best product for you. When you shop locally for electronics, gifts, collectables, and other items you will be at the mercy of the salesperson you deal with. Shopping online with the right wholesale vendor or retailer will allow you to get all the information you need to make the right purchase, as well as save money on the actual purchase. Online shopping isn't just about convenience; it's about access to information and products that you cannot get in just any store.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
Learn more about Buy Consumer Electronics or Majon's Electronics directory.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson
Source: articleage.com
Shopping for consumer electronics can be difficult because you have so many options. Consumer electronics such as a new DVD player, portable audio components, an MP3 player, computer, and digital camera are often hard to buy in the store because pushy sales people hound you. It's hard enough to determine what you want from your audio equipment, or even household items, clothing, and collectibles, but when you have a sales person hounding you and pressuring your, it becomes even more difficult.
Buying consumer electronics doesn't have to be difficult. One of the best ways to buy the items you want and need is to shop online for them. There are a lot of great retailers online that can hook you up with new video games, a new computer, that digital camera you've been looking at, or gifts for your family and friends. When you shop with online retailers you don't have to deal with pushy sales people that have their own motives in selling you a particular product. What's even better is that when you shop online you can often buy the products you want and need at wholesale prices.
Not only can you purchase consumer electronics online for wholesale and outstanding prices, you can also buy collectables, as seen on TV products, clothing, household items, and more. Anything you can think of, and then some, can be purchased online. You don't have to leave home to buy the things that you want, you don't have to deal with pushy or unknowledgeable sales people, and you don't even have to get dressed if you don't want to!
Shopping with online retailers and wholesale vendors can also be beneficial if you are looking for an item that is sold out or not offered at stores in your local area. Depending on the electronics retailers and other retail stores you have in your area, you may not be able to obtain the products for your home or your personal use that you want. Often times you can get online and find a great retailer or wholesale vendor that can get you the products that you want for less than you had anticipated. Because you pay less than you had planned online, you can often purchase other items for yourself, you can spend more on gifts, or you can simply keep the money in the bank account for the next time you want to shop!
Consumer electronics are often way over priced if you shop locally. That MP3 player that you have been looking at locally may be purchased for up to 30% less if you shop online with the right retailer or wholesale vendor. The same can be said for a DVD player, portable audio equipment, video games, computer equipment, digital cameras, and more, making online shopping a great way to get the most for your money.
Before you buy from any source you may want to check out consumer electronics reviews that will put you in touch with other peoples specific impressions of the electronics items you may purchase. All of this information can be found easily online, so you know that you are buying the best product for you. When you shop locally for electronics, gifts, collectables, and other items you will be at the mercy of the salesperson you deal with. Shopping online with the right wholesale vendor or retailer will allow you to get all the information you need to make the right purchase, as well as save money on the actual purchase. Online shopping isn't just about convenience; it's about access to information and products that you cannot get in just any store.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
Learn more about Buy Consumer Electronics or Majon's Electronics directory.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson
Safe Online Shopping in 7 Simple Steps
Author: David Allan Webb
Source: ezinearticles.com
Given the current economic problems, people are increasingly turning to internet shopping in order to save money. A comfortable way to browse and compare gift ideas, shopping online provides a more efficient method of researching the cheapest prices available in high street stores.
Buying your gifts on the internet provides the distinct advantage that you can quickly and efficiently compare the prices of your chosen items. Manually comparing prices often yields favourable results, or price comparison websites such as Pricerunner or Kelkoo can often help to find the best prices in the least time. In a difficult economic climate, the ability to economise your budget is, without doubt, a contributing factor to the rising popularity of online shopping.
Internet shopping is generally a very safe and convenient platform for today's busy shopper, however to ensure a productive shopping experience it is worth adhering to the top 7 tips of safe online shopping.
1) SSL Security Certificate
It is important that the website you are buying from carries an SSL certificate on pages where you are entering private information such credit card and billing information. 'SSL' stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is used to encrypt sensitive information transmitted over the internet.
Information transmitted via SSL cannot be read by unauthorised third parties, so your details cannot be deciphered even in the off-chance they are intercepted. To check whether the website you are buying from uses SSL (a requirement of websites which transmit credit card details) simply check the URL of your page for the https: and/or the secure padlock symbol at the foot of your browser window.
2) Internet Browser Updates
To ensure a trouble-free online shopping experience, and in general, you should always ensure your internet browser is kept as up to date as possible. The latest browser updates are continually released to address security bugs and vulnerabilities. Free to download and install, updating your browser is quick and easy, so there is no reason not to have the latest version of your browser installed.
3) Operating System Updates
As with Internet Browsers, Operating Systems can also be vulnerable to new bugs and security holes, which is why it is important to keep your operating system up to date for a safe online experience. This is especially important for Windows based operating systems, which are installed in most home computers/laptops, and as such are particularly liable to security breaches.
Most modern operating systems provide automatic software updates. Alternatively, you can manually download the most recent software updates for free online. In either case, you should always ensure your operating system is up to date to ensure optimal security at all times.
4) Keep Your Anti-Virus Software Up-To-Date
Most of us are aware of the importance of installing a good anti-virus suite, but it is worth re-emphasising this point. Viruses often arrive in the guise of email attachments or website downloads, but they can also be unknowingly downloaded from malicious websites just by visiting that website.
There are a variety of excellent anti-virus packages available, some of which are free, so securing your computer against potential virus threats is as simple as finding the a package which suits you and installing it.
You should also make sure your anti-virus suite is up-to-date by installing the most recent virus definitions when they become available. Updated virus definitions contain code used to recognise new virus threats, so to make sure your device is adequately protected it is important to install these updates. Your anti-virus package normally download these definitions automatically, and Windows based operating systems will recognise whether or not your virus protection is up-to-date.
5) Adware/Anti-Spyware/Malware software
There are other forms of malicious software which pose a potential threat to internet users. Spyware and Adware usually install themselves on your computer simply by visiting an infected website. At its worst, this type of software can install malicious programs such as keylogger software, which can log the keypresses of the keyboard on an infected machine, and can be used to hijack sensitive information such as credit card numbers.
There are a number of very good free software packages which prevent malicious software such as Spyware/Adware/Malware from running on your machine, so it is a wise move to install such a package on your device.
6) Install a Firewall
A Firewall is a piece of software which prevents access to your computer by an unauthorised user or software program. If you do not have a Firewall installed, your computer might be vulnerable to being hacked and malicious software such as trojans, viruses and worms, therefore it is important to make sure you have one installed. Again, there are a variety of excellent Firewall programs available for free download, and in modern installations of Windows operating systems a Firewall is included as standard.
7) Don't Fall For Phishing
'Phishing' is a widespread security issue whereby a malicious user/organisation can gain access to sensitive information such as credit card/username/password details by utilising a fake website and/or email.
Typically, a user will receive an email, for example from a reputable bank, requesting that the email recipient the email update their details online. The phishing email normally contains a link to a illegitimate website designed to collect your details for fraudulent purposes. These websites are often near-identical the original website on which they are based, and recipients of phishing emails are often tricked into entering their sensitive information to fraudulent third parties.
Modern Internet Browsers have installed anti-phishing tools which alert users to of potential phishing threats. Vigilance is also recommended, as banking websites will never email clients requesting full passwords or usernames.
By applying these top 7 tips for safe shopping online, you can ensure online shopping is as safe as possible, with the added satisfaction that you can make significant savings in the process.
Source: ezinearticles.com
Given the current economic problems, people are increasingly turning to internet shopping in order to save money. A comfortable way to browse and compare gift ideas, shopping online provides a more efficient method of researching the cheapest prices available in high street stores.
Buying your gifts on the internet provides the distinct advantage that you can quickly and efficiently compare the prices of your chosen items. Manually comparing prices often yields favourable results, or price comparison websites such as Pricerunner or Kelkoo can often help to find the best prices in the least time. In a difficult economic climate, the ability to economise your budget is, without doubt, a contributing factor to the rising popularity of online shopping.
Internet shopping is generally a very safe and convenient platform for today's busy shopper, however to ensure a productive shopping experience it is worth adhering to the top 7 tips of safe online shopping.
1) SSL Security Certificate
It is important that the website you are buying from carries an SSL certificate on pages where you are entering private information such credit card and billing information. 'SSL' stands for Secure Sockets Layer and is used to encrypt sensitive information transmitted over the internet.
Information transmitted via SSL cannot be read by unauthorised third parties, so your details cannot be deciphered even in the off-chance they are intercepted. To check whether the website you are buying from uses SSL (a requirement of websites which transmit credit card details) simply check the URL of your page for the https: and/or the secure padlock symbol at the foot of your browser window.
2) Internet Browser Updates
To ensure a trouble-free online shopping experience, and in general, you should always ensure your internet browser is kept as up to date as possible. The latest browser updates are continually released to address security bugs and vulnerabilities. Free to download and install, updating your browser is quick and easy, so there is no reason not to have the latest version of your browser installed.
3) Operating System Updates
As with Internet Browsers, Operating Systems can also be vulnerable to new bugs and security holes, which is why it is important to keep your operating system up to date for a safe online experience. This is especially important for Windows based operating systems, which are installed in most home computers/laptops, and as such are particularly liable to security breaches.
Most modern operating systems provide automatic software updates. Alternatively, you can manually download the most recent software updates for free online. In either case, you should always ensure your operating system is up to date to ensure optimal security at all times.
4) Keep Your Anti-Virus Software Up-To-Date
Most of us are aware of the importance of installing a good anti-virus suite, but it is worth re-emphasising this point. Viruses often arrive in the guise of email attachments or website downloads, but they can also be unknowingly downloaded from malicious websites just by visiting that website.
There are a variety of excellent anti-virus packages available, some of which are free, so securing your computer against potential virus threats is as simple as finding the a package which suits you and installing it.
You should also make sure your anti-virus suite is up-to-date by installing the most recent virus definitions when they become available. Updated virus definitions contain code used to recognise new virus threats, so to make sure your device is adequately protected it is important to install these updates. Your anti-virus package normally download these definitions automatically, and Windows based operating systems will recognise whether or not your virus protection is up-to-date.
5) Adware/Anti-Spyware/Malware software
There are other forms of malicious software which pose a potential threat to internet users. Spyware and Adware usually install themselves on your computer simply by visiting an infected website. At its worst, this type of software can install malicious programs such as keylogger software, which can log the keypresses of the keyboard on an infected machine, and can be used to hijack sensitive information such as credit card numbers.
There are a number of very good free software packages which prevent malicious software such as Spyware/Adware/Malware from running on your machine, so it is a wise move to install such a package on your device.
6) Install a Firewall
A Firewall is a piece of software which prevents access to your computer by an unauthorised user or software program. If you do not have a Firewall installed, your computer might be vulnerable to being hacked and malicious software such as trojans, viruses and worms, therefore it is important to make sure you have one installed. Again, there are a variety of excellent Firewall programs available for free download, and in modern installations of Windows operating systems a Firewall is included as standard.
7) Don't Fall For Phishing
'Phishing' is a widespread security issue whereby a malicious user/organisation can gain access to sensitive information such as credit card/username/password details by utilising a fake website and/or email.
Typically, a user will receive an email, for example from a reputable bank, requesting that the email recipient the email update their details online. The phishing email normally contains a link to a illegitimate website designed to collect your details for fraudulent purposes. These websites are often near-identical the original website on which they are based, and recipients of phishing emails are often tricked into entering their sensitive information to fraudulent third parties.
Modern Internet Browsers have installed anti-phishing tools which alert users to of potential phishing threats. Vigilance is also recommended, as banking websites will never email clients requesting full passwords or usernames.
By applying these top 7 tips for safe shopping online, you can ensure online shopping is as safe as possible, with the added satisfaction that you can make significant savings in the process.
David Webb is the senior web developer for GiftyGifts.co.uk, an online gift store specialising in Novelty Mugs, Terramundi Pots, and Edward Monkton gifts.
The eVolution Of The iNternet Family Online Shopping Mall
Author: Mikey Miller
Source: download
Do you remember how great great grandfather did the family shopping? He would hook up his team of horses to the big wagon put in the family and trudge off across the prairie for a day or so to get to the nearest 'general store'. Once there it was a great outing for the family. The store had everything needed from children's store bought candy to mother's ready made dress. If the store did not have that certain special item there was always the option of the catalog.
After the turn of the century (1900 not 2000) a couple of remarkable changes occurred that begin to alter family shopping. America began to grow up and out - at least to the oceans. And the automobile made its auspicious entrance. Now the family could get to the general store much faster. Mother loved that, she could make more trips is a shorter time.
There was, however, an embryo of change being observed in the stores themselves. The increase in populations made for more stores and a wider variety of markets. The general store began to break up. 'Specialty' stores began to emerge. Dress shops, drug stores, movie theaters etc. A whole group of cottage industries began to make an entrance. It is true the big boys were still ever present and getting bigger. Sears Roebuck and Co, J. C. Penny, and others were still on top, still selling through the ever present catalogs.
As our country grew through World War II it became more sophisticated. The little village grew into a city. This resulted in the concept of a 'town square'. The big stores were usually on opposite sides of the square with the little specialty shops filling in the gaps. Usually these types of cities were the county seat so you would have a court house and a government office building. There was something else of importance that came into prominence through this period. Access to information began to grow with the appearance of the County Library.
As we moved into the 1960s the automobile presented a nightmare problem to family shopping that was totally unexpected. Traffic and Parking began to choke the city square concept. It is certain everyone still wanted to shop, but usually at the same time. It was near impossible to find a parking meter on the down town streets in the town square.
American ingenuity, as usual, prevailed. We made parking the priority item and called it all a 'suburban shopping mall'. Now there were acres of free parking with the shops in the middle. The next major evolution was to air condition the whole shopping mall. What's not to like? The big guys where still at opposite ends of the shopping mall. Now there was unlimited space for expansion of the specialty shops. Even better, it was all accessible on foot. Only thing left was the food court. Now family shopping had moved to heaven.
We refined and sharpen this concept to an art form over the next few decades. Some where during that period of time the government slipped in a not understood or utilized system which took the handle of the 'internet'. So what? Nothing happened for a long time. Then the next stunning invention occurred. The mouse (computer) began to wiggle around. Do you not understand that without the mouse the computer is a black box? Put them together and we have the Personal Computer.
Somewhere in the eternal scheme of things the infinite minds of the computer geeks and nerds began to squeak and rumble. A marriage of the internet and personal computer took place. While that is a worthwhile discourse in its own right far too large for our purposes we would be remiss to pass it by without comment. It was only a few years back, in the mid 1990s that this even occurred. This is important to understand to be able to focus of the rapidity of current events, speaking of the internet online shopping. It was about 1994/95 time period that a company called Netscape came along with their commercial internet browser. It started an absolute revolution. It is not until about 1996 that Microsoft finally figured it out and came roaring down the road with their internet explorer. The race was on.
The other side of the story was the functional software development on the internet. In the beginning the only thing we could figure out for the internet was file transfer (FTP). Then it dawned on someone that if we could read from the internet why not write to the internet. Incredible concept! Websites began popping up all over the place.
We began to see a true information highway. Any company could advertise it presence throughout the world with minimal effort. The internet browser now could interact with a company's data base. Of course, it was just a heart beat away until the website could actually sell products. The impact of this was absolutely profound. Shopping was changing course. It was now being called internet online shopping. Family online shopping was born.
Internet online shopping is now moving so fast it is near impossible to keep up from day to day. However, what goes around comes around; we are right back to the 1950s, electronically speaking. The big boys still have their big websites. But now the little specialty ishops are filling in the blanks. They can compete directly with the big companies-almost. There are online shopping malls all over the internet. Home shopping online, even discount shopping online is growing non-linearly everyday
There are now, as there always are, another set of complications that have risen with need to be addressed. There are literally millions of websites on the internet to be found or in most cases NOT to be found. This has caused the mushrooming of another incredibly fast most moving cottage industry in the form of Internet Marketing. Search engines, Pay Per Click (PPC), Website Content etc. are all now very critical to a website.
When you search during an online shopping spree, for our purposes a shopping search, it is not uncommon to get back several thousand websites. In order to truly shop you must go through one website at a time until you can find that for which you are looking. This gives rise to the word surfing.
The solutions for these problems are emerging in the form of holistic online shopping mall websites that provide categories from discount shopping online to online clothes shopping to surf through. The website bears the burden and responsibility of filtering and selecting appropriate merchants based on the subject of the website.
The next cutting edge development emerging is the 'internet online shopping specialty ishops'. That is where a very narrow subject is the focus of a 'mini website'. For example, a 'Women's Plus Size Clothing Specialty iShop' or a 'Family Scrapbooking Specialty iShop'. The list for online shopping specialty ishops will soon be endless. The important factor here is this type of website contains only merchants for that very specific specialty. That places all the major merchants plus many of the competitive smaller online shopping website within one click of the customer. It greatly curtails the endless surfing through each merchant website.
One last point, much like the shopping mall of old the specialty online shopping website will have the library, i.e., information highway, news links, ebooks, fresh content articles and what ever else is required to maintain a holistic family shopping environment at you finger tips.
Then the next step in family online shopping will be …
Mikey Miller is a single father of a 12 year old daughter who has worked for the same company since he was 16 years old. At 36 Mikey realized that his future was a dead end.
He began looking to the internet as the last frontier where a young man could earn his own destiney. After a couple of years of self education the result has been the Family iMall .
Mikey invites you to send your comments and suggestions to mikey@familyimall. Together we can define what the family shopping malls will look like in the future.
Source: download
Do you remember how great great grandfather did the family shopping? He would hook up his team of horses to the big wagon put in the family and trudge off across the prairie for a day or so to get to the nearest 'general store'. Once there it was a great outing for the family. The store had everything needed from children's store bought candy to mother's ready made dress. If the store did not have that certain special item there was always the option of the catalog.
After the turn of the century (1900 not 2000) a couple of remarkable changes occurred that begin to alter family shopping. America began to grow up and out - at least to the oceans. And the automobile made its auspicious entrance. Now the family could get to the general store much faster. Mother loved that, she could make more trips is a shorter time.
There was, however, an embryo of change being observed in the stores themselves. The increase in populations made for more stores and a wider variety of markets. The general store began to break up. 'Specialty' stores began to emerge. Dress shops, drug stores, movie theaters etc. A whole group of cottage industries began to make an entrance. It is true the big boys were still ever present and getting bigger. Sears Roebuck and Co, J. C. Penny, and others were still on top, still selling through the ever present catalogs.
As our country grew through World War II it became more sophisticated. The little village grew into a city. This resulted in the concept of a 'town square'. The big stores were usually on opposite sides of the square with the little specialty shops filling in the gaps. Usually these types of cities were the county seat so you would have a court house and a government office building. There was something else of importance that came into prominence through this period. Access to information began to grow with the appearance of the County Library.
As we moved into the 1960s the automobile presented a nightmare problem to family shopping that was totally unexpected. Traffic and Parking began to choke the city square concept. It is certain everyone still wanted to shop, but usually at the same time. It was near impossible to find a parking meter on the down town streets in the town square.
American ingenuity, as usual, prevailed. We made parking the priority item and called it all a 'suburban shopping mall'. Now there were acres of free parking with the shops in the middle. The next major evolution was to air condition the whole shopping mall. What's not to like? The big guys where still at opposite ends of the shopping mall. Now there was unlimited space for expansion of the specialty shops. Even better, it was all accessible on foot. Only thing left was the food court. Now family shopping had moved to heaven.
We refined and sharpen this concept to an art form over the next few decades. Some where during that period of time the government slipped in a not understood or utilized system which took the handle of the 'internet'. So what? Nothing happened for a long time. Then the next stunning invention occurred. The mouse (computer) began to wiggle around. Do you not understand that without the mouse the computer is a black box? Put them together and we have the Personal Computer.
Somewhere in the eternal scheme of things the infinite minds of the computer geeks and nerds began to squeak and rumble. A marriage of the internet and personal computer took place. While that is a worthwhile discourse in its own right far too large for our purposes we would be remiss to pass it by without comment. It was only a few years back, in the mid 1990s that this even occurred. This is important to understand to be able to focus of the rapidity of current events, speaking of the internet online shopping. It was about 1994/95 time period that a company called Netscape came along with their commercial internet browser. It started an absolute revolution. It is not until about 1996 that Microsoft finally figured it out and came roaring down the road with their internet explorer. The race was on.
The other side of the story was the functional software development on the internet. In the beginning the only thing we could figure out for the internet was file transfer (FTP). Then it dawned on someone that if we could read from the internet why not write to the internet. Incredible concept! Websites began popping up all over the place.
We began to see a true information highway. Any company could advertise it presence throughout the world with minimal effort. The internet browser now could interact with a company's data base. Of course, it was just a heart beat away until the website could actually sell products. The impact of this was absolutely profound. Shopping was changing course. It was now being called internet online shopping. Family online shopping was born.
Internet online shopping is now moving so fast it is near impossible to keep up from day to day. However, what goes around comes around; we are right back to the 1950s, electronically speaking. The big boys still have their big websites. But now the little specialty ishops are filling in the blanks. They can compete directly with the big companies-almost. There are online shopping malls all over the internet. Home shopping online, even discount shopping online is growing non-linearly everyday
There are now, as there always are, another set of complications that have risen with need to be addressed. There are literally millions of websites on the internet to be found or in most cases NOT to be found. This has caused the mushrooming of another incredibly fast most moving cottage industry in the form of Internet Marketing. Search engines, Pay Per Click (PPC), Website Content etc. are all now very critical to a website.
When you search during an online shopping spree, for our purposes a shopping search, it is not uncommon to get back several thousand websites. In order to truly shop you must go through one website at a time until you can find that for which you are looking. This gives rise to the word surfing.
The solutions for these problems are emerging in the form of holistic online shopping mall websites that provide categories from discount shopping online to online clothes shopping to surf through. The website bears the burden and responsibility of filtering and selecting appropriate merchants based on the subject of the website.
The next cutting edge development emerging is the 'internet online shopping specialty ishops'. That is where a very narrow subject is the focus of a 'mini website'. For example, a 'Women's Plus Size Clothing Specialty iShop' or a 'Family Scrapbooking Specialty iShop'. The list for online shopping specialty ishops will soon be endless. The important factor here is this type of website contains only merchants for that very specific specialty. That places all the major merchants plus many of the competitive smaller online shopping website within one click of the customer. It greatly curtails the endless surfing through each merchant website.
One last point, much like the shopping mall of old the specialty online shopping website will have the library, i.e., information highway, news links, ebooks, fresh content articles and what ever else is required to maintain a holistic family shopping environment at you finger tips.
Then the next step in family online shopping will be …
Mikey Miller is a single father of a 12 year old daughter who has worked for the same company since he was 16 years old. At 36 Mikey realized that his future was a dead end.
He began looking to the internet as the last frontier where a young man could earn his own destiney. After a couple of years of self education the result has been the Family iMall .
Mikey invites you to send your comments and suggestions to mikey@familyimall. Together we can define what the family shopping malls will look like in the future.
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