| Online coupon clipper offers shoppers choice
Neal Rapoport sees no reason to trek out into the cold in the wee hours of the morning to find the best holiday shopping deals in the name of Black Friday. Especially since the best deals in town can be as close as your computer.Rapoport is president of Dealtaker.com, a free, online bargain hunting service that collects store flyers, online coupons and links to the best deals on the Internet."A lot of Black Friday items are online," Rapoport said. "They're even cheaper if you have a coupon on top of it."Throw in free shipping codes, and there's no reason to leave the house."With gas prices so high, the cost to drive to the store is as much or more than shipping," he saidOnline shopping is nothing new. It was one of the early drivers behind consumer adoption of the Internet. Then privacy concerns caused people to step back into the store.
Online customer satisfaction high despite some declines from last year
Two reports on online customer satisfaction this holiday season show shoppers generally satisfied with their experience this year, though one report shows a slight drop from last years satisfaction levels. The reports, from Nielsen Online and from Foresee Results Top 40 Online Retailer Satisfaction Index, both ranked Netflix.com ahead of all other online retailers in terms of customer satisfaction. Nielsen Online, a unit of The Nielsen Company, reported that 82% of online shoppers surveyed were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with customer support available during their online shopping experience. The data were gathered Dec. 13 17 from an online survey of nearly 900 shoppers. But in Foresee Results ongoing customer satisfaction index satisfaction with the Top 40 online retailers, as ranked by Internet Retailer on sales volume, scored an aggregate 74 on a 100-point scale, down 1.3 points from last year.
Online shopping can trim gift costs
If you'll be doing a lot of online shopping, it might be worth getting an auto-fill program that can fill in not only login information, but forms on Web sites with your address and even credit card number. It could save a lot of typing. Google Toolbar has an auto-fill function. RoboForm is among the most robust and highly acclaimed auto-fill programs, although you get only 10 "passcards" for free. For unlimited, you have to upgrade for about $30.
As you're filling online forms, look for a coupon-code box. Switch to a different browser and do a quick search for the retailer you're buying from and such terms as "coupon," "code" and "discount." Often you can find a code to give you a discount or perk, such as free shipping.
.
Retailer and manufacturer Tommy Bahama launches new e-commerce site
Apparel manufacturer and retailer Tommy Bahama has launched a new web site incorporating advanced imaging and shopping features as well as web 2.0 technology. The new Tommybahama.com was the result of several months of research and development aimed at building an online shopping experience that bridges the gap between traditional brand-focused sites and those that rely heavily on e-commerce applications, according to its developers. For example, the new site offers a magnifying glass function shoppers can drag over any product image to show details as small as the thread color on a pocket seam. The site is built on extensive Flash development as well as detailed, customized templates to facilitate easy movement throughout, Web 2.0 elements that streamline and facilitate product views.
Royal Mail loses 2m presents
ROYAL MAIL faces an angry consumer backlash this weekend over more than 2m parcels and letters lost or delayed in the Christmas post. Customers across the country are in danger of being left without their presents as postal workers are overwhelmed by the £10 billion boom in online shopping. The backlog has allegedly been compounded by postal workers deliberately failing to deliver presents to save time on their rounds. Yesterday, at depots round the country, customers were being forced to brave the winter chill and wait in long queues to reclaim their Christmas parcels. About 1.2m letters and parcels are already estimated to have been lost in the Christmas post. Hundreds of thousands of other items are delayed or awaiting collection at depots where queues of up to two hours have formed.
Boomers stream to Shopzilla, Nextag and Yahoo! Shopping
It appears that more Boomers are online and using comparison shopping Web sites for research early in the holiday season.
Hitwise, a company owned by Experian that tracks online shopping traffic, said traffic from shoppers aged 45 and older increased 38 percent on the week ending Nov. 3 compared to the same week in 2006.
Most popular sites for people in this demographic were Shopzilla, Nextag and Yahoo! Shopping, Hitwise director of research Heather Dougherty said in a statement. Many were researching consumer electronics items, she said.
"As we enter the holiday shopping season, consumers are beginning to research potential gift purchases and compare prices earlier than last year especially with retailers beginning to roll out seasonal promotions," Dougherty said.
'Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe? Finding the Right Doctor Shouldn't Be Like ...
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans are among the most sophisticated consumer shoppers on the planet, spending countless hours online comparing the characteristics and prices of cars, homes, clothes and electronics. Yet when it comes to shopping for a physician, even the most educated consumers often resort to an outdated approach that can best be described as "eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Part of the problem is that the traditional tools for finding a physician -- the telephone directory, insurance provider list, or a referral from a friend -- haven't changed much in the last three decades. The healthcare industry has been slow to adapt to consumers' rapidly evolving online shopping demands. Physicians haven't helped much either. They've been slow to adopt online marketing because of the perceived time, money and energy required to market their practice, credentials and prices on the Internet.
Online service allows shoppers to reserve merchandise at Sunrise Mall
On Friday, Charlotte Russe had an order to reserve a blue dress. Laura Pedraza, associate manager at the store, found the dress and set it aside for the customer. It was the first reservation for Charlotte Ruse merchandise through Sunrise Mall’s online shopping service, Pedraza said. Mall retailers expect that as word spreads about the new online shopping service it will become a popular option for shoppers. "It was easy," Pedraza said. "I just got the order, found the dress and saved it for the customer." Facility is part of the appeal, according to Veronica Baca-Martinez, marketing director for Sunrise Mall. Last month Sunrise Mall became the first mall in the Rio Grande Valley to offer shoppers the opportunity to search and reserve items online. NearbyNow Inc., a California-based company that develops Internet and mobile search technology for shopping centers and retailers to steer in-store traffic, powers the service.
|
