Online shopping - is it really so great? That is the question among many consumers in the United States. There are many that would rather go to the local shopping mall to make their purchases. Perhaps it is the socialization aspect or the smell of the mall that attracts them. Yes, I know people that like the smell of the mall!
Other consumers are still intimidated by the Internet and afraid to
give their credit card number to online merchants. This is a misnomer
as online shopping has become more secure in recent years and if done
correctly with reputable retailers will have no problems.
"Kick The
Tires" At The Mall, Then Buy Online Many consumers today don't like
to shop online because they cannot touch the merchandise, try it
on, or smell it. Whatever the case may be, I always recommend to
these folks to go to the brick and mortar store and do all their
research, try it on and "kick the tires" if you will. When they
decide what they want, they can go home and make their purchase online.
This way they can take advantage of price comparison websites along
with online coupons and thus get the product at a better price.
Some of the best price comparison websites on the Internet include PriceGrabber.com and MySimon.com.
These websites let you research the best price in a matter of seconds
and read product reviews before you make your final buying decision.
Is
It Safe To Buy Online? If done correctly, buying online is very
secure.
Here are two keys: Always look for a little locked padlock (often
yellow) at the bottom of your browser window. This tells you the site
is locked from any 3rd parties having access to your credit card information.
Always verify that the url (web address) at checkout changes from http://
to https://. These two security
checks verify the site has gone through the appropriate measures to
ensure their site is SSL Secured and is safe to enter your credit card
information.
Online Coupons: Anybody still clip coupons? For the coupon
users, online shopping can offer great savings. An online coupon,
often referred to as a coupon code', is offered by individual retailers
to encourage spending. They are often in the form of free shipping
or 10-20% off your order.
Many retailers that do not offer "in-store" coupons have online coupons for you to take advantage. This is because they are trying to grow their online segment and hope that coupons will do the trick. Some of these online stores include HSN.com, Nordstrom.com, and Petco.com. There are many more and they can be found at great coupon sites like FlamingoWorld.com, eDealFinder.com and FatWallet.com to name a few.
Bottom Line - Online Shopping Is The Future: As the baby boomer generation
becomes more online savvy and with so many young Internet users, online
shopping will continue to grow year after year. Heck, I even receive
emails from grandparents wanting help finding or using an online coupon.
There is no mistaking the convenience factor of online shopping and
the ability it has to save you money on your purchases. Not to mention
how online shopping can reduce your stress levels around the holidays!
I have witnesses this first hand with my wife, but that is a whole
other article for another day..Happy shopping.
2005, Kyle James Kyle
is the owner of a Coupon Web Site, http://www.rather-be-shopping.com.
He lives in northern California with his wife and two small children.