Hond Financial

Posts Tagged ‘online shopping’

Money is on the Web

Credit cards lead to the many success stories when traveling around the Web, uncovering the answer to an often taboo question: Is the Web really making money? 2009 offline and online retailers expect to see a 1.8 percent increase in 2009 sales, according to the Retail Compass Survey of 100 chief marketing officers at leading retailers.

Is the Internet Making Money During the Recession?

Most online retailers offer online shopping, because they accept credit cards. Cheryl Schmidt, who owns Tast of Toledo Gift Baskets and Gifts, is a business owner getting steady sales from the Web. “About half my sales come from my Web site,” Schmidt says. It’s not that all her sales come from online, but many people use her online store as a catalog to call in orders or go to the store if they live in or near the Toledo area. Taste of Toledo offers Christmas-themed gifts this time of year. The Toledo and Ohio Gift Basket is always popular year round, and especially during the holidays.

Online Shopping Can Be Dangerous; Keep Yourself Safe

While shopping online is more convenient and safer, in most cases, than shopping in a store, never let your guard down. The BBB (Better Business Bureau) offers tips for online shopping, some include:

Trust In Your Instincts

If a gut feeling makes you uncomfortable about bidding on or buying an item online, or if you feel more pressure than an ant under an elephant to place an order quickly, you should probably avoid buying from the Web site.

Gain Knowledge of Web-based Auctions

The worst thing to do is jump directly into a Web-based auction without checking out the important details. Take time to familiarize yourself with the rules and policies of the auction site, but also the legal terms regarding warrants, refunds, etc. of the seller’s item which you would like to bid on.

Do a Double-Take with Prices

If you stumble upon a wonderful Web site offering the best looking laptop computer for $50, red flags should wave. Be careful, keeping in mind to watch out for prices that seem too good to be true. It doesn’t matter if the product is new or used, the price should coincide with the item you intend to purchase. If unsure, do some research online. This could also confirm your decisions to use discretion when shopping online with credit cards.

Find the Privacy Policy and Thoroughly Read it!

It’s very important that you read the privacy policy to find out what information the seller is going to try and collect from you, how the information will be used and how you can stop the process. If you search for the privacy policy link somewhere on the seller’s home page or included with the legal terms (where it should be located) and find nothing, don’t do business with them.

Be Alert and Check the Connection

After you’ve drooled over the things you wish to buy, you might want to pull out your credit cards and click on the “buy now” button. But before you give your payment information, there are various icons and software programs that indicate security software is in place on the Web site. You want to see what level of encryption the retailer uses, as well as whether their credit card security is associated with a company like VeriSign. If it’s all in place, relax and buy with ease.

Inspect Your Purchase When It Arrives

Once the item arrives in the mail, examine it carefully. If you notice any problems, contact the seller in writing immediately. Tell the seller what isn’t right with the product, and make sure to include a lot of detail. Also ask for repairs or a refund, and keep a copy of the correspondence.

Pay the Safe Way

The safest way to pay for anything on the Internet is by using the Visa, MasterCard or Discover logos; or, simply put, credit cards. In the event of fraud, card issuers have security methods in place that consumers can use.

As no doubt you have noticed online shopping is becoming more and more popular. In this article I write about this new revolution and discuss whether in my opinion this popularity is likely to continue or even increase, or if it is just some sort of short term fashion trend.

I sell a popular stuttering treatments self-help product online, I am also involved with a business to do with becoming a foster carer and also with a group of cost reduction specialists.

I was introduced to online shopping a few years ago when a friend of mine advised me that a certain electrical type company was offering their products with a discount of ten percent, when they were purchased online. This fascinated me and I then started to investigate if this was a trend which other retail outlets were offering. I found that quite a few others had similar online discounts and I soon started to catch the online shopping bug.

A couple of years ago at Christmas time, I must admit that I purchased around eighty percent of my presents online. This saved me having to go to the shops in the first place, fighting through the Christmas shopping crowds and trying to find a car park space.

My family even now buy our weekly food shopping online. My wife prefers doing the food shopping in this way as she does not have to wait to have her items scanned and does not have to put up with the children asking if they can have this or that.

I personally think that this trend and shopping online revolution will continue to grow for a long time to come – the internet sure is where it will be at in the future. I think that more and more companies are going to offer this service and that their websites will become even more impressive and easy to use for the consumer.

In around five years time most households in the UK will have access to the internet therefore introducing even more potential customers to the option of online shopping.