September 26, 2008
Features
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Online shopping is convenient; however, it can be risky too. You can fall victim to internet fraud where your credit card information is stolen and used by other people to buy things online. Yes, your card can be charged with purchases that you didn’t make.
That’s why you need to be very careful whenever you buy stuff on the internet. Most people are wary about putting their credit card info on the checkout page of some websites for fear of someone else gaining access to it. But what if there’s a way to shop safely and quickly? PayPal addresses this concern.
PayPal is a safe and reliable online payment method popular among many online shoppers. As a matter of fact, there are about 100 million PayPal account holders already. A large number of eBay users would prefer to send and receive money through PayPal, which allows you to transfer funds safely through the internet.
Fast and Easy Signup
There are three types of accounts for everyone: personal account for buyers, and Premiere and Business account for individual sellers or business owners.
Signing up is free and easy. You just need to provide basic information about yourself, such as your name, home and email address, and phone number. Then, you can add your bank information and link your credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express). You’ll need to confirm your email address (by clicking on a link on the email sent to you after registration) before you can use your account.
Once you’ve done all these, you can already start buying online or even bid on online auction shopping sites such as Paypal’s mother company, eBay.
With PayPal, you can finish transactions quickly because instead of entering card numbers on the checkout page, you’ll be taken to your account where you can select how you want to pay for your purchase. You can take the amount from your credit or debit card, bank account, or PayPal balance. In a similar fashion, you can withdraw money either from your credit card or bank account.
Secure Online Payment
You are assured that your credit card numbers are not given to merchants or sellers during payout, and that there is round-the-clock monitoring team that helps prevent fraud.
PayPal also ensures that both buyer and seller are kept safe from illegal transactions through its Buyer and Seller Protection Policy. In case you paid for an item but the seller didn’t ship the item to you or it’s not in good condition, you can file a dispute and PayPal personnel will investigate and resolve the situation. The same goes with sellers who feel that they are being harassed by certain buyers.
There were other payment methods utilized in the early years of online shopping like Billpoint, BidPay, and PayDirect. But these services didn’t match the kind of reliability, security, and swiftness that made PayPal the preferred choice of online sellers and shoppers.
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September 15, 2008
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Online shopping has become the more convenient way of purchasing items. Instead of scouring different stores to find the things you like and spending hours standing in line at grocery check-out counters, you can now get the products you want in the comfort of your homes.
It is also a cheaper way to buy stuff. There are websites or comparison shopping search engines that allow online shoppers to browse items and compare their prices from different online stores. This helps you find items with the lowest prices and save more money in your online shopping spree.
Take a look at some of the best comparison shopping search sites:
- Kelkoo (www.kelkoo.co.uk)
- Pricegrabber (www.pricegrabber.com)
- CNetShopper (www.shopper.cnet.com)
- NexTag (www.nextag.com)
- PriceScan (www.pricescan.com)
- BottomDollar (www1.bottomdollar.com)
- BestWebBuys (www.bestwebbuys.com)
- BizRate (www.bizrate.com)
- DealTime (www.dealtime.com)
- Froogle (www.froogle.com)
- mySimon (www.mysimon.com)
- Yahoo Shopping (www.shopping.yahoo.com)
Comparing prices so that you can buy the cheapest items actually gives you more value for your money. It sort of stretches your shopping credit and allows you to buy more stuff. Think about it, you can buy a Louis Vuitton bag or a Guess apparel without spending too much—such is the wonder of comparison websites.
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August 26, 2008
Trends
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Here’s the the most recent list of the 20 most popular beauty websites most visited by American women between 35 and 44 years old, according to Hitwise USA, a consumer research firm owned by Experian:
The Most Popular Beauty Websites for Women
Source: Hitwise USA, Aug 2008
- Clinique www.clinique.com
- Dove www.dove.com
- American Laser Center - Competiton offer.americanlaser.com
- Nivea USA www.niveausa.com
- Total Beauty www.totalbeauty.com
- Miss Universe www.missuniverse.com
- Sephora www.sephora.com
- Avon www.avon.com
- Arbonne International www.arbonne.com
- Daily Makeover www.dailymakeover.com
- Skin Deep www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
- MyHairstyleSelector www.myhairstyleselector.com
- Sally Beauty Supply www.sallybeauty.com
- About.com - Beauty beauty.about.com
- Mary Kay www.marykay.com
- Bath & Body Works www.bathandbodyworks.com
- TheHairstyler.com www.thehairstyler.com
- Lancome USA www.lancome-usa.com
- Neutrogena www.neutrogena.com
- Dove on MSN www.dove.msn.com
The mid-thirties and mid-forties women in focus in this Hitwise online market segmentation report belong to what Hitwise calls “Moderate Conventionalists” segment:
…middle-class singles and childless couples who live in modest homes and travel frequently for business and pleasure. They like to watch reality shows, sitcoms and evening animation and read a lot of gaming, celebrity and sports magazines, such as Entertainment Weekly, Us and Sports Illustrated.
Hitwise uses a measurement tool called Hitwise Lifestyle and its trademark MOSAIC USA household segmentation system, to identify the most popular sites in an industry that attract a specific lifestyle segment.
A segment is a smaller subsection or subgroup in a much larger market; for instance, teens who spend a lot of time online, or families who watch movies together versus those who don’t.
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August 21, 2008
Trends
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Value for money is the major consideration in this year’s back-to-school spending. Parents (especially moms), although as enthusiastic as usual to send off their kids to school with complete supplies, are more conscious about getting more for every penny they spend.
A recent back-to-school survey by Deloitte reveals several drastic belt-tightening measures by families pinched long and hard by the economic crisis. A significant majority (71 percent) of those surveyed said they plan to reduce spending on this year’s school opening.
For example, the survey reports that consumers plan to cut back on spending on their kid’s clothing and footwear for the new school year due to the bad economy. Among those surveyed, 83 percent said they plan to spend less on clothes, and 48 percent said they will spend less on shoes.
Aside from switching to less expensive stores or brands, consumers are also holding back on their purchases and limiting them to basic needs. It’s interesting to note that more people are willing to use more store coupons (53 percent). Some of the people surveyed plan to use the Internet to research and compare products, as well as to find the best deals online. This is consistent with another consumer study that shows that more and more people are turning to the web for product deals as gas and food prices are shooting up.
Can’t get enough of these online coupons? Try these offers, too:
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August 5, 2008
News, Trends
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Traditionally, coupons were obtained from newspapers, direct mail and in-store offers. But the Internet is now the leading source of coupons for printable coupon users in the US, according to new data from a Simmons Market Research Bureau study sponsored by Coupons, Inc.
Yet, among all consumers (and not just printable coupon users), the Sunday newspaper is still on top of the list of coupon sources. In fact, a Scarborough Research USA report says that 53% of households still find their coupons from the newspaper, and 11% normally go online for printable coupons.
With a decline in the newspaper business, the Internet has seen increasing popularity as a source for printable coupons. The increase of technology and decline in economy has boosted the Internet as a growing source of coupons. The Scarborough report shows that Internet couponing has gone up 83% from 2005-2007.
According to the Coupons, Inc. study, coupons are a strong incentive. Consumers may be using coupons as a way to maintain their brand preferences during the economic slowdown. Data from Hitwise.com has shown that more than 6 out of every 10 people have done brand-specific coupon searches in June 2008.
Coupon usage is preferred by many to shave off a few cents or even dollars from their purchases. These small discounts can eventually save a lot over time for the consumers.
Aside from newspapers, mail, in-store offers, and the Internet, other places to obtain coupons from are: preferred customer/loyalty cards, in-store circulars, weekday newspapers, product packages, and magazines.
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