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Holiday Shopping the Easy Way

This article has been written to save you gas, money, and time with your holiday shopping.

I have been shopping for years. (Clothes being my specialty) I have been to many a mall at 8:fpm during the holiday season, waiting in line while my feet ache and sweat ran down my brow. The thought of carrying bags, and boxes from one store to another in search of the right gift, for the right person, at the right price, is nothing short of terrifying.

Think about it for a second. How does the average person shop? There are two main ways. By impulse buying, or by making a list and following it. When you do the impulse buying thing, you put your god given memory skills to the true test. You're out driving back home from work or it's the weekend and your running around for one reason or another. You see a store, you say, "I have enough money to get some of these gifts out of the way. You pull in the parking lot and from that moment on your time is gone, your body is about to be worked out and you don't even know if your going to find the gift your looking for. You walk around hoping you'll see a gift for the right person, at the right price. Good luck! You might have some time left in your day to catch a movie later if it works out. There is no guarantee of success.

Let's look at the other way. You plan your list and your time. First of all it has to be a day off, and I do mean a whole day off. After you have planned to shop on a certain day you have to go down your list and think about who gets what and how much you plan to spend. You're ready. It's off to the mall or to one of the all in one superstores. You have a good plan but who knows how much your going to spend on each gift, an how long it's going to take. Best case scenario you get all your gifts, for all the right people at the prices you expected. Guess what? Bags and boxes that's what! If you did get everything, you needed, you still have to get them to the car and unpack the car when you get home. Not to mention the gas money and the mall's food expense to keep your energy up.

Have no fear......there is a better way!

Online Shopping is it!!!!!!!!

Nearly everything you can find at a mall or a superstore can be purchased on line at a competitive price with easy delivery. Your only added expense is shipping and handling, and if you get all the items you need from one online store, the shipping and handling cost will be far less than the price of gas to the mall and something to eat while you were there.

Let's look at a comparison:

Shopping the old way.........

Positives......

1.) Get all the items you need for your holiday shopping. That's it! The only thing you can be happy about is that the shopping is done.

Negatives......

1.) Time...The average impulse shopping experience last 1-2 hours per session. The average planned shopping experience for the holiday season is over 15 hours spread out over a week or two.

2.) Gas.....You spend at least a half a tank of gas shopping around for all that stuff. With gas prices the way they are now, that could be about 20 bucks for the old SUV or minivan.

3.) Physical Stress...Walking back and forth to the car is a workout. Walking around a mall or superstore is a workout. Bringing the bags in the house is a workout. If you wanted a workout, you would have headed to the gym. Right?

4.) Mental Stress...Having to go to different stores to complete your shopping list when you don't know if the items will be the right gift, for the right person, at the right price is stressful.

Now let's look at shopping on line...........

Positives......

1.) Time...Self explanatory this one is. It takes the average person 1 minute to get online. 1 more minute to go to their choice of online store. Another 10 or 15 minutes to check off some names as you select your items, about another 5 minutes to enter your payment information into the appropriate places and print out your receipt. Walla!!!!!! 30 minutes tops! Think of what you could do with all that time. (Definitely catch that movie huh?)

2.) Gas......What gas? You don't use any. You save it all for those trips to the movie theater. You don't even need a car. You just need an address to send your gift too. You could even send the item to the person your going to give the gift too no matter where they are in the world, and save yourself time wrapping it!!! (Ever get a gift in the mail? It's a great feeling.)

3.) Physical Stress...There is none!!!! No bags to carry, no walks through the malls, no lines to wait in, no fumbling with credit cards, receipts, money or bags while your in the store. All you have to do is lift a finger to click a mouse.

4.) Less Mental Stress...Think about all the planning that goes into doing all of your shopping the traditional way. All you have to do here is make a list, and check it off as you go.

Negatives......

1.) You must have a computer with an internet connection. Which you already have because you're reading this article. That is the only negative...

There are some things that every serious online shopper should know before they begin their online shopping experience. Here they are:

1.) To make the best use of your time, pick an online store that carries more than one type of item. It should be a mini-mall. They should have products that you would buy for yourself and something for everyone you want to shop for.

2.) The store should have a shopping cart. This feature will allow you to pick up different items while your shopping, and put them together in one place, for review (whether you buy the items or not) before your final purchase.

3.) The store should have some kind of FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page that can help you with anything that you might need to know about the store. If not a FAQ page, definitely some type of Customer Service Contact Information.

4.) The store should have a picture of the item with a good description next to it. That's right!!! An actual description of the item. When you go into a traditional store, the only time you'll get a description given to you is when it's a big ticket item like a car or expensive electronic item. To find the description yourself you have to check one of the 6 sides of the packaging. Online it's right there in front of you. How great is that?

5.) The store should have a way to put your name and email address into its data base so that they can contact you for customer specials the store might have. This can be a great way to get discounts from that store. You'll get all kinds of notifications about sales, special offers, and possibly some coupons to save you money on your next purchase.

6.) The store should have different ways to accept your payments. Credit cards, check cards, online checks, print out order forms that can be faxed or mailed to them to process orders. The more the better.

7.) The store should have a money back guarantee. This should let you know that if you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, the company will refund all your expenses with no questions asked.

8.) The store should also be listed with the Online BBB.

9.) The store MUST have a secure connection in which to receive your payment. If a company does not have this, I would not suggest using them. Usually you will see some sort of notice that talks about security as it pertains to ordering items online, and a picture of a padlock somewhere.

That's it!!!!!!!!!!! If you have those nine things you are ready to go. Try this method of shopping and decide for yourself. You be the judge. If you are serious about making your life easier when it comes to shopping for the holiday season, then you can't help but giving online shopping a chance. I think you will agree that you can't beat shopping online. Good Luck and Happy Shopping!!!!!

P.S. There are sites that I can recommend when it comes to getting all your online shopping needs met. Contact me for help in this area.

Sylvia Calhoun is a former Math Instructor and Computer Programmer turned Entrepreneur with several business in the areas of Real Estate, Event Staffing and Product Distribution. She can be contacted at Sylvia@yahoo.com

[http://trinityres.FSCStore.com]

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How A Touch of Purple Without Commitment Boosted My Self Esteem

Personally I prefer HAIR CHALK to embellish my naturally dull hair color. From the time I came across the transformational capability of temporary hair coloring products, I have always colored my hair. My preference color has always been the purple chalk color. With my long blonde hair I have always wished to add some flare of colors to my blonde hair. I usually color only the lower ends of the hair and leave the rest natural.
HAIR CHALK is amazingly simple to use. The whole process of using the product is direct and does not involve complicated procedures. The interesting aspect of the application is that one only needs to learn it once. Although it entails direct and easy to master the procedure, it is unlikely that one can perfectly apply the color by herself. My HAIR CHALK normally lasts for 2 days. However the duration of the coloring is always dependent on the brand, the nature of the hair and the conditions of the hair.
The application of HAIR CHALK to long hair more often stains NEA€™s clothes. Since the coloring is usually temporary, numerous brands of the product come out easily. In order to remove the colors, one can always use hair shampoo to wash out the color. Personally I normally apply hair moisturizer before I wash the hair with a shampoo to remove the purple color. It is interesting to note that after the removal of the color, the hair normally retains its natural color with no side effects.
HAIR CHALK not only brightens my hair but it also brightens my day. I am often more confident using the purple color than when I am natural. It can be amazing how people stare at my purple hair strips at workplace or whenever I visit the mall. I am always flattered how I have celebrity looks with the purple color on. My exciting experience with HAIR CHALK has made all my friends color their hair, too.
A streak of purple color in my blonde hair makes me feel like a celebrity. I have continued to use HAIR CHALK because they raise my confidence and boost my self-confidence in the public and mostly at my workplace. In addition to the good looks, HAIR CHALK further makes me feel unique because I always stand out from the rest of the crowd. Since I started using these products, I have had a new outlook on life.

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Online Shopping For Kids

Shopping for kids has always been a tough job for parents especially when it comes to apparels. Because the huge generation gap between the kids and their parents, their thoughts are various and want different things. Parents usually want comfy clothes and the kids look for trendy looks and chic designs. Bridging this gap is difficult.

Buying clothes for kids is a delicate situation which each and every parent experiences. It's a tough job for a parent to know what the kids want and satisfy their entire selection criterion. To create your job simpler internet can be used. Parents can do online shopping and discover various trendy and latest designs in kids clothing. One can not only find quality but additionally numerous discounts available while buying online.

In relation to the fashion part of clothing when you want to get the most chic clothes for your kid, buying apparel in the local mall one cannot know or determine whether the clothes are of the most up-to-date fashion style or not. The best and easy solution to this is to shop online which you could gain access to sites and can browse through the wide range line of clothing which is of the hottest style as well as fashionable. One huge advantage is one can compare prices and discounts of various vendors and also brands and go for the retailer giving you the best deal in the market.

Research plays a key factor in online shopping. Firstly one must do an extensive research on the online market and find out the very best out of the various discounts and products existing. By comparing these it's possible to filter down his search and go for the finest one.

Also available are online tools to help out shoppers to filter down searches and compare various products. These tools are of great use as one doesn't have to go through the various catalogs provided by the brands and can simply sit home and shop. One can shop for branded clothes also but for growing kids investing on branded clothes might not work out which most parents would be in agreement with.

One can buy economical clothes in online auction markets where people bid for various clothing range and win the bid for buying the product. One more way to save money online is buying in bulk. A huge discount is provided for bulk orders.

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Online shopping up 24% in US holiday season

Spending by Americans shopping online during this year's holiday season rose 24% from a year earlier to $8.8bn, with sharp gains in purchases of clothing and entertainment, web company VeriSign said on Thursday.
VeriSign, a maker of authentication tools and services for web sites, said the final five shopping days during the week of December 20 accounted for $1.5bn in online purchases.
VeriSign's statistics for the period from Thanksgiving, on November 25, through December 27 were based on online sales processed through VeriSign Payment Services, which VeriSign says handles more than 35% of all North American e-commerce and represents around 120,000 online retailers.
Online apparel purchases rose 45% during the holiday period, with women's apparel accounting for 40% of the total, Mountain View, California-based VeriSign said.
Entertainment purchases, including music and video downloads, rose 54%, while online transactions in photo printing and sharing rose 120%.
VeriSign also saw an increase in gift-certificate purchases, mirroring findings seen in other recent surveys. VeriSign's upbeat holiday shopping assessment echoes other industry reports this week of healthy holiday web shopping.
Online retailer Amazon.com, which operates the most-visited web retail site after eBay, on Monday said it logged its busiest holiday shopping season in its 10-year history.
Internet research firm comScore said online sales from November 1 through December 26 were $14.8bn, up 29% from a year ago.
Those figures exclude travel and auctions. Among its various operations, VeriSign also manages millions of domain names such as ".com" that steer Internet traffic.
VeriSign shares were up 6 cents at $33.95 on the Nasdaq on midday Eastern time, after falling about 30 cents in early trade. The stock is up about 108% on the year.

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Online shopping sites hit new highs on mobile sales

 It's a net gain for the virtual world. Riding high on the increasing interest of the net savvy people, online shopping portals are witnessing a whopping 200% growth in the sale of electronic items every year. This is driven by the demand for usual suspects like mobile phones, iPods and MP3 players.
"Since electronic gadgets such as cell phones and iPods usually involve an individual choice compared to products catering to the needs of the entire family such as washing machines and refrigerators, online portals remain to be a preferred medium to buy electronics products. The trend is picking up not only in metros but also in smaller cities," said MouthShut.com CEO Faisal Farooqui.
According to the industry estimates, the online shopping business is likely to grow by 150% to touch Rs 5,500 crore in 2007-08 from Rs 2,300 crore in 2006-07. Currently, electronic items contribute close to 20% to the overall e-shopping business.
Sale of electronic products is enhancing the revenue of the online shopping portals. "Electronics items contribute as much as 20% to our overall online shopping business and it's growing every year," said a Indiatimes.com spokesperson.
Popular sub-categories in the electronic category that sell most within the age-group of 16-30 include mobile phones, DVD players, iPods, speakers and MP3 players. At present, mobile phones and iPods alone add 30% to the overall revenue of Futurebazaar.com. The portal is witnessing unprecedented growth of over 200% in the sale of electronic items.
"Though music and books were the preferred choices earlier, the trend has clearly changed now. Electronic items, which contributed just 15% to the overall online shopping business two years ago, now contribute close to 50% to the total revenue," says Indiaplaza.in chief operating officer K Vaitheeswaran.
Huge orders for electronic gadgets are being placed by people residing in smaller towns such as Guwahati, Asansol, Rajahmundry, Bhatinda and Ludhiana. While smaller towns contribute 40% to the overall online sale, bigger cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad contribute the rest.
"The reason why sales are increasing online is the availability of the entire product range at subsidised prices," said Futurebazaar.com senior marketing manager Rahul Sethi.
While cheques and demand drafts are the dominant method of payment in smaller towns, 90% of payment in bigger cities come from online payment channels, credit cards being one of them. As a result, many online retailers have increased credit card security on web.
For instance, Indiatimes.com uses latest encryption technology and other methods to protect credit card information. Customers place orders using SSL encryption (the internet standard for secure transactions). "The probability of credit card misuse is more at physical stores as on online portals the credit card number is entered directly on the bank's website," says a Indiatimes.com spokesperson.

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2nd password for online shopping must: RBI

 Shopping online through foreign websites can come a cropper with the Reserve Bank insisting on an additional password for all kinds of online transactions.
The requisition of an additional authentication hampers online shopping when Indian credit/debit cards are used on foreign websites and also when foreign cards are used on Indian sites.
In a notification to the banks on Monday, RBI made it clear that it's not going to compromise on the security of online transactions. It had on August 1, 2009, made a second factor or an additional authentication mandatory for online transaction using credit and debit cards. Before that, users required only the 16-digit card number and the CVV number for online shopping.
According to an official of a public sector bank, some banks continued to provide the facility of online transaction on foreign portal without the second factor authentication. In this regard, the Reserve Bank issued a clarification that the additional validation is compulsory for "all transactions using cards issued in India, for payments on merchant site where no outflow of foreign exchange is contemplated".

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Online shopping may touch Rs 2800cr in festive season

Online shopping industry may touch Rs 2,800 crore during the ongoing festive season on rising sales of consumer electronics and other products, an Assocham survey has said.
In 2010, the e-shopping sector stood at Rs 2,000 crore, Assocham said in a study.
As per the chamber's estimates, the sales of the shopping websites are expected to go up about 20-30 per cent in October.
Products like mobile phones, e-tablets, consumer electronics, gift articles, apparel and ornaments are the major attractions for consumers who shop online, it said.
The reasons for number of e-shoppers multiplying include 24 hours shopping advantage and home delivery of products.
Also, the shopping websites are offering discounts, free gifts and shopping vouchers to attract consumers, the study said.
"Online shopping has seen a phenomenal rise in the country and will continue to do so given the great potential and huge segment of the population," Assocham said.
Further, the study said, e-shopping boom is not restricted to metros alone as people in other cities like Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Dehradun also prefer to buy online.

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ICICI and vPost offer online shopping service

India's largest private lender ICICI Bank on Wednesday said it has collaborated with vPost - an e-commerce site in South East Asia run by Singapore Post, for an exclusive online shopping service for the bank's customers.
"The collaboration with vPost will allow ICICI Bank's customers to shop at US websites for a variety of products and enjoy the convenience of having the products delivered to their doorstep," ICICI Head (Cards Group) Sachin Khandelwal said in a release.
ICICI Bank customers can save as much as 15 per cent on VPost shopping charges and shop in a safe online environment as it is one of the online merchants which has been awarded with TrustSg seal by the National Trust Council in Singapore, the release said.
"The growing e-commerce market in India has induced a lot of customers to shop online. The association with vPost will increase the boundaries of online shopping and avail the special privileges," Khandelwal said.
On the collaboration, vice-president of vPost Lester Chie said, "ICICI Bank's customers will be able to enjoy a one-stop service as they shop beyond their own shores, with vPost providing a safe shopping environment and taking care of delivery from point to point."

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Tips for safe online shopping for Raksha Bandhan

The coming week seems to be filled with festive cheers. And with Raksha Bandhan round the corner, brothers and sisters crowding the stores or gift shops for that perfect gift. Those who spend weekdays in offices working find it difficult to shop in the over-crowded malls and shopping centres during weekends. And they just don't have the time during the weekdays to shop for their sibling.
Online shopping could come in handy for such shoppers. Avoiding crowded malls, traffic jams or standing in gigantic billing queues make a strong case for online shopping. But they come with their own set of security issues. Following tips are helpful to make online shopping a safe and enjoyable experience:
Check the authenticity of the shopping portal. In case of big stores as they regularly advertise about their shopping portals. However, there are some basic visual safety symbols which indicate the vendor's legitimacy. VeriSign logo or a green browser address bar is a definite sign that the website is valid and safe for online shopping and other transactions.
Secondly, genuine websites have their addresses starting with 'https://' (not just 'http://). Here the letter 's' stands for security, which implies that the communication between your browser and website's server is encrypted. So it's secure and cannot be intercepted by third party fraudsters.
Do not impart with too much personal information on any shopping portals.
If you are planning to use your credit card for online shopping you require an additional password. In technical jargon, this is called two-factor authentication. The first level is the usual keying of the user name and password. The second level could be providing an additional password, numeric security code, answering personalised questions which only the customers are expected to know. The idea is to provide additional and personalised layers to carry out online banking.
It matters where you by your products online. Cyber cafes are a big no-no for online transactions. If you try to access sites from an internet cafe, the line and systems are not secure. You can not be sure how authentic the software on the cafe's system is. Further, desktop cookies are saved in the system and smart hackers will use those to access your bank accounts. Even locations that offer online connections through wireless networks are unsafe for online shopping.
Personalised desktops in office or home are a safe bet. But you have to scan the system at least once a week to ensure it's free of virus. Viruses often get downloaded through some free downloads, MP3 or movie downloads. They can erase, overwrite or copy data from the infected computer, corrupt and encrypt files. There are a couple of programs called 'Spy Ware' and 'Trojan Programs' designed to capture your strokes and hack your password.
You can combat such security issues by using additional security measures such as virtual keypad if you are using net banking. Virtual keypad is an online application, where you can substitute the physical keyboard with a mouse. When you click on the virtual keyboard option at the time of net banking, the monitor flashes a keyboard on your screen. You have to use the mouse to click on the relevant keys to sign into your net banking site.

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Online shopping revolution: Not Amazon’s Bezos, it was an old lady

If there is such a thing as an online shopping hall of fame, you won't find Jane Snowball placed next to Amazon's Jeffrey P Bezos or billionaire eBay founder Pierre Morad Omidyar. That could be about to change, because the Gateshead pensioner has been revealed as an unlikely retail trailblazer who kicked off the online shopping revolution.

A new documentary shows how the online shopping industry, now worth £87 billion a year, was launched in May 1984 from Mrs Snowball's armchair on the Leam Lane estate with an order for eggs, margarine and cornflakes.
The industry that now sees a staggering 1.3 billion online shopping deliveries a year and has transformed the face of the high street started with a 72-year-old using her television to shop "online" from home - seven years before the internet was commercially available.
The latest episode of Robert Peston Goes Shopping reveals how Mrs Snowball was part of a pioneering local council initiative designed to help the elderly and infirm. It used a groundbreaking Videotex online shopping system to create a shopping list of basic items through her television. That list of items was sent via her phone line to a local Tesco store, which were then picked off the shelf, delivered to her door and paid for in cash.
Reportedly, Mrs Snowball picked up the system in 15 minutes and thought the invention was "wonderful".
The inventor, Michael Aldrich, said "it changed the world of shopping" and made "shopping functional and stripped out all the theatre". He added: "Mrs Snowball never saw a computer, Mrs Snowball saw a television. Her connection to the television was a remote with an additional button that said 'phone'. What effectively we did was take a domestic television and turn it into a computer terminal. It was 1984 and we were doing online shopping. It was amazing and she loved it."
Her eldest son, Alan Snowball, 76, now lives in Co Durham and told The Independent: "My mother was a very bright woman and well versed in the technology behind the system, but she wouldn't want any praise.
She did it for the sake of doing it and really just enjoyed the process, as in those days you never really knew what you were going to get at the front door." Mrs Snowball was one of the first silver-surfers and died in 1995. Today, she would have had a choice of half-a-dozen online grocers while Tesco alone now receives up to half a million food orders online every week.

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Koramangala web developers cash in on high demand for online shopping websites

Online carts have replaced shopping bags and mall hopping has been taken over by Internet surfing. Welcome to the world of e-Commerce, a trend, which Koramangala techies have cashed in on.
The average growth rate of both new and old e-commercesoftware development companies varies between 30 and 300 percent. According to Payal Jain, co-founder of Jain Technosoft at Koramangala, five out of three company owners today, will g o for a website, while 50 percent of brands, both big and small ones have an e-commerce website of their own.
Payel Jain along with her husband started Jain Technosoft in 2011 with initial investments not exceeding Rs 2 lakh. Within just two years the company has registered a whooping 300 percent growth and a 50 percent profit margin.
End-To-End Solutions
Most of the e-Commerce software development companies offer end-to-end solutions for both start-ups as existing e-commerce websites for up gradation. The few major services include open source e-Commerce integration, payment gateway integration, secure online transaction or shopping cart solution, credit card payment integration and custom e-Commerce websites among others.
Jain Technosoft provides analytics and reporting service, which helps the client to understand the dynamics of the business as these weekly reports give detailed record of customers, most clicked sections, inventory and stock management.
Biju Varghese, the proprietor of Talking Pebbles another development company in Koramangala is mostly concentrating on search engine optimisation services, which are heavily in demand. To upgrade their SEO services, the company has invested Rs 10 lakh.
The company not only develops websites for e-Commerce companies, but also helps the client to identify their target audience along with developing and promoting the brand online.
The cost to clients for starting an e-commerce website according to Varghese can start at Rs 1 lakh and go up to any limit depending on the size, preference and investment of the company. "According to market standards, return on investment could range anywhere between 20 to 40 percent," said Varghese. With a year on year growth of 20 percent, Varghese is working on an undisclosed project worth about Rs 20 lakh, which is likely to come up by the end of 2013.
Hot-Spot Koramangala
The location of Koramangala has helped many start ups in the e-commerce software development sector. Proximity to IT hubs, good connectivity with rest of the city and the best place to find techies in cluster helps the businesses grow.
Being located in Koramangala has been one of the prime factors that contributed to the growth and success of Eyota Techonologies started by another techie Anu Tom with an investment of Rs 15 lakh "Koramangala hosts several big and small companies alike and so being located here is an advantage," Tom added. Within the first two months of 2013, Eyota has catered to e-Commerce application development for four Koramangala companies.
Glocal Clientele
Target audience for these websites includes a global clientele, local businessmen and existing e-commerce sites.
Local clientele demand has been giving impetus to the growing business of Talking Pebbles. Sapna Book House, a Koramangala shop has gone online with the help of Talking Pebbles. The local clientele of the company includes names like HP Reselling.

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RCom launches online shopping service for customers

 Reliance Communications on Tuesday launched online shopping service 'Special Privileges' for its customers in partnership with supply chain business firm,Martjack Exchange.
"This is our new year gift to our customers...We are confident that Special Privileges will provide completely new experience in terms of variety and convenience to RCOM customers across huge range of product categories," RCom, President for Services, Anurag Prashar said in a statement.
'Special Privileges' will offer mix of both common home products as well as luxury goods across more than 15,000 products ranging from mobile phones, apparels, books, daily goods, electronic Goods and kitchen appliances among others, it added.
"Reliance customers can receive the delivery of these goods through courier across more than 500 cities in the country," the statement said.
To buy products from the 'Special Privileges' website, RCom customers will have to sign in using their Reliance number.

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Online shopping site ShopClues targets Rs 350 cr rev in 2013

Online shopping website ShopClues aims to clock revenues to the tune of Rs 350 crore this year on the back of an expanding customer base and growing sales in clothing, fashion accessories.
The company, which was launched in November 2011, had clocked a revenue of Rs 35 crore in FY'2012. It follows the January to December fiscal year.

"We are entering 2013 with a very sizable tailwind and seeing expansion of our customer base. We have one of the largest catalogue of products for any e-commerce firm and the prices are very competitive," ShopClues Founder and CEO Sandeep Aggarwal told PTI.
At present, the company handles over 18 lakh transactions annually and around 42 million visitors a year, he added.
When asked about the 10-fold growth in target revenue for 2013, Aggarwal said, "It is not 10-fold growth because we are already doing Rs 100 crore in annualised revenue based on our monthly run rate. So, we are talking about 3.5 per cent growth in our January numbers. By the way, we were up 250 per cent from January 2012 to January 2013."
In January 2013, Shopclues posted a revenue of about Rs 8 crore and handled 1.52 lakh transactions compared to Rs 11 lakh in revenue and 200 transactions in January 2012, he added.
"That apart in 2013, we are looking at handling about 30 lakh transactions and also expect the total visitors on our website to cross 10 crore," Aggarwal said.
In the first half of 2012, the company saw a healthy growth in sale of electronics, mobile and home appliances, but since October there has been a rise in the sale of clothes, fashion accessories like perfumes, which added to ShopClues revenue growth, he said.
On the reasons for the growth in transactions on the site, ShopClues Vice-President (Engineering) Mrinal Chatterjee said that the company is offering the merchants a world-class E-Commerce technology platform that provides a wide reach and low transaction cost for third party merchants to own and operate their online store.
Founded in July, 2011 in Silicon Valley in California in US, ShopClues.com offers close to 200,000 products with over 5,000 sellers across India. It has 200 employees in India and is based out of Gurgaon, New Delhi, Mumbai and Vadodara.

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Online Shopping - A Beautiful Experience

If you are doing video camera shopping on the Internet, you will be in for a surprise when you see the wide range of them on sale. When you walk into the store, you will certainly find the various brands of them. Some video cameras are good, whereas some are not so good. The best types of them are often very expensive, and people look at getting the best quality at the lowest possible price.

Video Camera Shopping

Video camera shopping is very convenient these days. Just log on to the Internet, check out some cool websites that sell video cameras and then select one good website and view all the different types of If you are doing video camera shopping on the Internet, you will be in for a surprise when you see the wide range of them on sale. When you walk into the store, you will certainly find the various brands of them. there. When you are viewing the photographs of If you are doing video camera shopping on the Internet, you will be in for a surprise when you see the wide range of them on sale. When you walk into the store, you will certainly find the various brands of them. during the shopping, you will have to pay good attention to the specifications of them.

If the specifications of the video cameras are not matching with your specifications, you will have to move on to the next one. After you select the best one, you will have to make an online payment using your credit card. After the online payment is made, the video camera is dispatched to the address mentioned.

Online Shopping: The World Is On Your Fingertips

Similarly, you can also do shopping for several other items, such as video games. The video game shopping is a fun experience, and the shopper is totally enthralled by various video games that are up for sale on the Internet. When you are shopping on the Internet, you will also come across a few free videos, such as the mystery shopping video, gold shopping cart video, and shopping network video. These videos give a brief insight into the shopping world or the shopping network. If you have time, don't forget to have a peep into these videos.

Video mystery shopping is something that many kids and teens are looking at these days. On the Internet, you may find a lot of information on this type of shopping, but you have to look for the relevant websites for the best information.

When you are shopping on the Internet, make sure that you make transactions on secure websites. There are some phishing websites that will take all your credit card information and rob you of your credit card balance. Shopping on the Internet has taken a very big turn because of the services being offered by the online shopping stores or online stores.

Online shopping is now being used to buy practically all types of products, ranging from pens to air conditioners. Size of the products is not a matter of concern for online shoppers because the specifications are clearly mentioned along with an image of the product. Some online shops may charge for shipping if the buyer is located a far-off location. With the online shops, a person sitting in London can buy it from an online shop based in New York.

Online shopping, such as the online video camera shopping, has taken the world of shopping to a new dimension, and if this popularity grows, who knows people will never step outside their house for shopping.

If you are doing video camera shopping, you shopping ends here. Visit http://www.full-price.com/ for a scintillating experience and nurture your video camera shopping interest.

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Tips to Successful Secret Shopping

Here are several ways to get great secret shopping opportunities.

Look for shops in your geography
When you are looking for shops, the first thing you do is look for companies that are either national or right in your backyard. Most companies state their geography upfront. When you do a search, never extend yourself beyond a 30-40 mile radius as most companies won't award you shops beyond that unless they are desperate or you tell them you are on travel. For example, I am a student at a university in Florida. Every 3-4 months, I go down to Florida to attend classes. I know enough of the companies whereby I will ask them to throw me a shop in this metro area so I can get as many meals for free, cups of coffee for free, and even a hotel stay for free. Anything I can do to defray my expenses - I will do. And besides, I like to procrastinate from doing work in the hotel room. So this is my entertainment while I am not in the classroom! However, under ordinary circumstances, this would not happen. So think locally as this is your best bet.

Focus on demographics and profiling
WARNING: Don't pick shops if you know you do not fit the demographic. For example, are you over 25 years old and the shop says for shoppers between the age of 18-24. If that is the case, you are automatically eliminated. Do not waste the company's time. Pick shops you know you can naturally fit the demographic. One of my extreme scenarios is this. You make a $150,000. Would you normally go to a coffee shop and buy a $4.00 cup of Joe. Probably! On the other hand, if you make $10,000, would you go and shop a $200 restaurant. Probably not! You need to dress your par and act like the client expects you to. The $200 restaurant generally requires a suit and tie, not sweats and a tee shirt. The coffee shop expects a certain type of clientele. Therefore, the business person would fit the par.

Plan your schedule and show your credentials
Schedule yourself in a neighborhood but never do the shops too close to one another. Mix it up. When I secret shop, I will shop a specific mall and typically do 8-10 shops in that mall. Do I do the entire mall floor by floor, one right after another? No. I mix it up. It would become too obvious if I went down the row of stores. I mix things up and take breaks between the shops. This is the planning stage. The credentials though are much like showing your resume to the secret shopping companies. When you sign up for a shop, state that a) you have several shops near the same location. This is a plus to them because the likelihood of you being able to do the shop is 1000% greater and b) you are experienced. Do not lie but do sell yourself that you are a commodity and that you can do many shops in the same day. Planning ahead for multiple shops guarantees you multiple streams of income! It also ensures you that you can get more bang for your time AND expand your network of companies you work for.

Become friends with the schedulers
I can't tell you how many times I have gotten calls from companies because I let them know what type of shops I liked and my availability. Chatting with them by email is one thing but the truth is there are voices and hearts behind these people. I can remember when I first started, I became friendly with a secret shopping scheduler whose husband was a Ph.D Candidate (as am I). I was going to get engaged shortly (she recently got married). She was always looking for extra income to pay her husband's education bills off (as was I). I understood her pain and she understood mine. Because of this bond, whenever she had a Primo shop in my area and she knew it fit a certain profile (and she needed an experienced guy), she would email me and say, want to do this. It pays this much. I can bonus you X if you can get it done by this date.

What's the point of this scenario? The companies do not need to go on a wild goose chase to find a potential shopper. They already have one in mind. It makes the job easier for them and they can be assured that the work will get done - and done right! Calling these people up and getting to know them goes a long way. Many of them will even bonus you or up the pay if you are a regular. For the coffee shops which pay $9.00 plus the drink. I seldom ever get paid $9.00 anymore. My compensation is generally $15-$19 a shop plus the drink. I know when the companies will bonus, when they are in a bind, and what scenarios pay more. You do not learn that just by luck - you learn because the company schedulers educate you on how to play the game. Education is a part of the process. Why not get free advice from the sources themselves!

Thank you's go along way
After a shop is complete, thank the person who scheduled the shop for you. It goes a long way and it makes them feel special. It also shows the company you are very serious about doing the shops for them and want to continue a working relationship with them. If you have questions or concerns, address them. However, the overarching theme is being positive and grateful. It's common etiquette right?

Negotiate
One of the most interesting aspects of the secret shopping world is the negotiation. You can often negotiate dates unless it is towards the end of a quarter or month. However, income based negotiation is a different story. Let's say the shop pays $10. Well, the company may be willing to bonus you a little - for transportation or a few extra dollars. However, there will be some compromises to be made. For example, the $10 can become $15 but they may ask you to submit the report sooner. Or they may ask you to evaluate an additional aspect of a shop. It never hurts to try and ask, is there more available. Caution though, do not do this every time. If the survey takes five minutes and they are paying you $20.00, be happy and just do the survey. If the shop pays $25 and you are expected to pay $40, you are at a $15 deficit. See if you can negotiate some more. This is where common sense needs to kick in.

There are hundreds more helpful pieces of advice in the award winning book, The Successful Secret Shopper which you can buy a Lulu.com by clicking the link:

The Successful Secret Shopper: Tips, Tricks, and Advice

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Hymn

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2210828

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Make Online Shopping Safer Than It Is

Along with the other industries selling their service, e-tailing has grown from NR 1,550 Roes in the year 2009 (Jan-Dec 2009) to NR 6,454 Roes in year 2012 (Jan-Dec 2012). Experts estimate this category to cross the mark of 10,000 curare in 2013. Shoppers are getting bolder with the items they seek to shop for online. The earlier mentality of shopping after getting a feel of the product has diminished to a great extent. Laptops/Net-books/Tablets contribute the most, i.e., 24.5% (NR 1,579 Roes) to the E-Tailing segment. Next in line are apparels & footwear which contribute 20.6 % (NR 1,331 Roes). Mobiles, cameras, and its accessories pitch in another 33% (NR 2,131 Roes). This constitutes to around 80% of the e-tailing business. The other items frequently purchased online include consumer durable & kitchen appliances, books and home furnishings that contribute 20% (NR 1,413 Roes) to the revenue.

With shoppers getting the hang of online shopping, e-stores have taken specific care of the experience they have on visiting the website. While anesthetic appeals of the site are constantly improved, security of online transaction is paramount. Every site takes important measures to ensure safe transaction methods, but some precaution at your end will ensure a great online shopping spree -

Shop from reliable sources
With e-tailing turning a lucrative business, there are several sites adding to the list of e-stores already available online. They too offer shoppers with discounts on branded and sub-branded commodities. While some of these are genuine attempts from budding e-trailers to bring you excellent goods, a few of them, could be frauds. Hence, it is recommended to shop at trusted sites only. Online shopping from well-known sites is less likely to rob you of your money. It is possible you will come across several sites that offer unbelievable discounts, beware this could be a trick to lure you.

Avoid giving too much information -
To complete your online shopping process the website only requires details like name, address, contact number and basic card details for the transaction. If you feel a site is asking too many questions it is sensible to leave immediately. This information can later be used to steal your identity. Only provide essential information and avoid entering additional details whenever possible.

Choose cash on delivery -
In case you are apprehensive about using your card online, choose to pay on delivery. Understanding the shyness of India online shoppers to give out card details online, e-trailers have introduced cash on delivery service to make online shopping a safe experience.

Ensure site safety -
Online shopping sites need to have certain marks that ensure the use of its legitimacy -
- The page address starts with https instead http, as the s means the page is secure
- A small lock like symbol on the lower right-hand corner of your web browser window

Check the website for these signs and also read online for reviews.

Source 1: http://www.iamai.in:
Source 2: http://www.iamai.in/Release_detail.aspx?Enid=3015&Month=5&Near=2013
Source 3: http://www.squidoo.com/make-online-shopping-safer-than-it-is

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Cheaney Brogues: Shoes for All Needs and Occasions

Chaney Brogues as the name suggest is the product of the leading footwear brand Joseph Chaney that started functioning in the year 1886 from Northampton. Finest in English shoes is how this brand is known in England and Europe. And now it has become a well-known name in footwear industry of the world.

What makes Joseph Chaney stands apart? It is its way of making shoes. It makes every pair with a painstaking process. Each pair goes through careful eyes and is treated with perfection with old and seasoned hands. The shoes are still made with hand at its factory in Northampton. Handmade footwear wears a different look and for this reason they are valued by the users.

This company has been making shoes since a long time hence it has a large clientele to serve and many stories to tell. People from all walks of life use its products and you will be amazed to know that military personnel also took services of this company in war time. It was in First World War that this company was roped in for making footwear for defense personnel standing guard in jungles, mountainous region and wet lands.

Chaney brogues are still popular. These handmade shoes are just perfect for every occasion and festival. Whether you are going to office or to attend a party, you will find these shoes perfectly matching with your attires. Wear these shoes with jeans and t-shirt or with formal pant and shirt, a pair of shoes from this brand can make you feel complete.

Today(TM)s machine made footwear can never become an alternative to hand crafted shoes. What is more surprising is you can buy a pair of handmade footwear at affordable price. And you can buy it online. The factory of Joseph Chaney is still making hand crafted shoes. Making shoes with hands has become a tradition for this brand.

Look at a pair of Chaney brogues to understand the painstaking process used for making quality shoes. The finish, polish and design of the shoe will attract you at first sight. You will appreciate the design and like to wear it. On wearing, you will feel the real difference between a handmade and a factory made shoe.

Chaney brogues are high quality footwear but not expensive. You DNA(TM)t need going to Northampton or a physical store to buy a pair of shoes from this brand as it is available online.

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Choose the Best Custom Coin Manufacturer - Enjoy Reliable and Professional Service

Custom challenge coins are becoming ever more popular to celebrate special events and special activities outside the military. Those who want to have such items; it is important that they plan the design, the use of colors, finishes, types of edging, and presentation containers. While manufacturers allow specification of many details, it is the skill of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional artists that are most important in determining how high the final quality will be.

Challenge coins can be prepared in an infinite number of designs. They may be made to honor a special gathering; offered to different individuals in memory of prominent incidents to offer special prestige to make it unforgettable. The gold or gold platted types are well known. A blank currency is like a blank canvas. Choosing the details of the design as the first step is essential. This will help in creating a memorable and attractive final piece. Some people may prefer antique metal finishes rather than lacquer finishes. This is primarily because they want to show up three-dimensional detail better.

You are strongly recommended to choose a reputed custom coin manufacturer to meet your requirements. Their work of art makes the product anesthetically pleasing. Mold-making necessitates special talent. They are generally hand-carved by a single artist.

These considered as one of the most valuable possessions for the army or air force personnel for their deeds during wartime. To them these are precious achievements in their careers. They preserve them for the next generations. Most of the military and the police departments use this item to recognize the merits of staff force for the unique feat of service. They are offered to deserving candidates as a mark of special recognition. This is a common practice in the air force, army, navy, police, and fire brigade and so on. It inspires people to offer loyal and dedicated service.

The colors, the designs and the shapes largely depend on the occasion. Marriage is undoubtedly the most wonderful occasions of our life. Coin tradition plays an integral part in the ceremony. The Marriage Anniversary is the yearly celebration in remembrance of that special occasion. One of the traditional gift items are the wedding anniversary coins. This is generally presented by grandparents to their children or at times by kids to their parents or grandparents. This traditional gift makes your day special.

They craft memories while solidifying the occasion. They leave a lasting impression that time can't carry away. Anyone who receives such a legacy gift will always remember it.

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Disclaimer Policy

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by us. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified.

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