In 1997, Donald C. Goodstein, associate professor of marketing for Indiana University, predicted a new trend, ?People have been thinking about the Web and playing around with it. There are a lot of people who may, during this holiday season, start experimenting with it. Goodstein cites the growing number of Internet providers for business and retailers on the Web.?
It?s hard to believe that was written less than ten years ago. Today?s shoppers think nothing of hopping on the Internet to buy gifts. They?ve long since discovered that shopping at home, via laptop or PC, is a great way to find bargains and to avoid crowds.
In turn, the retail industry has responded. Almost every merchandiser of size has a presence on the web, and many a mom-and-pop shop has expanded their business and their distribution through creating an Internet site.
While 1997?s online Christmas shopper browsed a manageable amount of retail sites, consumers in 2006 are faced with seemingly infinite choices. To make it easier for shoppers to find their way to the perfect bargain, centralized shopping sites have evolved. These sites promise the best deals from many merchants on the web. Froogle and Pricegrabber are two of the most popular.
One of the newest and most promising sites is Gonicofish.com, the brainchild of Gina Bassman, former senior financial officer for the Detroit Lions. There, shoppers can find bargains and coupons from nearly 1,000 merchants.
?I love working with Fortune 500 retailers and quality boutiques to bring shoppers savings on line,? says Bassman, former Senior Financial Officer for the Detroit Lions. ?My aim is to provide a fun and easy place for customers to ?catch? today?s latest deals, discounts, and coupon codes.?
In order to meet this goal, Bassman has partnered with merchandisers such as Amazon.com, Coffee for Less, Eddie Bauer, Office Depot, PetSmart, Target, Brooks Brothers, and Sony. The site covers all types of items, including jewelry, electronics, apparel, and baby goods.
Bassman found this niche in the on-line retail market through her own personal experience. She visited several web pages that claimed to pull together bargains and discounts from a variety of companies. She realized, however, that customers found it difficult to find their way around such sites. Consumers got lost in long lists of promotions.
Thus, Bassman set out to provide a free resource that is more convenient for visitors to navigate. Gonicofish?s unique selling point is that Bassman has created her own, easy-to-use web layout. Her on-line visitors can peruse the site by item, by merchant, or by selecting one of about eighteen different product categories, often including a special page just for holidays. Though her site is colorful, Bassman keeps it devoid of pop-ups, flash, and hype.
?I let the content have the spotlight,? says Bassman.
Centralized sites like Gonicofish.com are a good starting place for online Christmas shoppers. The following tips will help consumers get the most from these sites:
1)Before going online, make a thorough list of everyone for whom you wish to purchase a gift.
2)Determine your total Christmas budget.
3)Assign each person a dollar amount, keeping your total budget in mind.
4)Spend a fun hour browsing a central discount site. Note which products are hot gift items this year. Let product descriptions inspire your creativity.
5)Keeping the interests of each person on your list in mind, jot down two or three gift ideas beside each name.
6)If you are in doubt about the quality of any product, read online consumer reviews. These can help you know what to expect when you purchase a particular item. They can also help you decide if the item in question is worth the money.
With just a little preparation, online Christmas shopping can be a breeze. Who knows? Maybe, Santa?s surfing the net, catching the best deals that the web has to offer.
Elizabeth Alphin Mundie is a freelance writer specializing in finance and technology. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia's Henry Grady College of Journalism. She has served as PR specialist for The Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, High Tide Technologies, LLC, and GonicoFish.com. She has written a series of articles about agricultural insurance for Progressive Farmer Magazine. She has contributed to and edited a number of church bulletins and web sites.
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