Thinking about shopping online?

If you are thinking about shopping online for the items you need on a daily basis, you're not alone! According to the U.S. department of commerce, U.S. online retail reached $175 billion in 2007 and is projected to grow by $335 by year 2012. E-commerce clearly continues to thrive, even when traditional consumer spending is off at brick-and-mortar shops.

Business to consumer, or better know as E-commerce continues its double digit year-over-year growth, in part because sales are shifting away from stores and in part because online shoppers are more confident with the whole process of buying online. 

Today more than ever online store-owners are busier than ever meeting the demand of a maturing market. "Almost any transaction you can think of can now be done online -from consumers paying their utility bills and people buying books, movies and clothes, to major corporations paying their vendors and selling to their customers." ~ Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke

There are some trends that marked years 2008 and 2009 regarding E-commerce and will certainly will continue to do so in 2010: 

• Social media marketing has been the new way to advertise for retailers.
• Price comparison sites.
• Ebay went through big changes in 2008 allowing small retailers to increase sales. 
• Many retailers offer free shipping, attracting more consumers to their online store. 
• Customer reviews have helped consumers make a decision towards their purchase with the addition of videos, pictures and 360 views. 
• Affiliate marketing increases traffic to the retailer's website.
• International sales are increasing day by day.

After all, online shopping is fast and convenient, opening a new world of merchandise and services for families and businesses!

Top 10 Reasons to Shop Online

There are great benefits involved with shopping online and I wanted to share with you the top 10 reason why you and any household or business owner should shop online:

1. Shopping is a necessity in our lives and we constantly look for the cheapest prices. We use coupons and buy from clearance. When shopping online from your website you can use online coupon codes plus you will earn an additional 3%-40% cash back.

2. Tax Benefits: Besides that you can shop in many Tax-Free sites, the best tax bonus is that the IRS considers the money you earn from your shopping as NON TAXABLE because it is categorized as REBATES! If the write-offs don't pay back your investment, your shopping will.

3. Life Benefits: When you shop online you soon will see that you can use the time saved to improve yourself, to read more, to study more, to spend more time with the people you love.


4. You will cut your actual shopping time by 75%. There are items that we purchase over and over such as paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, soap, laundry items, toiletries, cleaners, diapers, makeup, hair care. These are the perfect items to purchase online, order everything in less than 10 minutes and it will be delivered to your front door.

5. Instead of spending hours each month on the entire shopping process of getting ready, driving, shopping, checkout lines, loading/unloading, now you can do it in half an hour in the the privacy of your own home with a glass of wine. Then you only have to wait for its arrival to put it away.

6. Save the rebate money you earn for something special - a night out , a brand new TV or even a vacation. The savings adds up and the more you or anyone else shops from your website, the more you will earn.

7. Real life money saving: Did you know that many items are cheaper online than at the brick and mortar store? That you can save the State Tax by shopping tax-free retailers? That you can find the same product at a much lower price in some websites you have no idea they exist? That you can compare instantly the price and cash back you will receive for a specific product?

8. There are great shopping portals where you can sign up for free. They set it up and provides all the maintenance, updates and 24/7 support you need. They  track all your purchases for you.

9. You can shop online in most of the biggest names in retail such Macys, Sports Authority, GAP, Banana Republic, Target, Office Depot, Walmart, Expedia, Budget Rent-A-Car, Marriott, Six Flags, Shutterfly, Sears, Skype, Nautica, Adidas, Aeropostale, PETCO.

10. Nowadays you can fin thousands of eco-friendly products online. Many of them you can't find at your regular grocery store.

E-commerce Improved

I am sure that you are now familiar with E-commerce or better known as online shopping. It is estimated that 50% of the active internet users are also frequent online shoppers.

As E-commerce evolves, there are better and improved shopping portals that allow consumers to find the product they are looking for. Now anyone can find in seconds a product and all the retailers that sell it, comparing prices instantly and discovering retailers they have never heard before.

Today you can link to thousands of retailers from shopping portals where you can register for free such as Retail Benefits and receive a percentage of cash back just for linking to the retailer from this site. Example: if you want to buy a ticket on Expedia you have 2 options: 1) go directly to their site or 2) go to the RB website, find the retailer and link to the official Expedia site but just for those additional clicks you could earn 1.6% back in cash.

Next time you need to buy something online or need to book a flight remember shop smarter!

The Whole World is One Click Away

With just a click of a mouse you can buy nearly any product online from retailers around the world, from diapers, beauty products, pet supplies, car insurance, party favors, travel arrangements, home loans, groceries, cleaning supplies, to electronics and clothing. E-commerce allows consumers to purchase thousands of items without leaving the comfort of their home.

The number of people shopping online around the world is increasing dramatically. Retailers attract more shoppers as they utilize their websites to sell out-of-season merchandise at a fraction of the price at the same time that they also have the new arrivals.

What are the advantages of shopping online?

• Compare prices between different stores that have the same item.
• No need to drive to the store, you can do it in your PJ's at home.
• Find the size you are looking for in seconds.
• Easy to send a family member a gift or flowers even when they live far from you.
• Use online coupons to save extra money.
• No long lines to pay.
• Possibility of finding the same item with a retailer that doesn't charge State tax (depending on your location)
• In a matter of minutes you can finish your purchase and just wait for the delivery.

As technology continues to evolve, consumers are now able to shop online from a smart phone or using any portable device that has access to the Internet. You can shop online while you wait for your children to come out of their dancing class, at the pediatrician waiting room, at the airport before boarding a flight, at the hair salon while you get a nice pedicure!

Retail Benefits is a fast growing shopping portal with links to the biggest names in retail. With their advanced search technology you can find in seconds the best price for a specific item, you can compare between retailers and find the best deal. The best part, is that it has a list of more than 2,000 registered non-profit organizations and you can select to donate all or part of your rewards to your favorite charity. This amazing shopping portal has also a Green Mall with over 20,000 products that are better for you, for your health, your family and of course for our planet with the best eco-friendly brands.

So next time you want to buy shoes at your retail mall, think that you can probably find the same exact model, for a much lower price!

Live Life Wisely

As we grow up, time seems to go faster. When you become a parent it's less likely to find time for yourself as you are running all the daily errands. What if you could have your monthly supplies shipped to your door? You would save a tremendous amount of time and money as you gas tank will last longer, wouldn't you? Have you ever considered shopping online your monthly supplies from out-of-state retailers or virtual stores that don't charge State Tax? Just for you to know, Miami-Dade County has a 7% Tax and there are many other states that have a higher rate.



Shopping online also reduces impulse buying.

When we go to the store we purchase items we don't need just because the retailers put them in a special place with a huge ON SALE sign that makes you want and need the product.

If you go to the store with kids that amount can easily be doubled as they probably would want to buy a snack, a cookie box with their favorite character in it, a toy or a book.

It is a fact that living a greener life is healthier and it also helps protect our planet. A wide variety of eco-friendly product are available online as well and you don't have to go to special natural and organic stores to get them.

 

Think about it: a $5-8 shipping charge will probably be less than the money you would spend on gasoline in a week going to 3-4 different stores to buy your supplies. Also it is true that many retailers offer free shipping after you reach certain amount in your total purchase.

Or maybe you go to one of those mega super stores where it takes you 2 hours in and out (if you are lucky) to get every item on your list, and still you might have to use 2-3 gallons of gas to get there and back at an average of $2.60 per gallon.

So next time you write your shopping list, take some time to search online, you will be surprised what you can find on the world wide web!

Let me show you a better way to shop online:
http://smart.retailbenefits.com

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10 Easy Ways to Save Money

We are all trying to reduce our monthly expenses as our economy continues to struggle. Saving money is not as easy as it was 5 years ago but it is not impossible if we give it a try. Why not start saving money today? Below you will find 10 easy ways to help you save money, it might not seem a lot to save 50 a month but at the end of a year or two it will make a difference.

1. Start by setting a realistic goal of reducing your household or personal expenses by $25 or $50 monthly!
2. Keep a journal with all your expenses and purchases for a month. It's truly amazing how much money we spend on impulse purchases while shopping.
3. Compare prices! Most retailers have websites. You can easily obtain information online.
4. Use coupons! Even when people think that rebates are too time-consuming it can save you a lot of money in the long run. And most retailers offer online coupon codes too! That will save you the time at the cashier scanning every discount available. You would be surprised the amazing offer you can find online plus you will save the time and gasoline as you can shop from the convenience of your home.
5. Bring your own lunch, coffee, tea, cookies and drinks to work. Those daily visits to gourmet coffee shops or restaurants can impact your wallet more than you think! $8-12 a day can turn into $2,080-$3,120  in a year, do the math!
6. Limit your nights dining out to once a month. There are great websites where you can purchase gift certificates of $25 paying only $2, that is a tremendous discount.
7. Eliminate prepackaged food. For example, a block of mozzarella cheese is cheaper than the grated one. Whole chicken breast is cheaper than the skinless/boneless type plus it will add more flavor to your soups. Make your own apple sauce it is so simple and you can control the amount of sugar you add to it.
8. Conserve electricity and water. Turn off the light of the rooms you are not using and check the toilets for possible leaks, run your dishwasher and washer only when they are completely full, use cold water for your laundry, take shorter showers or close the water while you wash your body or shave. Doing this will not only lower your monthly bill but it will also help preserve the planet.
9. Cook dinner from scratch, avoid using prepared food. Also reduce the amount of meat your eat a week, it is healthier for you and for your monthly budget.
10. Buy a water filter and reusable water bottles. Keep them in the refrigerator for future use. You can save a lot of money in a year as you avoid buying bottled water and at the same time you will help prevent those empty bottles ending up in our landfills. Plus, since keeping the refrigerator full saves energy as the temperature will stay cooler longer, having water bottles will also reduce your electricity bill.

LIVE - SHOP - SAVE - EARN
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Online Shopping Facts

• Shopping online can saves you time, money and gas!!

• E-commerce goes beyond travel reservations or car rentals.

• Shopping online is greener as long as you select ground transportation.

• Every year more green products are sold online as people are becoming more conscious about the environment and about their health. Even well known companies are making eco-friendly products to satisfy the increasing demand.

• Every year more people uses the internet to research products. Every day more people end up buying the item they looked online as it is convenient for them, fast and easy.

• Retailers offer discounted prices and promotion for online only purchases. It is much easier for them to ship items directly form the warehouse, instead of having to rent a space inside a shopping mall and pay all the expenses doing this involves.

• Shopping online is safe and secure, in many cases even more than handing your credit card to a stranger that can easily copy the information and use later without your consent.

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My Experience as Online Shopper

Nowadays we have become more conscious about the money we spend every month. We are all looking ways to save money on everything we buy. So I wanted to share some real experiences.

A person I know needed to make some home improvements and in order to do so he needed to spend about 4000 in materials in Home Depot (after all we all need to go to Home Depot at one point in our lives) So, on Friday he went to this site and bought a $4,000 gift certificate at Home Depot and he elected to have it e-mailed. He received the e-mail and printed the certificate, went to Home Depot and paid with it. That got him $90.00 in cash back!

Another great example on how you can take advantage of this portal is when you suddenly need to buy electronics and you don't have time to wait for the shipment. So go to your portal, go to Best Buy and find the product you are looking for and select the option "pick-up in store" then you find the closest store and make the purchase. After about an hour you will get an e-mail saying that your item is ready for pick-up. You saved time and you also got cash back on something you were going to buy anyway.

We all have booked a flight on Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, ChepOAir, Priceline, etc. Ot we have booked a car on Avis, Budget, Enterprise, right? Well, what if you can get cash back on those purchases? You are going to book it online anyway! 

My father is a doctor and he sent me a list of books that we bought on Amazon thinking he got the best prices for them. To my surprise I checked every book on a retailer called Alibris discovering that every single item was cheaper with free shipping! In all, he could have saved $194 buying from this retailer plus I could have gotten 4% cash back. That was the last time he ordered from Amazon.