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Shoppers expected to take to the web this holiday season

Triliaeris   on 17 November 2008 - 00:11 · 17 comments & 3111 views

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Crowded shopping malls, long lines, and screaming children may quickly be becoming a thing of the past due to the poor economy. This holiday shopping season, consumers are expected to take to the web in masses in hopes of receiving better deals, free shipping and other freebies they normally wouldn't receive in an actual store.

"Given the current economic environment, it is no surprise that consumers are reigning in their spending and seeking bargains," says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. "Free shipping, exclusive online deals, coupons and discounts are among the incentives consumers will be expecting this season."

Expecting an online shopper increase of over nine percent compared to last year's numbers, most retailers are preparing special online deals and sales to entice consumers to spend money at their website over another. One online retailer though, Sportsfanshop.com who specializes in sporting team memorabilia, isn't going to be offering any extra deals and are hoping their customer base will simply overlook the bad economy and stick with them.

The marketing representative, who requested to remain anonymous, states "We will probably offer a few specials, but nothing out of the ordinary. Since our products are geared towards sports fans, I feel our base is solid. I think that some fans actually turn to their favorite teams when times are tough as a way to get away from the negativity that the news brings. Fans will never lose their allegiance, so there will always be a market for the products we offer."

Loyalty to teams may not be able to save this particular online retailer this season. With consumers more knowledgeable now about locating deals online and the dollar not going nearly as far as it once did, shoppers may simply purchase based on price instead of store name.

We want to hear from you, how do you plan on doing your holiday shopping this year? Will you shop at online retailers due to the deals they offer, or will you stick with sites you've previously shopped from simply out of loyalty and trust?

Post a comment · Send to friend Comments · There are 17 additional comments
(1 reply) #1 Flae_qui on 17 Nov 2008 - 00:18
why would anyone go out to the mall this day in age? everyone knows you can get it cheaper online...
#1.1 Philip Hristov on 17 Nov 2008 - 04:30
Because its fun to browse stuff you can actually touch? Even though I ordered my family`s Christmas presents over the Internet because they are import from Europe.
#2 +metal_dragen on 17 Nov 2008 - 00:37
I have done all of my shopping online for the past 3 years, so why would I stop that now. I got enough of the "Black Friday" madness when I used to go with my mom 15+ years ago. There's simply no reason to physically go to a store. Online merchants will generally have a larger supply of the hot items, since they sell nationwide, so there's no worry about getting in line early to ensure you get the hot item that a store may only have 10 of.
(1 reply) #3 Smashing Pumpkin on 17 Nov 2008 - 01:10
O RLY?
#3.1 Mikeyx11 on 17 Nov 2008 - 13:50
Smashing Pumpkin said,
O RLY?

Go away, ya, rly.
(1 reply) #4 rpgfan on 17 Nov 2008 - 01:33
That means that going to a store would be more logical this year, right? After all, if a large number of people buy online rather than going to a store, that means the stores will be less full, and that means... Wait, what am I saying!? It's too cold to do that where I live! Online again it is!
#4.1 cork1958 on 17 Nov 2008 - 01:56
rpgfan said,
That means that going to a store would be more logical this year, right? After all, if a large number of people buy online rather than going to a store, that means the stores will be less full, and that means... Wait, what am I saying!? It's too cold to do that where I live! Online again it is!


Exact-a-mundo!!

To cold!!
(3 replies) #5 perochan on 17 Nov 2008 - 03:04
you cant really buy clothes online. you need to try the clothes on and tell. other stuff you can buy them online.
#5.1 Flae_qui on 17 Nov 2008 - 03:16
http://www.shoebuy.com/ buy and return with free shipping... what else do you need?
#5.2 JamesWeb on 17 Nov 2008 - 10:15
Flae_qui said,
http://www.shoebuy.com/ buy and return with free shipping... what else do you need?

Maybe you're happy to walk around in nothing but shoes...
#5.3 Mikeyx11 on 17 Nov 2008 - 13:51
JamesWeb said,
Maybe you're happy to walk around in nothing but shoes...

You didn't actually go to the site, did you?
#6 Shiranui on 17 Nov 2008 - 04:58
You mean offline shops still exist?
#7 badblood on 17 Nov 2008 - 08:20
I'm hitting the web as it's much cheaper. It starts to balance out with delivery to Northern Ireland being so bloody high, but if I order enough I can justify the high delivery compared with the delivery to England/Scotland/Wales. Plus I don't have to leave the house!
#8 darkpuma on 17 Nov 2008 - 11:45
Unless you know exactly what you're getting someone, the internet is useless for buying presents. You cant see what things actually look like, and returns are probably more complicated.

Sure itd be good if you're buying your kid guitar hero or something, but if you're getting your girlfriend/wife jewelry or something along those lines, buying online would probably be a huge mistake IMO.
(2 replies) #9 C++ on 17 Nov 2008 - 14:53
Why would this holiday season be any different to any other holiday season since the internet came out?
#9.1 C_Guy on 17 Nov 2008 - 16:51
Exactly! In other Earth-shattering news, snow is white. Yes, white. Just as it always has been. Shocking, huh?
#9.2 Shiranui on 18 Nov 2008 - 00:34
C_Guy said,
Exactly! In other Earth-shattering news, snow is white. Yes, white. Just as it always has been. Shocking, huh?


Sometimes it is yellow.

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