Hong Kong is probably the best shopping destinations in the world that offer various types of goods and services at reasonable costs. Hong Kong is also one of the world’s leading destinations that thrive in shopping mall tourism as well as retail therapy. In fact, Hong Kong is a shoppers’ paradise. For tourists visiting Hong Kong, shopping is not only a process of buying several exciting stuffs but also an important recreational as well as fun filled activity.

Since Hong Kong is a free international port, it keeps abreast with the world’s latest fashion trends and provides opportunities for the tourists to buy custom-free products that have been brought from across the world. No matter you want to shop fashion accessories, apparels, or electronic items, Hong Kong has superb options for all. Discussed further in this article are some of the most popular shopping areas in Hong Kong that are spread across its three major sections such as the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and New Territories.

One of the most prominent shopping areas in the Hong Kong Island is the Central District, which is also the economic and financial hub of Hong Kong. With a fusion of designer outlets, high-end shopping malls, and old markets, shopping in the Central District is truly an enjoyable experience. For antique collectors, Central District’s such areas as the Cat Street and the Hollywood Road are a great choice, both of which are lined with a number of antique shops.

Likewise, if you want to shop fabrics, souvenirs, handbags, and other fashion accessories at bargain prices, then Des Voeux Road and Queens Road in Central District are some of the popular choices. Further, the Central District is home to the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator system, the Midlevel Escalator and Walkway System.

Another popular shopping area in the island is Causeway Bay, otherwise known as East Point. This significant shopping district is a great place to shop locally made as well as fashionable items from Japan, with an array of Japanese malls, prominent being the 13-storey Sogo Japanese department store, World Trade Center, Fashion Walk, and Lee Gardens.

Apart from these, Causeway Bay also contains such shopping options as Jardine’s Crescent, a popular open market, from where fashionable clothes and items can be bought at great prices. Many of the large scale department stores offer great shopping as well as dining experiences.

Prominent shopping areas in the island also include Admirality, which comes with a great number of shopping malls, departmental stores, upscale hotels, and recreational areas. Few among the shopping options available here are Pacific Place and Queensway Plaza. The Admirality stations link Hong Kong Island’s MTR Line with the Kowloon Tsuen Wan Line.

Among the significant shopping destinations in Kowloon are Mong Kok, which is a great place for shopping electronic items at bargain rates; Tsim Sha Tsui, an area designed especially for those who want to shop high-end fashion accessories; and Kowloon Tong, whose focal point is the mall Festival Walk, with more than 200 shops. When comes to New Territories, perhaps its most prominent shopping area is Tsing Yi, with a number of glitzy shopping malls.

With these scores of options, visitors touring Hong Kong can shop from morning to late night. But, certain important things have to be considered while shopping in Hong Kong. First of all, don’t get swayed away by illegal products. Since Hong Kong consists of a large number of stores selling same products at various prices, a smart shopper must shop around to compare prices and to buy a product at the possible least price. Likewise, it is advisable for the buyers to shop from stores or malls with membership of the Hong Kong Tourist Association.

Additionally, it would be better to shop an electronic item that carries some kind of guarantee or warranty. One can also approach night markets in order to shop several items at exceptionally cheap rates; however, these may not be attached with any kind of guarantee. Above all, do practice bargaining to buy a product in Hong Kong.

In case if you are convinced that you are deceived on purchasing a particular item in Hong Kong, then you could complaint it regarding by contacting the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) or via calling the Consumer Council Hotline at 2929 2222.

By: Wolfgang Jaegel

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nological advancement and the development of the Internet, there are various benefits available to end users. Shopping is no exception to this and the option of internet marketing has been introduced as a platform to reach out to target customers irrespective of geographical location. Companies provide an array of products over the Internet, thereby making the shopping experience for consumers not only comfortable, but also enjoyable.

There are innumerable benefits offered online to the shopping enthusiasts. Some of the major advantages of shopping online are mentioned below:

1. Convenience

With shopping online, there are no hassles of driving to shopping malls, waiting in traffic jams, parking vehicles in crowded parking lots during the festive season or hopping from one store to another, which turns out to be a rather frustrating and tiring experience. Online shopping facilitates the overcoming of all such hassles and provides the availability of a wide range of products by a simple click of the mouse and all that from the comfort of your home. Browse through online stores and offered products while just sitting in your chair or while working simultaneously in your office.

2. Time-saving

As there is no particular destination or shop that you have to flock to, online shopping saves you a lot of time as well. Multitasking is also possible while shopping online.

3. Money-saving

Due to intense competition on the Internet, the online stores provide discounts and attractive offers as opposed to the land-based stores. With the availability of a number of online stores, one can also easily compare prices and easily make a right and affordable selection.

4. Offered products

Irrespective of your requirements, being wedding apparels or domestic items, there is nothing that you will fall short of when shopping online.

5. Quality Assurance

Though the fact fabric and other such things do not have a quality guarantee, as we cannot judge this in person may be counted as a disadvantage of online shopping, the product reviews published at online shopping websites enable an individual to judge the authenticity of a product. The customers’ reviews are based on their personal experiences and thereby give a glimpse of both the positive and negative aspects of the product.

6. Security

All concerns concerning credit cards, like identity theft or hacking can all be put aside as online shopping is absolutely safe. The personal information provided along with credit card details are all encrypted and not revealed to other internet users.

With so many advantages at your fingertips, there is nothing more a shopping enthusiast can ask for. Simply browse through the shopping websites, add products to your shopping cart and get started! Payment can be made using credit card or PayPal and the ordered items will soon be delivered at your doorstep. No doubt, shopping has never been so easy and simple, so make the most of this opportunity instead of moving from one land-based shop to another.

By: Nor Nan

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Shopping is one of the favorite activities of many women, just as it can be a real nightmare for most men. The truth is that, whether we like it or not, shopping is an important part of our lives. To some people, shopping is close to a hobby, while to others it is the same as paying bills or going to work. Either way, I’m sure that all of us would like to spend as little time as possible stuck in traffic or in the crowds from shopping malls and supermarkets. Shopping online is the alternative, and more and more people prefer it to the traditional way of shopping, as it comes with many advantages. First of all, nothing compares to shopping from the privacy and comfort of your home. No crowds, no traffic, no noise, and no more hours spent on going from shop to shop. Instead, you can engage in an enjoyable activity and wait for all the goods that you have purchased online to be delivered to your home. What’s more, some online shopping stores offer free delivery, if the amount of money that you spend is over the limit that they have set, typically around $100. Furthermore, you can find some real deals at the online shopping stores, as their expenses are considerably lower than those of traditional real-world stores, which means that they can sell their products at more affordable prices.

People prefer shopping malls because they find everything they need under one roof. The same advantage comes with an online shopping mall, too. All the online stores that you may want to buy from are under the same virtual roof, and browsing through an online shopping mall is definitely easier and faster than walking around a real mall. People prefer malls because they have access to different places in the same location. In other words, malls are convenient. An online shopping mall is all the more convenient, as it requires very little time to browse, and, as has been said before, shopping at an online store is very affordable. There are lots of discounts, free items, prizes, and so forth. You can buy all sorts of products, from computers, software, electronics, DVD videos and games to clothing and accessories, jewelry, gifts, books, collectibles, and the list can go on forever. All it takes it that you find the online mall that has all the online shopping stores you want, and you’ll definitely agree that an online shopping mall is all you’ll ever need, as it is both money and time-efficient.

With the holiday season drawing near, you can witness more and more of a shopping frenzy everywhere you go. We all like to shop for gifts, especially around the holidays, but when it comes to making your way through the traffic and crowds, shopping online is a great alternative. Not everything you would like to buy for your loved ones can be found in stores close to your homes, but at an online shopping mall your perspective changes completely. You can browse through thousands of products and have everything reach you, without having to spend hours on the streets. The personalized gifts that you have always wanted to buy are at the click of your mouse. An online shopping mall is usually user-friendly, which means that you can easily browse through all the online shopping stores for what they have and find the products that you are looking for. Items are easy to order, and you can order them safely and securely. Just make sure you check the terms and conditions of every purchase, as well as the privacy policy before you do any shopping.

All in all, buying from an online shopping store saves money and time. An online shopping mall offers the opportunity to visit several stores in one place, without having to leave home. What’s more, the free shipping that many online shopping malls offer adds to the savings that you get shopping online.

Are you looking for a great online shopping store? Visit http://www.clevershoppers.com and you will find one of the best online shopping mall on the internet.

By: Groshan Fabiola

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Online shopping in India is as real as it could get. The concept has even acquired AC Neilson study reports to mark the validation. Majority in India though does not seems to be aptly acquainted with the rules of online shopping, however the minority, which indulges in online shopping in India, is vibrant enough to mark a clear statistical growth. From a generic prospective, this is good news for many, but there is one section, which has been most favourably involved. The innuendo is towards online search and shopping for gadgets and gizmos.

Gadgets and online shopping – the perceptible link

The link between online shopping growth in India and increased demand for gadgets online is obvious, because a true gadget enthusiast is almost certain to have access to the resources, requisite for online shopping. Moreover, with gadgets, where technical specifications are of key relevance, checking and purchasing online is quite an easy task. These electronic goods do not need to be touched or tried, prior to purchase.

Seller vis-à-vis buyer – the disparity is apparent

Credible studies and reports have made substantial effort to state that the online shopping in India is witnessing an impressive upward trend; however none of the analysis, with an equivalent confidence, suggest availability of online sellers in India.

Continuing with the gadgets subject, it has been noted that most of the traders are SMEs with almost negligible online presence. Even if there are websites, majority are neglected or vaguely updated. Most of the sellers still rely upon the whims and fancies of established online trade directories, for a better ranking. The deals are scattered and usually redundant. An extensive online search, more than often directs to an international websites or blog entries / articles. It is only rare, that the search yields the desired outcome.

While at this stage, nothing much can be done to improvise upon the online sale scenario in all sections, a fair attempt has been made to at least update with an established online setup in the gadget section.

About www.gadgets.in

Gadget.in is an exceptional case. It is an India online gadget store, offering the latest in the section for purchase. It is among those few internet based shopping portals, which in true terms meets the requirements propelled by online shopping growth in India. Thus while you still have search in all other categories, for gadget specific requirements, simply log on to www.gadgets.in and shop for the best.

By: Anmol Taneja

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Traditional shopping has proven to be a hazard to the wellbeing and health of both adults and children and may result in serious trauma.

Recently, a South African mom sued a major retailer and the owners of a shopping centre for damages in the amount of R126 828 after her toddler was injured after falling out of a shopping trolley. Every year, thousands of children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for falls from shopping trolleys. Injuries associated with shopping trolleys are an important cause of severe head injuries and can even lead to death.

Shopping trauma and injuries can happen anywhere. There are all too many common situations in which shopping injuries occur when visiting the local store; slipping in a puddle of water, cutting your arm in the appliance section, having your Achilles tendon ripped off by the trolley driver behind you, getting stuck under the escalator or a paper cut in the stationery department. What about trauma? We all dread the thought of being stuck in an elevator resulting in dehydration, frustration and distress. Imagine how miserable your day will turn out when you realise you have just had a pick pocket snatch up your wallet? Consider how many children are being abducted from shopping malls these days. And armed robbery, it’s not a fallacy, it really happens – daily in fact, in shopping centers around the world. Unfortunately, every year hundreds of shoppers are badly hurt or traumatised by these very situations.

When a shopping injury causes a customer to be hurt in a store, medical bills usually grow and dealing with the store and its insurance company can be a large headache. To make matters worse, they argue that the misfortune or injury that you have just experienced was your fault! If you are without an attorney, getting relief can seem impossible.

To make matters worse, further research has shown that shopping could be detrimental to ones health as well. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) experts have found that excessive shopping brings in earnest with its stress, pressure and even increased risk of injury. Shoppers experience an increase in back, shoulder and neck pain due to rushing around and carrying too many things at once placing added stress on bodies and causing an increase in chance of injury. The reality of the situation is that traditional shops may prove to be a very hazardous environment for shoppers.

Increased prevention of shopping related trauma or injuries can be achieved by taking some simple precautions, such as adult supervision where children are involved, avoid carrying too many parcels, by taking care not to place unbalanced weight on your body from shopping bags, leave large sums of money at home, wear steel combat boots, or just don’t go shopping at all!

Ridiculous you may say. One needs to shop to survive! So what’s the alternative? Shop Online. It’s the safest, most secure, least traumatic solution to mortal shopping combat survival. With so many online marketplaces, it is obvious that shoppers are spoilt for choice. It really is just so simple to go online and to sit back and let your fingers (not your legs) do the walking across an array of catalogues, products and items available in almost every imaginable category. So you want to travel? Go online. You want to plan a romantic dinner with wine, candles and beautiful lingerie. Go online. Your kids need some back to school goodies. Go online. You want to buy a new outfit with some lovely jewellery to accessorise with. Go online. You have to buy a birthday present, mother’s day present, father’s day present……go online.

With all the online tools available to you today, you can compare prices of products against one another, research your product in its entirety in order to avoid a later buyer’s remorse, pay online and even have it delivered to your door. Not only is it convenient and available to you 24 hours a day, it’s also safe, secure and fun.

What’s the worst that can happen now? You can get a cramp in your clicking finger from possibly becoming an online shop-aholic. A small price to pay to avoid all that other trauma and risk don’t you think?

By: Gillian Meier

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The city centre, with its large pedestrian areas, mix of quirky, independent shops, open-air market and spacious modern shopping malls make Norwich a unique shopping destination and it has recently been voted as one of Britains top 5 places to shop. Away from the city, market towns and villages provide the ideal opportunity to browse the range of individual shops in a relaxed, but vibrant atmosphere.

The many market towns around the city offer a wealth of shops with individual character and style. Diss, Wymondham, Harleston and Aylsham are among the towns that still have a weekly market day, as well as occasional antiques and collectors fairs, farmers markets and auctions. Meanwhile, head out to Wroxham on the Broads and discover Roys, the world’s largest village store.

Norwich also boasts the country’s largest open-air market. Recently refurbished, the colourful stalls offer a vast selection of goods. The market is a great place to grab a snack while you browse around soaking up the atmosphere, you can also snap up a bargain.

The medieval alleys and winding back streets in the heart of the city form the Norwich Lanes. Lined with a fascinating range of specialist shops, The Lanes are a must for those looking for an original gift or that something extra special. Designer clothing, books, antiques and even teddy bears are among the many found here. Nearby, The Royal Arcade is home to delightful small shops, including the famous Colman’s Mustard Shop and Museum.

High street names and large department stores are well represented in the central area and the city’s two major shopping centres, the award-winning Castle Mall and the Chapelfield shopping centre. John Lewis, House of Fraser, Boots, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams are among the well-known major outlets, as well as many fashion brands. Family-owned, Jarrold was recently named UK Independent Department Store of the Year.

Whether you’re after a bargain or searching for an original gift, you are sure to find ideas in abundance in Norwich.

What’s more a brand new shopping guide has been specially designed for anyone who loves to shop until they drop. The ShopNorwich map has been produced by VisitNorwich to promote Norwich’s wide range of retail experiences from department stores to independent boutiques.

It features 20 different retail areas across Norwich, each of which are cross-referenced on a map of the city, and also provides information on transport links, shopmobility, park and ride, and visitor information contacts. The ShopNorwich map has been designed to help visitors get the most out of their shopping trip to the city and promote its outstanding retail offer to the wider marketplace regionally and nationally.

Clare Packer, Marketing Manager for VisitNorwich, said: “Norwich is fantastic for its range of shopping and at last this new map will help visitors and shoppers uncover the different delights of the city especially the independent stores and the smaller specialist shops within the cobbled streets and alleyways of the Norwich Lanes. It showcases the breadth and quality of the Norwich shopping experience and we hope it will encourage visitors and shoppers to come to the area time and again.”

At the same time as launching the new ShopNorwich map, VisitNorwich has collaborated with VisitBritain and Now magazine in a national competition. The prize, for one winner and 3 friends, is a £5000 luxury shopping weekend in Norwich. Melanie Cook, Marketing and Web Sales Executive for VisitNorwich, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase Norwich retail at its best we are delighted to be participating in this national competition. We have 22 superb sponsors from across the city providing prizes which include, luxury boutique accommodation, shopping vouchers, makeovers, hair styling, meals, drinks and beautiful gifts. The prizewinners will have an amazing time they will be totally spoilt and won’t want to go home!” To enter the competition which closes 8th December, visit our web site link below.

By: Chris Phillips

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Are you tired of struggling through the over crowded streets and narrow aisles of your local shops? With people pushing and shoving, whilst trying to grab the last discounted item on the shelf. You need to start shopping with style, class and no hassles. You can save yourself loads of time and help the environment by not using your vehicle. Online shopping is the way of the future it is there to make your life safe, convenient and stress free.

Parking

Everyone seems to have a car now days and they all want to park close to the shops so they don’t have to carry their purchases too far. That doesn’t help when you are one of those people fighting for a car parking space and getting stressed before you start your days shopping. Shopping online alleviates this problem and you can visit all of the stores from the comfort of your own home. The goods you purchase are then delivered by the postman, a courier or the online store that you have purchased the items from. Travelling time from store to store is reduced to a matter of seconds as you open a new browser window. By shopping online you can also be in a number of shops at one time to compare prices. This is something you cannot do in the brick and mortar stores.

Prices

The price of items online, are much cheaper than their physical store counter parts. This is largely due to the lower over head costs of running a website compared to running a traditional bricks and mortar store. As websites do not need as much physical space and many of the functions like the cashier are automated the business has less operating costs. Online shopping websites can operate out of a large warehouse and do not need to be concerned with presenting an expensive and showy store front for their customers. With this reduction in overhead costs, online shopping websites can afford to sell the same item for a lower price. You may need to pay for postage and packaging but this can sometimes be only a few pounds and the overall cost of the item is still a lot cheaper.

Convenience

Online shopping is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you want to shop, there are online shopping websites ready to sell you nearly any item you can think of. What could be better for a busy brit than organising the stores operating times around your busy schedule. If you want to have a lie in, you don’t need to worry that the shopping centres or high streets will be packed with tired and angry shoppers. With online shopping you are in control of the shopping expedition and so you can choose when and where to shop with a simple click of the mouse.

Traipsing around the shops, wearing out your shoe leather and killing your calf muscles is a thing of the past. Staggering down the street carrying heavy bags full of shopping is no longer necessary. Whether you want to shop for designer clothes and handbags or your weekly groceries, online shopping is the way to go. Online shopping is safe and secure and offers online payment systems which utilise your credit card for transaction purposes.

By: Nigel

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What a convenience online shopping brings to us! Just imagine long hours of haggling and searching for bargains and new arrivals in the mall or waiting for discounts plus the stress of walking for hours! But with affordable online shopping sites, you’ll never have to worry again.

Clients find a merchandise of interest by visiting the website of the seller directly or do a search across many different vendors using a shopping search engine. Once a particular merchandise has been found on the website of the seller, most online retailers make use of shopping cart software to let the purchaser to gather several items and to regulate quantities by equivalence with filling a physical shopping cart or basket in a conventional store. A “checkout” procedure follows, continuing the physical-store analogy, in which payment and delivery information is collected, if necessary. Some stores allow clients to sign up for a stable online account so that some or all of this information only needs to be entered once. The purchaser frequently receives an e-mail confirmation once the transaction is done. Less sophisticated stores may rely on consumers to phone or e-mail their orders, but credit card numbers are not accepted by e-mail because of security and safety reasons. Nowadays, cheap online shopping is more favored by the public. Items are sold at a low cost and sometimes, second-hand or pre-owned items are also for sale.

When you’re searching for an item in the net, expect that the most valuable items are online electronics shopping. Buyers find better choices and variations online in certain market sectors, like computers and consumer electronics, and in some cases lower prices. This is due to a relaxation of certain limitations, such as the size of a “brick-and-mortar” store, lower stocking costs and lower staffing overhead. Shipping costs reduce the price advantage of online merchandise, though depending on the jurisdiction, a lack of sales tax may pay off for this.

Today, most of us opt for online shopping for electronics and gadgets because we can surf and search for ideas or options what gadget to use or what new devices or innovations that will suit you. This is the only place where you can shop for gadgets without the hassle of finding the right one for you. Online shopping makes life easier, and for shop-a-holics a breakthrough. One advantage of shopping online is being able to promptly seek out deals for items or services with many different sellers. Search engines and online price assessment services can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service. Online stores are usually accessible 24 hours a day and many consumers have Internet access both at work and home. A visit to a conventional retail store requires travel and must take place during business hours. But, not in the case of shopping online.

When you shop electronics online, you do not only have a chance to relax, but there’s also no pressure when it comes to time. Busy and on-the-go persons usually shop online because of its convenience. So, if you’re tired of walking around the mall haggling for gadgets, electronics, accessories, clothes, and everything under the sun, try online shopping.

By: Andrew Beene

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Proceeds gained from thrift shops are normally used to fund charity works. Salvation Army and Sue Ryder are among UK’s most admired thrift stores.

Charitable institutions deliver very important services, and that is to reallocate things contributed by the people. Toys, clothing, equipment, appliances, jewelries, vehicles, and other functional objects that were donated ought to be presented for resale in one way or another. This stipulation paved the way for thrift shops to promulgate.

Thrift shops are non profit stores that operate in business hours and sell clothing and other items to the people. Clothes are notably within your means at thrift shops as charity organizations collect a large amount of them. Rates are relatively the same as what most people would price in garage sales. Proceeds gained from thrift shops go to funding of charities.

Thrift shops are generally run by the charity institutions themselves or they can be operated by remote organizations that focus in the administration of thrift stores. Some thrift shops are run by church-based organizations such as the Salvation Army.

Salvation Army Trading Company operates contemporary thrift shops in different places all over the United Kingdom. Their shops provide the public with an array of merchandise that includes recycled quality garments for kids, males, and females of all ages. Shops also offer appliances, furniture, carpets and mats, toys, kitchen wares, porcelain, figurines and lots more.

Salvation Army outlined their modern concept of thrift shops from England’s Elizabeth 1. In the late 15th century, she gave consent to Scavengers that were mostly young ones to gather rags for creating paper.

You can either buy from Salvation Army’s thrift stores or you can donate goods. When you make a contribution into the organization’s clothing bank, it is collected, placed in trailers, and transported to the main reserve. Thorough inspection is performed to check for unusable goods. Clothes are then supplied to Salvation Army’s thrift shops.

Salvation Army has 50 thrift shops located in different regions of the UK including London and Glasgow. There are more than 2000 clothing banks scattered all over the country, as well. Southern England has the highest number with its 1000 banks, Northern England and Midlands both have 500, Wales has 300, and Scotland and Ireland have 350 clothing banks combined.

UK’s another famous charity organization is Sue Ryder Care. It provides hospice and neurological care for individuals with acute conditions such as Huntington’s Disease and cancer. Its thrift shops reaching to over 400 greatly help in its services given to these endeavors. Sue Ryder shops offer a wide portfolio of donated items like dolls, doll houses, bags, books, furniture and other collectibles. Famous celebrities like Paul McCartney, Madonna, and Ashley Jensen even come to Sue Ryder to find clothes.

To better service its customers and to further on, Sue Ryder instigated the UK’s first national charity reward card. Citizens can register for CareCard at one of the major stores including its Lincoln Road Peterborough branch. After signing up, they can accumulate stamps then redeem in any Sue Ryder store. One can also register through the Internet. For every £5 or more purchase made, shoppers can have their card stamped. If one has accumulated 10 stamps, the CareCard is redeemed for a £5 markdown.

Thrift shops deliver sizeable discounts as compared to commercial retail shops. These shops also offer you the opportunity to support worthwhile undertakings by purchasing their goods.

By: Christa Kowalczyk

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The virtual market has arrived and with the growing number of online stores, it seems like the trend is here to stay. Unlike real time stores, one does not need to invest heavily in virtual stores, and so even small business owners find the deal lucrative. Virtual stores are easy to create and manage, which has added immensely to their popularity. Depending upon the investment that a business owner would like to make, both in terms of time and money, one can create a virtual store for the business.

The convenience that these virtual stores offer to the online shopper cannot be matched by real time stores. The ease of begin able to compare several different manufacturers of a product and then purchase it online, along with having it delivered to your door step is indeed  magnetic. While initially buyers were skeptical of products that they saw online and not in reality, over the years, online dealers have established a gold reputation for themselves, which has added to an increase in online shoppers. Most online stores offer money back guarantees, much like real time stores, which takes away the fear of being cheated from the prospects mind. Almost all commercial ventures today understand the growing importance of E commerce, and virtual stores are the gateway of commercial activities on the internet.

Though having concluded that virtual stores are convenient to both the seller and the buyer, it is a know fact that simply setting up a virtual store is not the answer to increasing online sales. In fact, despite adopting extremely sophisticated advertising and quality products, it is a fact that for every online transaction that is completed, almost four times as many are deserted. Apparently putting up several payment gateways and adopting highly developed shopping cart software does not seem to seal the deal either. These techniques work at only drawing the prospects attention and moving towards a possible sale. However, despite these efforts, it has been estimated that on an average 75% of shopping carts are abandoned before the deal can be closed. It is no wonder then that abandoned shopping carts are considered the biggest ‘bane of ecommerce’. 

An abandoned shopping cart is an incomplete transaction, which the prospect deserts before the final deal is sealed. Since the ultimate goal of all E commerce activity is sales, of course a conversion left half way is extremely damaging to the business. Businesses that operate online spend huge sums of money to setup a commercially viable virtual stores and are then aghast at the large number of abandoned shopping carts. Therefore, one can safely conclude that as important as setting up a virtual store, is decreasing abandoned shopping carts so that the sales maybe increased.

The solution comes in a two phase package. First is, understanding the reason why the percentage of abandoned shopping carts is so high, and the second phase is ensuring that these hurdles and problems are done away with.

Reasons for shopping cart abandonment:-

1) Shipping cost – Over 72% of prospects who leave the deal half way through, do so due to the high shipping cost that the site charges. The advantage of shopping in the convenience of ones home is definitely attractive to the customer, but is marred by high cost of delivery. Also since shipping charges are as a rule not refundable, prospects are deterred from closing the deal.

2) Competition comparisons – One of the major attractions of online shopping is begin able to easily compare several manufacturers of similar products, so as to choose the most feasible deal. It has been observed that 61% prospects move on to greener pastures and abandon their shopping carts midway, when they find that the competition has more to offer.

3) Second thoughts- While initially taken in by the product and its cost, at the time of final payment, 51% of online shoppers abandon the shopping cart due to second thoughts. Wanting to think over the deal a little more, these prospects are likely to simply abandon the shopping cart and maybe come back later for the purchase. It is also a fact that 96% of browsers never return to a site even if they did buy something from that site.

4) Decide otherwise- While second thoughts do leave some room for a comeback, there are 56% prospects that choose items but give up the idea of buying them completely while going through the process of the ultimate purchase. They may decide that the item is not required or not as attractive that they had thought before.

5) Collective cost of products – While shopping, prospects tend to pick up several products and dump them in their shopping carts. On finally viewing the total cost of these products, 43% find them too high and therefore completely abandon the shopping cart that they had selected rather than go through the items again.

6) Length of check out process- 41% buyers abandon shopping carts because they find that the time required for the final check out is too lengthy. Irritated by the time that the check out process is taking, these buyers despite being committed to the deal simply abandon the shopping cart and move on.

7) Personal information for check out process- There are several website that seem to go on and on asking the prospect to give their personal information for the final deal to go through. Irritated by this, 35 % buyers tend to leave the cart and move away from the final transaction.

Registration process- There are several sites who have a pre requisite to register before the final buying process can be undertaken. 34% buyers decide that they would rather abandon the shopping cart than register for the site. 

9) Complicated check out process- Confused by complicated check out process 27% buyers decide to give up buying the product(s) online rather than try and figure out how the system works.

10) Reliability of the site- Cautious about the site’s authenticity and reliability, 31% buyers decide to not go through with the deal despite having started it. The fear of begin cheated online is much more than being cheated in the real world, since it is much easier to disappear in the virtual world.

Having nailed most of the reasons for abandoned shopping carts, the next phase involves finding solutions for these problems.

Solutions for shopping cart abandonment:-

1) Quick downloads- It is crucial for the sale to meet its final transaction that the web page does not take too long to download. On an average the shopper will not give your site more than 10 seconds to download. It is therefore important that the web page is not filled with images and that the graphics if any, are compressed for easy downloads.

2) Easy navigation – If the buyer wanted to solve a jig saw puzzle, a games site is what he/she would be visiting. Keep navigation and links of the website clear and simple. Golden rules like a right hand index, links to the buy tab and home page on all sub pages and pastels backgrounds should never be overlooked. Over decades people have come to expect certain tabs at certain spots on a website and not finding them there, tends to make the prospect move on.

3) Short sale routine – There are many sites that go on forcing a sales pitch on the prospect despite the customer already begin sold to the idea. Allow the client to buy the product as soon as he/she is convinced. Close the deal quickly, so as to not allow time to the prospect to rethink. For this it is important that the journey between the sales pitch and the payment gateway be as short as possible.

4) Lay down facts – Do not allow grey area to creep into your sales pitch. State the facts about the product in clear black and white terms. The price, the shipping cost, the availability and other such facts must be laid down in simple and clear terms to the prospect, so that it does not come as a shock later.

5) Offer attractions – If you find that the customer is leaving the site without purchasing what was placed in the shopping cart, step in with an attractive offer, which may be introduced via a pop up window. This works very well in cases where the prospect is half sold to the idea and just needs a bit more cajoling to undertake the final transaction.

6) Avoid distractions – Do not place banner ads or other similar distractions on your shopping cart. While the prospect is having a look at the product(s) you do not want to distract him/her. It is therefore very important that you do not fall into the trap of allowing other sites to take your prospect away by letting a small blinking advertisement break the shopper’s concentration.

While there are several other tips that help increase conversion rates for commercial websites, the basic essence of each trick is to add to the shopping experience of the customer. It is imperative that problems and solutions both be figured out from the client’s point of view. Be it a real time store or a virtual one, the customer is the final and most crucial link of the sales process and therefore must be kept happy at all given times.

By: Justin Pinkus

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