Posted by ShopMesh on 25th March 2010

Skip Traditional Retailers and Shop Online

Skip Traditional Retailers and Shop Online

Shopping online rather in traditional brick and mortar retailers is growing at unprecedented rates. Although most traditional retailers also have a website however those that do not are currently have one or even plans of one are losing out on a very large market share.

The primary reason people are turning to the internet for their shopping is pricing. The internet is the never ending source for competition on any given product that is widely distributed. Any person with access to the internet and is somewhat internet savvy cay easily compare pricing for the same product within minutes. Unless the seller itself resides in the same state as you there is often no sales tax charged on your purchase. Currently, the ability to avoid paying sales tax by purchasing from sellers out of state is under review by many states so this bonus may not last for long. The only downside to online shopping pricing is that there are often shipping fees however this is often supplemented by the marginal discount provided on an item.

To ensure your experience is the best while shopping online there are many rules to follow: – Only shop at websites that state a phone number and address for contact. – Never send cash, checks, money orders, or any other form of payment that is not insured. – When choosing shipping always insure the item and understand that shipping times are estimates. – Remember that if there is a chance you need to return the item you will have to pay to ship the item back to the online retailer. – Take caution when dealing with individual and auction type purchases.

Online shopping will surely not replace traditional retailers altogether. Many people are impulsive shoppers and when they want a product they want it sooner than many items can ship or even ship affordably. Retailer websites also assist customers in picking items out and checking inventory before they take the time to do so in the store. This often gives the customers a better experience and the retailers to up sell the customers rather than focus on the initial sale.

When deal hunting look for small business retailers that are willing to take a smaller margin to help their business grow. These businesses truly appreciate your business and tend to go over and beyond for customer service because your purchases are what truly pays their bills. I have personally found the quality of service is much better dealing with smaller businesses than major corporations.

Question about business shopping

How can I start my own personal shopping business?

    9 Responses

  1. tygger says:

    there should be a sign there with the name of the shopping center development company – call them for rental info

  2. Dee says:

    … It takes a lot of investing. Yes, you need a license. [No matter what it is you need a license, especially if it's your own business and you could get sued at anytime].. can you bee more clear on what you are requesting an answer for?

    - You can just by a the place where you want to sell it…
    - Buy everything of your own for your store as well as pay for the advertising.

  3. parlanchina says:

    I would recommend, first and foremost, that you build your site with Wordpress as the CMS. Then I would use a relatively inexpensive shopping cart plugin called PHP Purchase: http://www.phpurchase.com/

    I do not know if it works with link point out of the box, but if you send an email to them: http://www.phpurchase.com/contact/ They'll respond quickly. They did with me.

  4. shops4you says:

    I have not seen a business model like this specifically targeting the male market –
    I've seen similar businesses – in fact around Xmas the morning shows on TV usually have someone on who has business that will shop for you/wrap for you – or just wrap for you

    I think you've got a good target market and would recommend you try to work this in a "big" city atmosphere where men are commuting in/out of the city and don't have time/don't like to shop

    great idea

  5. With some decent advertising you'd clean up around the holidays. I know I'd pay to get gifts covered for my extended family and coworkers. I'd have a hard time charging elderly folks to help with their groceries unless they are independently wealthy. You could take care of seniors at a discount to advertise your services better. I would think that you could create a nice side business for yourself with very little start up expense.

  6. rona says:

    This article gives the basics for starting an online business:

    http://www.squidoo.com/howtocreateonlinebusiness

  7. Lisa A says:

    Go to http://www.score.org/ and in the upper left hand corner, enter your zip code. On the next screen, you will get information on the nearest SCORE chapter. Call them and arrange for a free meeting with a SCORE counselor.

    SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to entrepreneur education and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

    SCORE has 389 chapters in locations throughout the United States and its territories, with 10,500 volunteers nationwide. Both working and retired executives and business owners donate time and expertise as business counselors.

  8. pinaki says:

    Im an indian and I totally agree with the "we tend to have the shopping style of touch and feel before you buy"…i cant imagine old brown aunties trying to buy saris online , I mean even if the stuff is right in front of them they take hours to decide…. so no I dont think its worth doing

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