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What's Your Ultimate Online Shopping Experience?
ComScore Networks, an Internet information provider, reported that online spending during the first 24 days of November reached $8.31 billion, a 23-percent increase versus the same days in 2005. Black Friday saw particularly high online sales—$434 million—up 42 percent versus last year.
Shoppers most likely are shifting their purchases online because of retailers’ investments in technology to streamline the shopping experience for added convenience and a less frustrating check-out. Sites are becoming more personalized and user friendly and shoppers are probably bailing out less during the check-out procedures.
To cite a few examples of outstanding online shopping experiences, I enlisted a few friends and colleagues to share a recent standout. Here’s who was top-of-mind:
• Amazon.com. Of course many of the people I asked cited Amazon for its continued user-friendly process, fast log-in, and for its targeted product recommendations.
• Bestbuy.com. The site now asks shoppers “Where are you?” so that if the customer needs to pick up the product in the store, rather than get it shipped, the site will arrange for pick-up at the closest location.
• A couple people said Overstock.com is great. Not only does the company offer some of the lowest comparative prices, it costs only $1.99 to ship anything regardless of the weight. One person said that she ordered a bed frame and was told it would take between 7 to 10 days for delivery, but instead it arrived within 5 days.
• The designer shoe site, Zappos.com, got rave reviews. Not only is shipping free but the company takes back anything (for any reason) and shipping back to them is free too.
• Rightstart.com, a baby registry and gift site, is clean, personalized and one person said the bricks and mortar registry and the online registry are synched in real time. When someone buys a gift in the store, it’s deducted from the online registry simultaneously.
• Designhergals.com offers shoppers the ability to personalize most anything, from stationary and business cards to aprons and bags.
• One colleague subscribed to Bop magazine for her daughter from Tigerbeatmag.com in about 90 seconds.
• One friend swears she'll never enter a post office again. At USPS.com, she avoids the nightmare lines at the post office and the online store has more choices in stamps. It's also only $1 for shipping.
Well there you have it – the unofficial list of the best shopping sites.
What's your favorite online shopping experience?
I believe that www.marketamerica.com is the best online shopping experience.
My experience with online stores like ebay.in, indiatimes.com, irctc.co.in, etc. has been pleasant to the point that it gives me a sense of security that my transactions are safe and what I buy is at the best price and of best quality. Also the delivery has been prompt but sometimes the last mile links do need a more careful coordination and planning.
LLBean.com is a marvel. Just like amazon they keep constantly evolving and improving the shopping process. There are 2 tabs of information on each product, live chat so I can ask more specific questions, and I can have multiple ship to locations in 1 shopping cart. It is a dream. And because I registered with them the process is fast and easy. I love everything about LLBean.com. I shop there monthly at least.
What companies in the Chicago area do you think are most focused on the customer experience and with building customer loyalty programs.