Online retailers shudder at the thought of visitors leaving their website without buying anything. They would be surprised to know that most people that visit a website intending to buy a product give up only because of confusion. The navigation, product descriptions and checkout procedures leave them confused and frustrated. Many of us would have experienced this when shopping online and now there is help coming our way.

Some online retailers who realize this problem, started offering real-time chats with sales agents, but even these have not done much to help. The reason being, most visitors who are frustrated do not bother to click on chat-invitations. These chats also prove to be expensive to the retailer, because only a small percentage of visitors out of the hundreds that visit, are serious shoppers.

Smart retailers are beginning to understand the psyche of a shopper and have begun noticing their movements on the sly, targeting those visitors that are confused and are most likely to leave the website without buying. The retailers keep a check on people that keep jumping frequently between web pages that offer similar products, those that scroll up and down the page many times, those who linger or even people that re-read the description of the product that has already been placed in their shopping cart. These repetitive movements identify shoppers that are confused and are unable to decide on which product to buy. This is when the retailers intervene through chat and try to help them decide.

This is done with the help of a new service called the “confusion index” for online retailers, which is going to be out soon. This service will be more effective as more factors about a visitor are analyzed. The confusion index ranks the confusion of a visitor on a scale of 1 to 100 from mild confusion to utter confusion, based on their activities. The confusion ranking increases when a shopper fills a form slowly. Taking the example of a shopper planning on buying a laptop, the confusion ranking rises higher and faster, if the shopper hesitates before typing an answer to certain questions, such as the requirement of RAM and bus speed etc. This confusion index can reach much higher if the shopper is from Wyoming or Montana, the two U.S. states that are least computer-savvy. Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine making a call to someone with a simple tap either on their name in the contact’s list, their SMS or even on their email.

The 3G iPhone redefines mobile phones with all the features it comes with. It is a combination of three products in one – an iPod with a widescreen, a revolutionary phone with a boat load of features and an internet device that consists of a great web browser in the same class as the desktop browser with HTML email.

The original iPhone was an expensive toy and in spite of the talk it created and several people queuing up to get it, it still did not have as huge an audience as expected initially, and picked up enough steam only with the passage of time and dropping of prices.

Apple changed all that with this second generation iPhone, which is all set to be released worldwide on July 11. Apple 3G iPhone is not going to have a fixed one-rate for all, and comes with new sales policies.

The new 3G iPhone comes with a cost of just $199 for the 8GB model, which available in black; and $299 for the 16GB model, available in both black and white.

Previously, Apple wanted to release it at the year-end; however, this date has now been brought forward by several months. It is also going to be available internationally in 70 countries.

Taking off the wraps, the 3G iPhone with its thin edges is said to be a winner in the looks department.

The functionality includes, GPS mapping, the ability to run 3rd party applications and working with enterprises like Microsoft Exchange. Read the rest of this entry »

The big day is fast approaching, the day every young girl dreams of and looks forward to. Along with the excitement of all those dreams taking fruition, the feeling of being the most special girl in the world and wanting to look the best is common to every bride-to-be. Every girl wants to look special on her wedding day and the first thing they imagine is that of looking breathtaking in a beautiful and gorgeous wedding dress.

A wedding dress is the highlight of the special day and will be forever remembered, captured in the photographs and video as well as etched in the memory.

There are so many different kinds of bridal dresses in the market as there are brides. Most girls tend to get bogged down by the whole thing and eventually end up wearing a dress they are not completely satisfied with.

Everything can be just as dreamed with a little planning. The first thing is to have an idea of what it is that one is looking for in a wedding dress; whether it is going to be a full length dress or a simple looking teal pantsuit. What sort of a wedding is it going to be? If it is going to be a traditional wedding, then a mental note of the type of traditional dress must to be made. The idea is not to get confused with the maze of wedding gowns in the shops. More than anything else, the budget has to be decided too. Read the rest of this entry »

Asia is home to some of the world’s oldest civilizations and also to the most exhilarating artistic finds. Asian art has been appreciated all over the world, as it offers intriguing insight into the traditions and vibrant history of Asia’s many cultures.

Asian Art is known to depict light and darkness as two sides of the same coin and as belonging to each other, and thus illuminate new ways of looking at this beautiful world. The arts of Asia are as diverse as the continent itself and encompass a whole universe of astounding variety and art lovers find themselves not knowing what is going to appear on the market next. Asian art consists of so many regional styles and periods that it literally collapses under its own weight.

Paintings have long been one of the most admired forms of art. From the magnificent cave paintings from thousands of years ago to the misty landscapes painted by the later artists, Asian art has long sought to express both harmony with nature and inner peace.

The interest in Asian art is said to be at its peak now. Some art lovers are of the opinion that the increased art poaching on the international scene seems to have inspired an urgency that says “buy while you can.” In the West, where the mention of Picasso could fetch millions of dollars, great pieces of Asian art were literally a steal; however, now they are lining up as competition too.

The international Asian Art Fair in Manhattan is a big hit with the Americans and Europeans. Founded in the year 1996, this fair brings together the world’s leading dealers in Indian, Himalayan, Tibetan, Near Eastern, South East Asian and Far Eastern spectacular works of art, and the pieces range from the earliest to the contemporary. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people dream of having an epithet that reads, “slipped away peacefully and gracefully.” This does show the human need for a peaceful death. Studies show that it is the suffering most dying people fear and not death itself.

There is a sudden increase in elderly euthanasia foreign tourists visiting Mexican pet shops.

Euthanasia means ending one’s life voluntarily and it is illegal in many countries. This is a controversial subject with many moral dilemmas associated with it. There are euthanasia supporters that say it is a merciful method of death and the opponents say that this is sinful.

Now euthanasia tourists visit Mexican pet shops not to shop for pets, but to get hold of a drug that is used for pets. This drug is used by veterinarians to put dogs and cats to sleep. It may seem sad but it is true that these elderly and not so elderly people are buying this drug for themselves.

Right to die advocates say that tourists from far away countries, such as Australia visit Mexico to buy liquid pentobarbital, which causes a painless death in humans in less than an hour.

Many people from other countries bring photos of the bottled drug to avoid any language problems. They also come with maps drawn by euthanasia activists to be able to locate the streets where the pet shops and the veterinary supply stores are located near the U.S. border. There they can buy a bottle of death that costs anywhere between $35 to $50 for one person and they are not asked any questions. Read the rest of this entry »

Shopping has never been more pleasurable for young boys and girls, than it is today. Gone are the days, when people would go to a mall to purchase a gift for their love, now they find the gift of their life in the malls – their love.

The malls in Bahrain have never witnessed such stampede of youngsters and all because the type of shopping that is done is not one that requires bags.

Immaculately dressed young men wearing designer clothes look openly at groups of young women made up beautifully wearing expensive perfumes, the two sides looking at each other, giving cold shoulder to the taboo against meeting before wedlock.

This is the normal weekend routine. Every weekend sees thousands of young men and women from around the Gulf come down to Bahrain, which is considered to be one of the most relaxed Muslim countries. These youngsters visit Bahrain only to prowl the malls for love.

According to one young boy, “the mall is the meeting place for the girls. Firstly, we watch, they watch. I smile, they smile, then I go to her and give her my number. You have to be careful of their family. If they turn up I get out of there quick.”

Meetings between unknown men and women, is not looked at favorably in the Gulf society and in the neighboring country of Saudi Arabia. Muslim families are generally extremely strict when it comes to their children meeting strangers. There are even special religious police that are always on the lookout to arrest transgressors. Read the rest of this entry »

Now, do not start pouring home-made beer in the cars, you will achieve nothing except getting your car drunk.

Alcohol is proving to have many more benefits than we ever thought, it gives us pleasure, it can be used as medicine and it can now be used as aviation and automotive fuel.

A new company has come up with a machine that will help drivers kick the oil habit and make ethanol at home, to help millions of people facing the spiking oil price problem.

When Ethanol made at home is used as fuel, there is no risk of pollution, no hydrocarbons, the car will run much cooler and faster and the miles per tank of fuel is the same as with using the regular fuel. However, in the current economic situation, the crucial factor is that it is extremely economical to make.

A company called E-Fuel Corp, created “MicroFueler,” which they say is the first machine in the world that allows people to make their own ethanol and pump it directly into their cars.

This unit which costs $10000, is portable and looks like a gasoline station pump with a nozzle. They say, this is the best way of avoiding the huge hikes in fuel prices.

The company says that MicroFueler has a sweet tooth, which is very economical to buyers. Sugar is mixed with a type of yeast developed by the company. Read the rest of this entry »

Avaya, the company that revolutionalized phone systems by providing the latest technology, has come up with another intelligent communication solution that helps companies transform their businesses.

Avaya calls these phones, unified communications for small business. The general manager of Avaya appliances, mobile and small systems division, said that the company surveyed many small businesses with less than 100 employees as well as mid size business with up to 1000 employees to study the needs, before releasing these phones.

They understand that lost productivity costs money to a company. This thinking correlates with the employer wondering what he needs to do when employees report sick.

The survey revealed that most of the small businesses feel the loss of absent employees, in terms of the cost it involves. Avaya came up with a perfect solution in the form of a company phone system, which ties together the office phone, cell phone and the computer-based Softphone.

Avaya phones have all the latest features with VoIP technology and wonderfully user friendly handsets and software. The main advantage of VoIP phones is their ability to connect or link phones to the office system, irrespective of where they are. These home office phones are almost like an extension to the office and only need a little configuration to set them up. Read the rest of this entry »

Gone are the days when one has to travel long distances, going through heavy traffic, only to end up in crowded market places that take the fun out of shopping. Online shopping has become popular because of the convenience associated with it. Sitting at home in pajamas, we can virtually walk around doing our research and select what we need.

The option of getting what you want from the comfort your home is great, but with the ever increasing sellers online, some genuine and most not genuine, there is also an element of risk when making an online purchase, especially if you are new and have no idea of the workings of cyber dealers.

Let us take a look at a few things that need to be taken into consideration, to find a good bargain auction, in order to shop safe and buy a genuine product.

Research
The product you are looking for needs to be researched before you place a bid in any online auction. Never buy from the first place you find a good deal. Always check out other online shopping sites in order to determine the lowest retail price that is available. In fact, it would help to check out the prices at your local retail shops as well. This will help you bid wisely.

Read Between The Lines
Make sure you read each and every word that describes the product and try and read between the lines to learn what it does not say – such as, is there a guarantee? Is it authentic? If it is, is there any proof of its authenticity? It is better to deal with auctions that are totally open and give you all the information upfront and avoid the others. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying a new digital camera is not work for the faint of heart. The standard display case at an electronics store or large-scale retailer is filled with more choices that you can process in a sitting. Rather than making an impulsive decision, take some time and choose your new digital camera carefully by researching its quality and determining exactly what you need before setting out to buy.

Research

Before you leave for the store, take a few minutes online to be sure you understand what sets one camera apart from another. What is the meaning of optical zoom and what are mega pixels? Take a glance at reviews and ratings to be sure you know the best brands to buy and which to avoid.

Make a List

Make a list of things you need your camera to do. Are you planning to shoot nature photography or just a few snapshots of the pets and kids? Will you be emailing your pictures and uploading them to a photo sharing website or will you be printing from home? Do you plan on modifying your photos for artistic reasons or preparing large prints? What features do you need from your camera to accomplish these goals? Read the rest of this entry »