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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

Three internet heavies have developed a new plan to stop, or at least harass phishers. Yahoo!, eBay and PayPal have joined forces to create a tool to protect their users from the constant scams that flood their inboxes. The new technology is an email authentication tool that validates the origins of an email and makes black and white lists work more effectively.

Phishing
Phishing is the fastest growing internet crime. In a phishing scheme, an email is sent to an individual demanding immediate action for their account – usually a bank or ecommerce account. The individual clicks through the email to visit the site and the phisher is able to record as much personal information as possible as the individual types in their usernames, passwords, credit card information and even their social security number.

Phishing is obviously illegal, but is growing more common despite this. Often websites like eBay and PayPal as well as credit card and banking sites are subjected to phishing scams where their site is targeted as the sender of email. This makes it difficult for individuals who use the services to recognize when an email is authentic and when it is part of a scam. You should not even open email from phishers as they can download Trojans or software to record keystrokes. (more…)

eCommerce is a large part of the online world and steadily growing stronger. Sixty percent of small merchant companies have an online presence and a huge number of websites are devoted to item sales. Online sales have grown in the United States from $12.3 million in 1999 to over $130 million in 2006. 2007 looks to be even greater.

The Evolution of eCommerce
Shopping online has grown considerably. At its inception, those comfortable with the internet were willing to spend money over the computer. But many were hesitant about using a credit card online or worried about the reputation and delivery options of online retailers.

Overtime, these fears were put to rest for many customers. Safe credit cards and bank accounts were developed and many websites became members of trusted organizations or affiliated with larger companies that inspire trust. Most traditional retailers have online presences and smaller niche stores have risen in popularity as well.

The internet has opened a new world of product reviews and hard-to-find options for discriminating shoppers. More people than ever are searching for new products, reading customer and professional reviews and then buying from trusted online vendors. Shopping online has become an accepted and commonplace mode of purchasing. (more…)

Shopping was never so easy till the internet stepped in to offer its services as the chaperone, wheeling the cart behind you, while you shopped tizzy. The reason why online shopping took credence over offline shopping on many counts is also due to its speed and ease of use. It is also on numerous occasions economical and convenient to click and buy. However, by far the best advantage of e-shopping is that the e-shop never sleeps. If you are ready, so is it — to fetch you your command 24×7x365. From an airline ticket, to sending a few sprigs of exotic orchids to your ailing great aunt in Timbuktu, your mouse does all the activity.
But, on the flip side, while it seems to be the best option for the techno-savvy individual who is perennially broke on the question of spare time, it also can be the worst nightmare if caught in the web of deceit woven by unscrupulous dealers whose main motive is to swindle you off your greens. (more…)

Shopping has gone a notch higher with the introduction of Internet. Internet has completely revolutionized the whole concept of shopping. Remember the days when shopping for books or clothes had to be done only at the various retail outlets. It required so much effort of getting dressed, walking or driving to the shop, looking around if that particular item was not available, finding it finally, buying it, and then driving or walking back home. How much time did you spent in doing all of this? A lot of time, isn’t it? But thanks to the Internet, the whole idea of shopping has transformed completely.

Online shopping lets you shop for such things as antiques and collectibles, beauty products, books, jewelry, music, flowers, clothes, food, electronic items, furniture, toys and gifts, games, and many more items. Anything you wish to purchase can now be bought online. Gone are the days of going through the whole process of going around, visiting a million shops and then finally picking up something that you wanted. With online shopping, you have the option of comparing the various items, compare the rates, look for the cheapest rates, and then finally buy it online; all this at the click of a button and no more.

The best part of shopping online is that you no longer have to leave your home and you can purchase anything at any given point of time. No need to wait for the shops to open or feel dejected because the shop shut. You want to wish your mom or dad on their birthdays by sending flowers or any gifts, then worry not. This too can be done by placing an order online. Keeping in mind the needs and requirements of the various people, browse through the various links on the right that Directory Journal gives you details about.