Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Art of Gift Buying


Simplifying the Hunt!
How we can buy...on the internet

Okay the time crunch has arrived, and it's time we do something about it.  Everyone wants to know how can I make this "gift" buying as simple as possible.
We search for the right gift because: 

 1.  We want to please. 2. We feel we owe someone something. 3. There is an occasion to celebrate. 

 Thankfully purchasing gifts has become easier thanks to on line purchasing.   Our fears of ordering out of our home have sub-sided greatly in the last year.  People have become so comfortable shopping on line right out of their living room and statistically speaking, its shown. We get to have flexibility in our schedule and privacy so how cool is this.  Let's face it sometimes I just do not want a sales clerk pestering me or even driving around town endlessly looking for that right gift.

 Relax...Here's the latest to give some ease to your weariness:
 
88.1% of US internet users ages 14+ will browse or research products online in 2012.
83.9% of internet researchers will make at least one purchase via the web during 2012. 
Online shoppers will reach 184.3 million in 2012, up 3.3% from 2011. 
Online buyers will reach 154.6 million in 2012, up 4.4% from 2011.

Buying over the internet is all about convenience. Assurance in many forms protect the consumer from fraudulent activity. Remember either a brick or mortar or internet purchase can sometimes have risk. What doesn't? Website merchants want to ensure protection for their customers so they can feel comfortable in purchasing.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption has generally solved the problem of credit card numbers being intercepted in transit between the consumer and the merchant.  Always ensure website is secure before entering payments details.

Quality seals can be placed on the Shop web page if it has undergone an independent assessment and meets all requirements of the company issuing the seal. The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of the online shoppers.

Remember paying by credit card offer greater protection than using other methods in terms of fraud, non-delivery, and guarantees.

Before entering payment card details on a website, ensure that the link is secure, in three ways:
  • There should be a padlock symbol in the browser window frame, which appears when you attempt to log in or register. Be sure that the padlock is not on the page itself ... this will probably indicate a fraudulent site.
  • The web address should begin with ‘https://’. The ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’.
  • If using the latest version of your browser, the address bar or the name of the site owner will turn green.

So the next time you need a gift-

Ask yourself this.  Do you really think its the thought that counts? I cannot tell you the countless times I have seen people open a gift so beautifully wrapped and then the "letdown" is shown all over their face.  It's extremely hard to fake it people.  It's not worth cutting corners when we put time and money into it.  The art of Gift Buying is really simple.  
Here ya go.

1.  Be unique and personal.  Giving a gift that might look like it fits all, usually doesn't work.  You want to give some special emotion, right? List their interests down and then find gifts that fits these.  Don't fall into the ho-hum gift category like so many people allow themselves to.
2.  Women are drawn to an "emotion" type gifts where as men are more likely to want a gift they can use.
3.  Remember do not buy what YOU like.
4.  Think about what type of job they have.  There are unique gifts for service related vocations that you may not find in an ordinary shopping mall.  This is where the internet is most likely to come in and be most helpful.
 5.  A gift of the heart is a gift of happiness.  Try not to make it a stressful task. Gift giving is joy!!

Remember money is not the key in finding the right gift.  
Always add a personal heart felt message in handwritten form to top it off.