Safe Internet Alliance

According to news reports, sales on Cyber Monday were 13.7% higher than they were last year. The average online order was for a total of $180.03, an increase of 38% from last year's $130.24:

The survey is only a partial accounting of Cyber Monday results so it doesn't provide a total for the shopping event. But Coremetrics Chief Strategy Officer John Squire said a surge of large orders that ran right up until midnight led to the surprising figure.

Our president, Linda Criddle, wrote a guest blog post about the use of E-coupons and how they can be used for effective online bargain hunting.

Internet Shopping and e-Coupons; Bargain Hunting Online Safely
By Linda Criddle

Internet shopping is not only convenient; it can provide significant savings.

“Value is the new black,” proclaims a new study by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates. The research found that the economic pressure on wallets has increased the number of online buyers who comb the internet for the best quality and price for services. Other findings include:

* 72% of value hunters seek the best value, regardless of brand
* 68% of online shoppers perceive “value” as online coupons and special promotions 51% pursue incentives, such as reward points or free shipping
* 47% of online shoppers prefer shopping online to shopping in-store
* 22% of shoppers plan to make more purchases online this year compared to last year

Using E-Coupons

If you are not familiar with electronic coupons (e-coupons), they are a great way to save even more on the items you purchase.

The use of e-coupons and discounts more than doubled in the first half of 2009 compared to 2008 as the worsening economy has brought frugal into fashion. While only 3% of all coupons used (up from 2% last year) they are growing quickly in popularity according to Inmar, a coupon-processing company.

E-coupons may be “pushed” to you by cellphone, iPod, email, Facebook and Twitter, can be purchased on eBay, or found through online searches for manufacturers rebates/special promotions, or simply by searching on an online store’s name plus the word “coupon” “promotion code” or “discount”. They may also be automatically uploaded to shoppers’ loyalty cards, or found on screens built into grocery cart handles, and so on. E-coupons can be printed for use in brick-and-mortar stores or entered as promotion codes in online stores.

It is, however, text messaging and email that are emerging as the most popular ways to obtain coupons in the US, with 8.6 million (8%) of the country’s households currently using one or both of these methods to receive money-saving offers, according to an analysis from Scarborough Research that explores and ranks the ways households obtain coupons.

The savings can be significant. If you have not tried e-coupons, you may quickly find yourself a fan as savings of 5-20% off individual items or whole purchases, and free shipping are common. Why pay more?

Key to successful online shopping and coupon use is doing so safely – getting your ID stolen, having your computer infected, or getting ripped of is no bargain.
5 Rules for Safe Bargain Hunting Online

A few precautions will significantly improve your safety; don’t shop online without them.

1. Secure your computer. If your computer isn’t protected from viruses and other malware your financial information and passwords will be stolen as you make purchases (as will everything else you store on your computer or do online). This concept is so basic, yet only 20% of the US population adequately protects their computers. If the cost of security software is prohibitive, use one of the excellent free services.

2. Use a secure connection – make sure your computer’s firewall is on. If you use a wireless network it needs to be encrypted so someone who is lurking outside the house can’t collect your information.

3. Use strong passwords. It is convenient to have sites you shop on frequently store your financial information, but a weak password is all it takes for someone else to steal it. Passwords do not have to be hard to remember, just hard to guess.

4. When searching, Do NOT assume sponsored sites are safe. The word ‘sponsor’ does not mean these links are ‘sponsored by’ the search engines, as many believe. Instead sponsor means they paid to get this placement. While most links in this section will be legitimate, many are not. The best way to avoid clicking on malicious links in search results is to use a tool that flags risky sites. I use the free McAfee Site Advisor, but there are several others, check out How to Block Bad Websites by techsupportalert.com for more.

Let the shopping begin!

Linda