For the best form of security, remember to make up a secure password, print and save records when making online transactions and make sure there is a secure checkout and payment process. Precautions like looking out for delayed shipping and making sure prices for products aren’t too good to be true are both very simple but significantly important things that can be done. According to PayPal, it is extremely important for vendors to have a Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which encrypts sensitive information and makes it safe. “Look for the locked padlock icon at the bottom of your browser window to see if you're protected.” The best solution for online grocery shopping or for any type of online shopping is to stay on your toes with purchases and to keep personal information safe from other people.
Bibliography:
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Wood, Zoe. “Amazon launches online groceries division as Ocado gears up for flotation.” Guardian.co.uk. 7 July 2010. 10 Oct 2010. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/07/amazon-groceries-ocado-flotation>
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Watrous, Lucinda. “Online Grocery Shopping: Pros and Cons.” Bright Hub. 12 Feb 2010. 30 Sept 2010. <http://www.brighthub.com/money/personal-finance/articles/34470.aspx>
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Blakemore, Erin. “Online Grocery Shopping.” Love to know. 3 Oct 2010. <http://online.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Online_Grocery_Shopping>
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Webley, Kayla. “Online Shopping.” Time. 16 July 2010. 3 Oct 2010. <http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2004089,00.html>
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“PayPal.” PayPal. 3 Oct 2010. <https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/Marketing/securitycenter/buy/OnlineShoppingTips-outside>
Amazon launches online groceries division as Ocado gears up for flotation
Wednesday 7 July 2010 19.15 BST
retailer Amazon piled the pressure on today with the overnight launch of a grocery division selling 22,000 products including brands such as Pampers nappies, Ariel washing powder and Pedigree Chum dog food.
The company, best known for its online sales of books and CDs, made the surprise announcement hot on the heels of the publication of the float prospectus for Ocado, which is aiming for a market valuation of £1.37bn when it lists on the stock exchange later this month.
Amazon said its new "grocery store" would offer 22,000 lines with big consumer goods firms Kraft, Nestlé and Procter & Gamble among the suppliers involved. By comparison, Ocado sells 20,000 products, roughly a quarter of which come from Waitrose.
Amazon already sells groceries online in the US and has recently launched a similar service in Germany. Analysts, however, said shoppers would find it difficult to rely on the website for their weekly food shops as some items such as fresh and chilled food would be delivered by third party suppliers, meaning orders could arrive in several separate parcels. The delivery terms are the same as other Amazon goods and delivery is free if customers are willing to wait several days for their chicken.
Brian McBride, managing director of Amazon.co.uk, said the division offered customers the chance to buy staples such as washing powder and toilet roll in bulk, or shop for gourmet and organic products such as pheasant, partridge and wheels of cheese. "I don't think many people will do their weekly shop [with us]," said McBride in one interview, adding: "There will be many people who live outside of the big cities, who might find it difficult to track down their favourite brand of green tea, or ingredients for a Japanese recipe."
Indeed, items for sale include a whole lamb carcass for £120. Ambrian analyst Philip Dorgan said this suggested the retailer was targeting cash-and-carry and wholesale customers. The website also offers an eclectic mix of niche and ethnic foods, and halal and kosher meat. Dorgan said the product mix was "crazy" but that the breadth of the range demonstrated the weakness of the Ocado model and "would not be helpful" for the flotation.
An Amazon spokeswoman said it was "early days" and that the groceries range would continue to expand over time. She declined to comment on whether, like Ocado and Tesco, Amazon planned to use liveried vans to make deliveries.
Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1995, Amazon started out selling books but now also offers items ranging from e-books to shoes and washing machines. It took seven years to become profitable but global sales reached $24.5bn (£16bn) last year.
In the past comparisons have been drawn between Amazon and Ocado, which, despite its float plans, is still loss-making after eight years of making deliveries. Fans of Ocado argue it is well placed to benefit from the growth in internet food shopping: analysts at market research firm IGD predict that online sales of groceries will almost double to £7.2bn by 2014.
Dorgan said such comparisons flattered Ocado. He believes Amazon was able to revolutionise bookselling because it was the only sector where an online operator could have cheaper distribution costs than a traditional store. "This is not the case in online food retailing," he added. "Both companies are pure-play retailers and lost money for quite a number of years, but that is about it [for comparison purposes] as far as we are concerned."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/07/amazon-groceries-ocado-flotation
Online Grocery Shopping: Pros and Cons
Feb 12, 2010
With the convenience of shopping online, it's no wonder online grocery shopping has become a possibility. Take a look at these pros and cons of grocery shopping online to see if you think it is for you.
http://www.brighthub.com/money/personal-finance/articles/34470.aspx
Online Grocery Shopping
From milk and eggs to exotic fruits and wines, online grocery shopping is a great option for the busy consumer. Maybe you hate the crowded aisles and fluorescent lighting of your local grocery store, or are frustrated by sold-out items or hard-to-find delicacies. Perhaps your busy schedule and ever increasing commute times keep you from the grocery store. Or maybe other factors, such as a disability or a single parent household, make it hard to find the time to shop for groceries. Luckily, you do have online options - both your neighborhood grocery and online grocery stores are available to take the stress and complication out of grocery shopping -for a nominal fee, of course.
Taking Shopping To The Next Level
You've shopped for clothing, magazine subscriptions and consumer goods online, so why not take it to the next level with online grocery shopping? Many neighborhood groceries are beginning to offer the online option. For example, some Kroger stores such as , , and other local stores have online shopping options in some areas. Even better, small specialty stores such as delicatessens, wine shops and bakeries are offering more and more online options and may give you the opportunity to order groceries for delivery online.
But how can you find these sites and services in your area? A simple search for the names of local stores will bring up their web sites and online options, if applicable. Bear in mind that not all areas have access to online shopping - some stores are still testing out their online programs or have not branched out onto the World Wide Web. In addition, be prepared to be unable to select individual items such as the ripest apples and oranges without a visit to the store's physical location. Certain brand names may have limited online availability, and many stores have a required minimum purchase amount for online orders. Notwithstanding these warnings, the benefits of convenient, time-saving online grocery shopping often outweigh still limited services.
Other options include all-online grocery shopping services, such as , which delivers groceries via . This service allows you to remember past orders or place a standing order on some goods, and is available wherever FedEx ships. If you prefer to let someone else do the cooking, you might want to consider an online meal preparation and shopping service such as , which provides ready-to-cook entrees and sides for busy working families. And there are thousands of specialty merchants on the Web - a simple Web search will reveal everything from Russian delicacies to Texan hot sauce, ready to be ordered for your next potluck or family gathering.
Things To Know
Before you commit to shopping online, make sure to familiarize yourself with the business and its policies. If possible, choose a store you know and trust. A neighborhood storefront presence allows you to have peace of mind and talk to a manager in person, if possible. However, online stores should always have a complaint line or toll-free number to call in case of a mix-up or change in your order. Just because you're placing your order online doesn't mean you should compromise on freshness, quality or accuracy when ordering online groceries. Know your vendor's complaint and return policy and don't be afraid to use it. Make sure to protect your personal information when shopping online - credit card information can be vulnerable if your online store does not provide encryption such as (SSL) technology. Write down scheduled deliveries on your calendar to ensure that your food is delivered fresh and on time.
The Future of Online Grocery Shopping
It's been a few years since the failure of several ambitious online grocery programs, indicating that Americans may not yet be ready to relinquish their shopping carts and baskets in favor of home convenience. Trends seem to be leading towards local companies offering delivery service that can be ordered online, hearkening back to the "good old days" of the milkman and the grocery man. Until virtual reality allows consumers to pick out every fruit and vegetable and specify size and quality, it is unlikely that online grocery shopping will be the number one choice for anything but dry staples. But online shopping does have great potential for consumers, taking away one more chore in a climate of high gas prices and increasing work hours. Try it - you may find that shopping for your groceries online relieves you of a burdensome errand and frees up some precious time to spend with family and friends.
http://online.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Online_Grocery_Shopping
Online Shopping
When Amazon.com opened for business on July 16, 1995, it was nothing more than a few people packing and shipping boxes of books from a two-car garage in Bellevue, Wash. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, had left New York City for the Pacific Northwest, using some of his time on the road to write the company's business plan. Books were packed on a table made out of an extra door they found lying in the new home — a practice the company continues today in spirit by making many of the office's desks out of doors. Now, on its 15th anniversary, Amazon can raise a toast to being one of the largest online retailers in the world, selling everything from tubas and golf carts to dishwashers and diapers. Despite the economic recession, online retail in the U.S. grew 11% in 2009, according to a March 2010 report from Forrester Research. More than 150 million people — about two-thirds of all Internet users in the U.S. — bought something online last year. It's a staggering leap for an industry used by 27% of the nation's online population a decade ago.
One of the first known Web purchases took place in 1994. It was a pepperoni pizza with mushrooms and extra cheese from Pizza Hut, a somewhat appropriate purchase for the early days of the Internet. When Amazon came on the scene not long after, selling books online was a curious idea. After all, why would people buy a textbook online when they could go to a bookstore? But eventually, a revolutionary change in culture and groupthink took place. Buying things online was all about price and selection, says Ellen Davis, a vice president with the National Retail Federation. If you lived in a small town with just one bookstore and they didn't stock the novel you wanted, the Internet was a solution. The big sellers were "hard goods," those things you didn't have to touch, feel or smell in order to buy, such as books, computers and other electronics. Now, nothing is off limits. "As the Internet has evolved, it's become a channel where you can buy anything," Davis says. "You can buy fragrances — something you would have normally thought you would need to go to a store and actually experience before you decided to buy."
Part of the shift has to do with the normalizing of giving out personal information online. All it takes is one click of the purchase button before consumers start to feel more comfortable using their credit-card information online, Davis says. Now some consumers have so much trust that they allow retailers to save their credit-card and shipping information, which has given rise to a painless checkout process. Witness Amazon's 1-Click shopping.
And part of it had to do with making the online experience more like an in-store shopping trip. Many sites geared themselves toward consumers who like to try before they buy. While Web shoppers technically have to buy the item first, sites such as Zappos, which specializes in shoes, and Piperlime, which sells clothes and accessories, offer free shipping on returns. If you buy it, try it and don't like it, having to return the item is less of a concern. Other stores try to make it easier for customers to get the look and feel of a product without actually handling the goods. Sears.com and Gap.com allow customers to zoom way in on products to examine their texture and color up close. Others such as Bed, Bath & Beyond and Buy.com feature product videos that allow shoppers to see, for example, a grill cleaner in action. And then there are sites like Overstock.com that capitalize on the goods physical stores can't sell. Beyond its discounts, Overstock.com wins customer loyalty by sprucing up online deals with flat-rate shipping of $2.95 on everything from earrings to refrigerators.
Even famously resistant designers and luxury retailers are putting goods online. According to Bain & Co.'s 2009 luxury-goods study, while the luxury-goods industry overall lost 8% worldwide in 2009, luxury sales online grew 20%. This September MarcJacobs.com will have more than just videos of models strutting the runway on his website. Jacobs will join others such as Jimmy Choo, Hugo Boss and Donna Karan, all of whom sell, or will soon start selling, products through their websites. The upside? Consumers will soon be able to buy many high-end goods without the withering stare of a boutique salesclerk.
All of this online shopping has given rise to a new version of one of America's favorite holidays. Cyber Monday was coined in 2005 to represent the boom in online sales that comes the Monday after Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving and the largest shopping day of the year. Though Cyber Monday has never eclipsed Black Friday's sales, customers are more comfortable doing shopping online than ever. 83% of consumers say they are more confident in making a purchase when they have conducted research online as opposed to speaking to a salesperson in a store.
While retailers were initially terrified of what bad reviews could do to their bottom line, they've since witnessed the power of a rave review and embraced the practice. Despite initial fears, says Craig Berman, Amazon's vice president of global communications, product reviews have only served to increase their customer loyalty. "It helped us build customer trust," he says. "It put us in a special place with customers in that they could come to the site and get honest and comprehensive — and over time, very substantial — firsthand knowledge from other customers." Berman says the company has some reviewers who take online shopping to heart. "There are some customers who are extraordinarily proud of being one of our top reviewers — they take their job really seriously." Some of Amazon's customers are voracious readers who consider it their duty to review one or two books every single week. While the company may have come a long way from its roots, the company's original specialty has not been forgotten.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2004089,00.html
Tips for Safe and Secure Shopping
Follow our simple tips to help ensure your online shopping experience will be safe and sound.
Basic Tips
When browsing through virtual shopping aisles, be sure to use:
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A secure password. When setting up an account at an online store, don't pick everyday words, family member names, or birthdates. Instead, use combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Also, keep passwords unique from account to account.
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A secure checkout and payment process. Make sure the online store uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which encrypts sensitive information. Look for the locked padlock icon at the bottom of your browser window to see if you're protected.
Seller Reputation
A little research goes a long way. Take the time to get to know the merchant or seller.
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Learn about merchants. Look for reviews from other shoppers. Many e-commerce sites, including eBay, have feedback systems that feature comments and ratings from other buyers.
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Ask questions. Get answers for an item from merchants before you make a purchase or offer. Good communications help ensure a smooth transaction.
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Look for a refund or return policy. If a policy is not posted, ask the merchant if there is a time-limit to return an item and whether a full refund or merchandise credit is offered.
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PayPal Verified Sellers. Check for membership status and look for Verified members who have been active for at least 60 days. Find out more with our .
Item Specifics
When you're considering a particular product, make sure you follow these cautions.
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High demand/value items. Products that are hard to find or expensive – such as computers, jewelry, and electronics – require extra caution. Do additional checks and double-checks before making your purchase. This is especially important during the holidays.
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Confirm authenticity. For collectibles, such as sports memorabilia, take steps to confirm that the item is authentic.
Common Warning Signs
Indicators that should immediately raise a red flag.
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Delayed shipping. Do not overlook the advised delivery date.
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Unsolicited offers. Receiving an unsolicited email from a seller with a similar product that you made an offer on could indicate possible fraud.
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Too good to be true. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This includes sellers offering very low prices or large quantities of impossible-to-find items.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/Marketing/securitycenter/buy/OnlineShoppingTips-outside
Wood, Zoe. “Amazon launches online groceries division as Ocado gears up for flotation.” Guardian.co.uk. 7 July 2010. 10 Oct 2010. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/07/amazon-groceries-ocado-flotation>
Wood, Zoe. “Amazon launches online groceries division as Ocado gears up for flotation.” Guardian.co.uk. 7 July 2010. 10 Oct 2010. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jul/07/amazon-groceries-ocado-flotation>
Blakemore, Erin. “Online Grocery Shopping.” Love to know. 3 Oct 2010. <http://online.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Online_Grocery_Shopping>
“PayPal.” PayPal. 3 Oct 2010. <https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=xpt/Marketing/securitycenter/buy/OnlineShoppingTips-outside>