If you're in the market for electronics, chances are you're going to be one of the savvy consumers who shop the Web. Last year U.S. consumers spent $32.6 billion online, according to the Commerce Department, up 19 percent from 2000. There's a lot to like about online shopping: volumes of information, web filtering tools that make price shopping fast and easy, and the convenience of shopping on your schedule (even if that's 2 a.m.). Even better, you don't have to jockey for a parking spot.
The benefits of buying electronics online is numerous. One big reason
is you can do more comparison shopping online than you can in the store.
You are not pressured by salesmen online. You can take your time,
research the product you want, read real life reviews and ratings on
almost any electronics you are interested in, and make a smart
informative decision. The internet helps you learn more about the
product you are interested in, and saves you money by letting you shop
for the greatest deals from hundreds of reputable online stores such as
the ones we have listed to the left side of this website.
Instead of being restricted to the stores within driving distance, by
shopping online, you have access to dozens of nationwide retailers.
Websites such as Amazon.com,
MyBargainShopper.com, and Hifi.com, offer buying
guides and tools that help you match your needs to suitable electronic
products. You'll find everything from tiny PDAs to full-blown
five-speaker home theater systems. You also have access to web sites
that are devoted to comparing e-tailers according to prices, shipping
costs, taxes and return policies. Best of all, you can take as long as
you want to research products without feeling pressured to buy.
Women in particular are showing a preference for online shopping over
electronics stores. "Women are looking for value," notes Helen Malani,
director of corporate communications for BizRate.com, a site that lets
consumers compare prices of identical items. "The Internet gives them
more of a comfort level than stores because they have access to a lot of
information without feeling like a salesman is trying to get one over on
them." A recent Best Buy study shows that women primarily shop for cell
phones, PDA's and digital cameras -- gadgets that help them juggle and
organize their family's lives.