(NC)—The hustle and bustle of busy malls and packed grocery stores during the holiday season can leave anxious shoppers feeling more like Scrooge than Santa. This year avoid stress and become a smarter shopper by taking advantage of these technology tips:
• Accessorize online. Online shopping has come a long way in recent years. Websites such as My Virtual Model allow you to
try on clothes on your own personalized avatar before you buy them. You can then share the images with your girlfriends, so they can help you pick out your holiday party outfit without having to meet you at the mall.
• Avoid long lines. In-store technology such as self-serve kiosks help customers find what they are looking for, research the product and make a purchase. For example, when shopping for the booklover on your list, try out Indigo Books and Music Inc.’s self-serve kiosks that were recently updated with intelligent technology from IBM, creating a simple way to locate what you are looking for and enabling a smarter shopping experience.
• Limit Boxing Day returns. Participate in online community features such as blogs and forums and exchange information with your fellow shoppers to learn about their experiences with a product before making a purchase.
But don’t forget to give feedback. It helps manufacturers and retailers determine what consumers want on future shopping trips.
• Avoid buyer beware. From the gadget loving teenager to the geeky dad, an abundance of electronic gadgets, smart-phones and DVDs are always at the top of wish lists. Past research, however, has shown that some of these toys are loaded with malware and can be used by cybercriminals as a backdoor for entry into corporate networks. Avoid this by purchasing products from reputable retailers.
You can find out more about smarter retail and the future of shopping online at www.asmarterplanet.com.
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