Michael Brito asked:


While comparison shopping is nothing new, the way shoppers conduct their research is. Years ago, shoppers combed through retail shelves in pursuit of the perfect deal, an effort that took time, effort and gas. Today, the web fills the gap between time and space with an array of comparison shopping sites that offer customer reviews, large selections and access to prices from well-known stores.

According to ComScore, of the 167 million Americans online in February, almost 53 million of them visited at least one of the top comparison-shopping sites. And, while many of those consumers bought online, many others used the information to purchase the desired product in a retail shop as well. Competition is indeed fierce in cyberspace and in the store; but, the good news is it is consumers who are getting the great end of the deal.

Among the list of popular sites that allow visitors to contrast and compare are Yahoo Shopping, Shopzilla, Froogle and NexTag. In addition, there are at least another ten price comparison sites that boast the best tools and technology to help consumers make smarter choices. Each has distinct features, advantages and, unfortunately, disadvantages. Still, the popularity of such sites and technology means that entrepreneurs and dot-coms will continue to devise ways for consumers to research and buy goods, ensuring that competition among online and offline retailers will remain stiff.

In fact, the top price comparison sites are already getting some tough opposition from companies that take advantage of the other guys’ shortcomings. Frucall, which according to the company spokesperson was inspired by frugal shoppers everywhere, for example, is one of the newest services targeted to value-minded shoppers and boasts a quick and convenient way for bargain-hunters to get the best deal, even without the use of a computer.

Launched in March as the first price-comparison mobile service using voice, Frucall allows shoppers to compare retail store prices with prices for the same products on Amazon.com, directly from their cell phone. It’s a simple solution that sidelines many sites that offer price comparison results to be sent via text message to a consumer’s cell phone but fail to offer immediate access to price comparisons when the shopper sees a product he or she didn’t research ahead of time. Even better, is that consumers can soon buy the product directly from their mobile phone, assuming they have registered and have a valid credit card in their profile.

Touted as the easiest and quickest way to price compare, Frucall enables shoppers in the midst of surveying retail aisles to call a toll-free number (888-FRU-SHOP) and input the product’s UPC or ISBN number. Within a few seconds, the caller gets a confirmation of the product name and the price of the item as listed online. Currently, the service compares prices for products from a variety of categories available on Amazon including automotive supplies, books, electronics, jewelry, movies, music, tools and pet supplies. In the future, Frucall says they will generate best price information through Internet-wide e-commerce searches.

Seems the online price comparison wars will rage on.



DEWEY

Mike Simonds asked:


Whether its recession or practical budget consciousness to provoke internet shoppers consider price comparison, but popularity for cheap price comparison shopping portals is steadily on the rise. Major advantage of shopping from price comparison sites is that they are easily accessible at your fingertips. With increasing demands for these shopping portals to shop after carrying out adequate price comparison and get hold of branded, highly performed electronic gadgets, these portals are multiplying in hundreds and thousands in numbers, day by day.

These online price comparison portals showcase enormous variety from the aspect of prices, features, functions, usability, purposes etc. So, have you been a traveller or an ardent about new technologies or a business user or game fervent to seek a suitable laptop, all you have to do is to look for the specifications and brands, study price variations and strike the best deal to get a cool and cheap laptop delivered to your doorstep.

These cheap price comparison shopping portals are gradually taking form of a battleground of brands which equip themselves with great and exhaustive ranges of features to prove their brand popularity in the war. Recent brands that call for a war to facilitate their consumers to make their ends meet at discounted or cheaper rates include HP, Apple, Sony, HCL, Lenovo, Dell et all. Amongst all these ranges of laptops, two most popular laptops which made the competition even stiffer are Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B notebook PC and Apple MacBook.

The Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B notebook PC belongs to the segment of high quality, stylish and suave laptops. Availability of this laptop at various web based online price comparison shopping portals offer great discount and money saving coupons to shed its expensive prices to turn this into an affordable deal. This Sony VAIO series is powered with Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processors of 1.8 GHz, 2GB RAM to be expandable up to 4GB plus other smart features which include Sony’s own remarkable software applications. Another pricey laptop to enter into this war being cheaply sold is MacBook of Apple. MacBook are the best alternatives to any laptops and are reining the market with sleek designs and sophisticated looks and performance. Understanding its escalating demands, cheap price comparison sites have incorporated this range of laptops with optimum price slashing quotes.



FABIAN

Henry Kruz asked:


A comparison shopping is not a new thing and the shoppers in UK are used to do a research work before buying any product. In the past, for buying any product you have to visit different retail shops to compare prices for choosing a right deal.

However, the things have changed with the advent of the Internet. And, online shopping has become popular among the consumers. Nowadays, you can buy the products online by sitting merely in your room. If you look into any search engine, then you may find several price comparison sites offering wide range of products. On a price comparison site, you can get variety of products like jewellery, books, movies, music and many other useful products.

You would find fierce competition in the cyberspace and the customers are the one who can avail the benefits with this competition. The price comparison sites have the best technology and the tools which would be helpful for you find out a right deal.

The entrepreneurs and such comparison sites are always coming out with ways with which the customer can research properly and then buy a suitable product. These price comparison sites are facing tough opposition from the companies because they are taking advantages of the shortcoming of others.

In addition to the Internet, price comparison can also be done with the help of your cell phone. Within seconds you can get all the information about the products and the prices on your mobile phones.

No doubt, price comparison shopping is certainly a good way to shop, as you can certainly find a good deal with it.



DALE

lordydordy42 asked:


Specifically, the Sony Xperia X1 is $800!!! Surely that covers unlimited web service, no?? I know next to nothing about these things….blackberries, etc… Can someone give me the quick and dirty in laymans terms about what is good and what features are out there and what is a good buy? I’m looking for handheld, easy to use, read, type and just overall fun and handy. Thanks!!

I welcome as many answers and opinions as are out there! I’m trying to do some good comparison shopping.

SCOTTIE

Michele Dougherty asked:


 Getting back into the school routine can be hard to do after a long summer. Make it easy on yourself and make a “to do” list of all the things you need to do to get your students year off to a great start. Give yourself plenty of time. This will cut down on your stress level as the first day approaches. Here are some helpful ideas you may want to try.

 Try buying the supplies they may need ahead of time. Like pens, pencils, paper, folders, composition books, crayons, and markers. The stores are already having sales and don’t forget to clip coupons! Then when you get the supply list from the teacher you won’t have so much to buy all at once. Buying extras of the most used supplies is a great headache saver. Kids tend to tell you they are out of paper on the day they need more paper. Buying more also helps you to save money by getting quantity discounts.

 When it comes to shopping for clothing it seems to be fun for them but not so much for parents. A few weeks before the first day of school, have them gather together all the old clothes that don’t fit or they are not going to wear again and donate them to a charity or if you need some extra cash you can take them to a consignment shop. This means less clutter for you and it may help the less fortunate kids so they have some new clothes for the first day of school as well. Get organized! It makes room for their new clothes and organization is a good quality to have.

 Staying organized is hard to do. They get home from school and their backpacks, jackets and lunch boxes end up all over the house. Try making a landing spot in the house just for school stuff. Like a chair by the door or a shelf in the kitchen or den. Large baskets are also a great way to keep it organized. If you are the crafty type you can be creative and make your own decorative box.

 For your older kids who are collage bound at last. Where do you start? If they are staying in a dorm your checklist would be bedspreads, storage units, laptops, digital cameras, mp3 players and cell phones as well as the usual supplies like notebooks, pens and paper. Wow, can you say expensive! This is where shopping online can save you time and money. There are many comparison shopping websites to choose from. Find one that is fun and easy to use. You should also check out deal and coupon websites as well.

These are just a few tips to help you through the back to school season. Happy shopping!



DARRIN