Online Retailers Not Making A Good First Impression
New research backs up consumer gripes about e-commerce, concluding that “leading retailers do not deliver efficient, highly rewarding online shopping experiences.”
The study of 60 leading Web sites by Electron Economy, which markets a “commerce-enabling technology platform,” found that many companies have stumbled badly in their efforts to build online business.
“The results of our study demonstrate that companies aren’t taking advantage of this opportunity and are not proving that shopping online is easier or more rewarding than shopping the old-fashioned way,” the report says.
Electron Economy blamed several factors but said the underlying problem is an inability of e-tailers to fuse the physical and digital worlds.
Other findings:
* Only 39 percent of the sites shopped sent both order and shipping confirmations.
* Highest overall marks went to LandsEnd.com, eToys.com and Garden.com. Finishing at the bottom were Bluelight.com, Macys.com and IBM.com.
Take a break from your online shopping and check out these new, useful or entertaining Web sites:
Slowest game on the Net: You don’t have to have a green thumb to play Windowbox.com’s plant game.
The game is actually an interactive gardening exercise that puts your plant care capabilities to the test. The goal is to care for your online plant every day for 16 days until it becomes a beautiful flower.
If you’re successful, you’ll be granted eternal happiness, and a special reward from Windowbox.com (including discounts and prizes).
http://www.windowbox.com
Online scholarships: Among college students and their parents, tuition costs are nearly as certain as death and taxes.
If you’ve reached your limit on student loans and grants and other sources haven’t closed the gap, you may want to give Freescholarships.com a try.It’s a long shot, but the Web site promises to award a $10,000 scholarship each weekday and an additional $25,000 scholarship once a week.
Even if you don’t get the money, you can research school-related activities, university and graduate programs and financial aid options, as well as read “juicy” informational articles, ask an expert’s opinion, seek counsel from a guidance counselor or relax playing a lineup of games.
http://www.freescholarships.com
High marks: Picking health care providers is never an easy task.
The Internet provides a new resource.
One site — HealthGrades.com — offers free report card ratings, profiles and directories of health care providers nationwide. Its database covers more than 10,000 emergency health providers, 600,000 physicians, 17,000 nursing homes, 10,000 mammography clinics, 60,000 chiropractors, 21,000 assisted living centers, 8,000 acupuncturists and 700 naturopathic physicians.
http://www.healthgrades.com