I’m Dreaming of an eChristmas

I’ve always been one to do ALL of her shopping online. There’s just something vastly appealing about the ability to get my errands done in a timely fashion while still donning my fuzzy slippers, watching the latest episode of House and sipping on a cup of tea. (Then again, I’m someone who would rather eat cereal for dinner than have to go the grocery store during peak after-work shopping hours and deal with crowds and parking lots reminiscent of a war zone.) Multiply this sentiment by a million (at least) during the holiday rush.

It doesn’t surprise me to see that Shop.org's latest research found that more consumers would be looking to the e-side of commerce this holiday. According to the report, over a quarter (26.7 percent) plan to increase their online shopping budget this year to take advantage of free shipping (33.1 percent) and compare prices (34 percent). But is this news really all that surprising?

Like seasons past, and like many other consumers this holiday, I’ll be looking to the Web to conduct much of my holiday gift getting. And although I will be “sticking to the budget” and keeping an eye on all my invoice totals like the majority of consumers, I know that I too will succumb to spending more to qualify for free shipping, buy-one-get-one and online-only offers in order to seemingly stretch my dollars a bit more.

But I have to ask: Will social media really entice consumers to shop where they normally wouldn’t? Shop.org’s research shows that approximately 60 percent of retailers have already made updates to their social media pages, such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as blogs and RSS, in hopes of driving purchases. I hate to say it retailers, but while such updates may help advertise discounts, for me, these enhancements will most likely go unnoticed.

When push comes to shove, I’m going to purchase the item of the highest quality my budget can afford—regardless of the retailer. And if that means countless hours on Google comparing prices, or even resorting to bidding wars on eBay, so be it.

-- Stacy Straczynski