Bird Flu Fears to Spike Online Christmas Sales
For weeks now the public has been assaulted with reports of a possible impending pandemic of Bird Flu. Speculation that this highly lethal virus could leap from birds to humans is the cause of great concern. What's a health conscious public to do to keep healthy? The answer may be to shop online.
(PRWEB) November 5, 2005 -- For weeks now the public has been assaulted with reports of a possible impending pandemic of Bird Flu. Speculation that this highly lethal virus could leap from birds to humans is the cause of great concern.
Early this week, President Bush unveiled his plan to fight a flu epidemic. The plan which carries a $7.1 Billion price tag has received some criticism as being too little too late. While progress acknowledging the threat and a plan for vaccine production and distribution are a great start, where does this leave the average American who wants to stay healthy?
One solution Americans are bound to consider is shopping online.
Online sales over the Internet have been growing at an exorbitant pace. Christmas sales in 2004 were $15.8 billion¹. This year analysts are forecasting that Christmas sales will be up by 25%². Forrester Research attributes growth to and estimated 2.5 million additional households that are expected to shop online.
eCartStore, an ecommerce hosting service provider is seeing a wide array of products and services being offered. Nancy Andrews, President and Co-founder of eCartStore.com says she sees "an ever broadening selection of products for online shoppers." Moreover many of these products are targeted to the niche shopper, which saves consumers time and money.
For example, those shopping for golf enthusiasts can find a variety of golf gifts and accessories at a store that carries golf practice aids, golf accessories and apparel, and golf themed executive gifts. Not into golf? For techies, there are stores devoted to hand held GPS devices or for those more musically inclined, iPods.
If the person you are shopping for is no more than an infant, find unique baby gifts for Christmas or for that impending baby shower you are invited to. Crafty sorts may be inclined to shop for a dollhouse kit. Of course there are always the Internet super marts like Amazon for those who have no idea what they want to purchase.
With speedy delivery, low prices and satisfaction guarantees, the fear of buying on the Internet has substantially decreased. Security concerns prevalent just a few years ago have been addressed as 128 bit SSL encryption is the online shop norm and some sites are offering 256 bit SSL encryption. And with 24 hour a day shopping online, the stores are there when you want to shop whether that is late at night or early in the morning. No need to go outside and brace for the cold north winds.
Shipping fees can add up and the savvy online shopper will review what the online shop is adding as they check out. However, when it’s needed in a hurry, many consumers are willing to pay much higher fees for 2-day or even overnight delivery.
One thing is certain, with no sales tax charged on most sites, the time savings, the gas saved and the avoidance of flu and other viruses, online sales this Christmas will be the highest yet and sales growth may be much higher than currently predicted.
¹ Non travel Christmas sales as reported by comScore Networks – Jan 10, 2005.
² As reported by Jupiter Research – Oct. 31, 2005.
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