Anyone who uses the Internet for any length of time will eventually come across one -- an infernal "online shopping directory". Under the guise of helping online consumers save money on everything from computers to women's clothing, these "shopping guides" are, in truth, usually aimed squarely at draining the pocketbooks of their shoppers. And sadly enough, these so-called directories succeed in their goal because of the easily-manipulated, largely-impulsive nature of the Internet shopping community at large.
"For a number of specific reasons, online shoppers tend to be impulse buyers," states Dave Snyder, who, with wife, Heather, owns and operates bustawindow.com, a new personal online shopping directory offered as a solution to what they view as a growing Internet epidemic. "The fact that Internet consumers buy on impulse can be said especially of those who like to use coupons and other promotional codes. They get excited and think, 'I'm saving 10 percent with this purchase,' when in actuality they have, in many cases, spent more than they origin Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) ally intended in order to obtain that 10 percent savings. Unfortunately, many online 'deals' are offered with the specific purpose of getting shoppers to spend even more."
This is a fascinating statement by someone who makes his living pointing out deals to online shoppers. Snyder goes on to say, "The idea that some poor fellow has just spent his last hundred dollars on our Web site because we pressured him to do so makes us both a little sick. So, we don't operate that way."
Indeed, aside from the few deals listed on the home page, bustawindow.com appears to lack the usual hype typically found on similar websites. There are no banner ads, no pop-up ads, no "Buy Now!" buttons. None of the clutter commonly found on most online shopping directories.
Snyder states, "Everybody has to shop, and it's true that online shopping is a heck of a lot more convenient and earth-friendly than going to the mall. But if you come to our Web site with $50 in your pocket and no idea how to spend it, you'll come away empty-handed. You've really got to have something in mind before you start shopping our directory, and we have purposefully designed it this way. Our Web site, e-mail newsletter and Internet consumer blog are intended to be helpful tools, not sales machines. We actually hope we'll help our shoppers avoid making purchases they might later regret."
Snyder says his company's philosophy is in stark contrast to what marketing experts teach. Apparently for these self-proclaimed gurus, the established fact that people shop emotionally is simply another weakness to be exploited. "I've yet to read one online marketing expert who seems to have a problem with this. Ethics are never brought into the conversation. As they say, 'It's about making as much money in as little time as possible'. What about the family of the woman who just can't put a lid on her impulse buying? Do we care about them?"
An online shopping directory as a counter-cultural statement? It's certainly a different idea, and it's even got a few folks online doing some talking. Says Snyder, "We've already gotten a bit of criticism for our unusual methodology, but at least we sleep well at night."
Bustawindow.com users will sleep well, too, knowing that they've easily found what they were looking for and have even managed to save a bit of their hard-earned money in the process. All without falling to the excessive pressures of the impulse purchase.
About bustawindow.com
The website is a service of Bust A Window Projects, Inc., an Illinois corporation which also operates a shopping tips blog, nopaneblog.com. Since its inception in early 2007, the company has been focused on assisting Internet consumers in their online shopping endeavors while refusing to promote online stores that harm the environment, such as those which test on animals. One of the core competencies of the company is using and reporting back on websites listed in their directory. Existing write-ups are found in their growing directory of reviews.
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