Several geographical, demographic and psychological criteria are used in order to distinguish between the different categories of online shoppers. This distinction is important for e-trading companies in order to know where their target customers are located, what their main interests are and how to address to them accordingly so that they draw their attention and influence their purchase decision. Thus, specialists distinguish three types of e-shoppers in point of behavioral characteristics.

On-off shoppers cannot be really defined as e-trade users as they connect to the internet in order to gather the information they need before deciding which product to buy or which brand to choose, but their purchase is generally made in the traditional type of shops. Usually very young (up to 25), they are experienced internet users and advertisements consumers. However, they do some of their shopping online if the deal is good.

Comparison shoppers, as the name itself says it, they always make their acquisitions after having thoroughly researched the product’s features and compared its price with several distributors both online and offline. Slightly older than the first category (25-29), this type of customers’ main feature is awareness. Also called dual shoppers, they will buy in any type of shop, provided the deal is good and they find the product they are looking for. Actually the second motivation seems to be the strongest one with this type of customers.

Convinced online shoppers are characterized by their strong attraction towards electronic trade. They appreciate the wide range of products as well as the time saving features and the opening hours. Active persons with a busy schedule, they are ready to pay for extra costs for home delivery as long as this saves them the trouble of walking through traditional shops. They can be slightly older than the first two categories (up to 45) and they spend a lot of time online. Therefore, they are well informed on the best online shopping locations and they use modern methods of payment.

Buying flowers is a very subjective thing because it all depends on personal tastes and preferences. This is most people prefer to purchase flowers in local brick and mortar boutiques instead of appealing to the internet for this purpose. However, there are situations when online florist’s shops are a good solution either because the buyer lacks the time to go look for the perfect bouquet in the offline store or because the receiver of the bouquet is far away or because of a supply shortage for a specific item in the buyer’s proximity.

 However, one must take into account a few basic rules when shopping for flowers online. First of all, flowers are very perishable and if they can constitute the perfect gift, the whole surprise is ruined when a bunch of faded flowers arrive on the doorstep. Therefore, if you are involved in a long distance relationship or you want to send a thank you or birthday gift to a friend or family member living abroad, it is best to choose a website dealing in the receiver’s area. This way you will avoid the unpleasant situation of faded flowers as well as long distance delivery costs.

The choice of flowers and the advance period you must take depend on the shipment’s distance. If it is a birthday gift, you don’t want your bouquet to be delivered afterwards. When sending flowers in a distant location, you might want also to check the currency rates as they will appear within your banks statements only the next month when you will not be able to do anything about it.

Florist shops have adapted themselves to the new requirements of the virtual world and they provide their customers with innovative ideas for bouquets or other floral arrangements as well as with other related items. Therefore, you can look around as there might be other nice ideas such as a teddy bear or candles to include in your gift besides the traditional flowers. A personal message can also be printed by the florist and delivered to your loved one together with the bouquet. It is true that flowers say more than a bunch of words, but a short warm message will enhance the effect.

Online shopping is very popular nowadays and everything is very simple for customers. This system is not just used by big companies, but also by small businesses that can reach a wider range of customers and increase their sales just by going online. There is no need for developing a stand alone ecommerce system by small businesses and they can just create and maintain online shops with minimum effort. This is one of the reasons why online shopping is so popular; the fact that most companies and stores, no matter the size, can go online and offer their products and services.

Not only does this help them save money, but the number of clients that an online store can reach is simply limitless. As more and more companies choose to go online, the prices become the main difference between most products and services; this results in competitive pricing, one of the big advantages of online shopping.

A good online store is not just about the nice looking website and good prices, a good relationship with customers is always important. Making the customers happy is even more important online than it is with regular stores because of the many options available and the minimum effort it takes for someone to change stores online, unlike regular stores. Offering discounts for regular customers or prizes on special events is always a good way to keep customers happy and show that they are important to the store.

There are always some drawbacks to everything and when it comes to online shopping, the main problem is the security. Considering that fact that customers can’t really see the product they buy before they pay for it, online shopping is open to frauds. Online stores also face certain risks, more than what physical theft would be at a regular store. Identity theft is still an issue and hackers can get into the database of a store and have access to some important information which the customer didn’t agree to share such as name, address and credit card number. There are always some risks when doing shopping online so customers are always advised to pay attention and never give out personal information before they are sure the site is secure.