ad info

CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
 ASIANOW
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
   computing
   personal technology
   space
 NATURE
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 HEALTH
 STYLE
 IN-DEPTH

 custom news
 Headline News brief
 daily almanac
 CNN networks
 CNN programs
 on-air transcripts
 news quiz

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 TIME INC. SITES:
 MORE SERVICES:
 video on demand
 video archive
 audio on demand
 news email services
 free email accounts
 desktop headlines
 pointcast
 pagenet

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

 SITE GUIDES:
 help
 contents
 search

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 WEB SERVICES:
Computing

From...

Shopping the CompuServe way

October 29, 1998
Web posted at: 10:30 AM EDT

by JoAnne Robb

(IDG) -- Internet shopping is big. After all, it's tough to resist the hours and the convenience: If you have the urge, you can go shopping in your pajamas at two in the morning. In fact, according to James McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, shoppers will have spent at least $8 billion online by the end of 1998 -- and they'll probably spend double that amount in 1999. No wonder, then, that shopping services abound.

CompuServe has jumped on the bandwagon with its Shopping Channel, available at GO SHOPPING or on the Web at www.compuserve.com/shopping (link below). This service is much more than an Internet "mall" -- a series of links to other shopping locations. Sure, like most shopping channels, it offers several different categories -- 16 to be exact -- in which you can browse for good buys. These range from Computing Products and Electronics & Video to Flowers, Cards & Candy and Books & Music. When you click on a category, you move to online stores that provide products in that area.

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE
  IDG.net home page
  PC World home page
  FileWorld find free software fast
  Make your PC work harder with these tips
 Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net
    IDG.net's desktop PC page
  IDG.net's portable PC page
  IDG.net's Windows software page
  IDG.net's personal news page
  Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you
  Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletter for computer geniuses(& newbies)
  Search IDG.net in 12 languages
 News Radio
  Fusion audio primers
  Computerworld Minute
   

But CompuServe's service does more than direct you to a good store. It also offers a series of services -- mainly for CompuServe members -- to make it easier to pick the perfect gift. For example, the front page of the Shopping Channel features an electronic catalog focused on a seasonally appropriate theme; the current one is Tailgate Party.

Other services can be helpful at any time of year. If you enter a person's name into the GiftMinder service, for example, you'll receive an e-mail that not only reminds you to buy a birthday gift but also makes suggestions based on the information you initially entered. The SmartConsumer service offers members a series of articles that provide information on all sorts of helpful topics, from budgeting to where to find the best shipping rates to advice on buying culturally appropriate gifts for clients in other countries. And if you can't think of the right gift, you can send an e-mail to the Gift Concierge; you'll get a return e-mail suggesting a perfect present.

Why would CompuServe members use this shopping channel rather than going out onto the Internet and doing their own sleuthing? If you don't like the process of searching around for just the right thing, CompuServe certainly makes shopping a lot easier. What's more, if you hesitate to hand out your credit card number on the Web, you'll probably feel better using CompuServe's Shopping Channel: The company has certified each of its business partners, so you have a guarantee on the level of safety and service you'll get.

Related stories:
Latest Headlines

Today on CNN

Related IDG.net stories:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window Related sites:

External sites are not
endorsed by CNN Interactive.

SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

  
 

Back to the top
© 2000 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.