Online security in e-commerce has always been a major concern for potential online shoppers. This is why Kalahari.net and Standard bank have joined forces to launch a safe and secure method of paying for goods online - a concept named: “MiMoney”.

MiMoney can be defined as an electronic voucher that can be purchased via numerous channels such as internet banking, cellphone banking and telephone banking, or from participating retail outlets across the country. A MiMoney voucher is simply an 18 digit number that gets sent to your cellphone that can be used to purchase goods from any online retailer that accepts MiMoney as a payment option.

Gary Hadfield, CEO of kalahari.net had the following to say about the advantages of MiMoney:

“MiMoney is not exclusive to a specific bank or service provider. So no matter who you bank with, or who your cellphone service provider is, you can purchase MiMoney by simply using Internet, cellphone or telephone banking or paying with cash/debit card at participating sales agents. [It] enables people without credit cards to transact online and it addresses the security concerns that many people still have about entering their credit card details online. You don’t even have to have a bank account to purchase a voucher and there are no additional charges from MiMoney’s side to purchase or use the voucher”

The 18 digit voucher number can be used in the same way you would use a credit card number, however once you have used the number, nobody else will be able to make use of it as the voucher balance immediately decreases after your purchase has been made, rendering the voucher useless for any potential hackers.

MiMoney vouchers are available in any denomination up to the amount of R1000, with the monthly limit being R10 000.

Kalahari.net is currently the exclusive online retail partner of MiMoney and will remain so until January 2009 when more retailers will be given the option of joining the MiMoney scheme. Ster Kinekor looks to be the next company to join MiMoney from January 2009, thus opening up the opportunity for moviegoers to purchase movie tickets using MiMoney vouchers.

This is truly a great concept and e-shoppers can only look forward to the inevitable growth of the concept as more and more online stores begin accepting MiMoney as a legitimate payment option.

See www.mimoney.co.za for further details.

Research In Motion, the manufacturers of Blackberry, knew that it would take a special phone to compete against the iPhone and they have subsequently spent their recent time, money and energy developing a very worthy competitor in the form of the new Blackberry Storm.

The Storm is the first ever touch-screen Smartphone released by Blackberry and it has to be said, that judging by the success of the iPhone, this type of interface was going to be an obvious choice. Some would complain that the Storm is too similar to the iPhone and perhaps it is? They share many commonalities such as their look, feel and obviously the touch-screen interface, but take a closer look and you will see numerous variations in the features offered by these two excellent phones.

The Storm's virtual keyboard

The Storm boasts a few features that the iPhone lacks. One of the first comparisons between the two devices was the touch-screen interface. Many people complained that the virtual “keyboard” on the iPhone touch screen was too small and they had trouble typing. This was always going to be an essential area in which to beat the iPhone and Blackberry succeeded by creating a much more “finger friendly” keyboard with bigger keys and a bigger screen. The Storm also has a better camera, can work as a tethered modem, and has expandable memory, voice dialing, multimedia messaging, support for Bluetooth stereo, copy-and-paste functionality and other features that are missing in the iPhone. Last but not least, it boasts the robust e-mail capabilities that have famously attracted users such as the new President of the USA – Barack Obama. With all these features, one would think that the Storm would be a clear favourite, right? Not necessarily.

Let’s not forget that one of the main features of the iPhone is that it doubles up as a fully functional iPod. Some say that the navigational features of the iPhone are still much simpler and less “high-grade” than the Storm. And the one big functionality that the iPhone still has over the Storm is its Wi-Fi capabilities. The Blackberry relies on support and signal from the users chosen network, but should this be unreachable at any stage, users will be stranded without any online connectivity. Blackberry said that adding Wi-Fi capabilities would add to the size and cost of the phone, but nevertheless, most would say that omitting this feature was a big mistake from Blackberry.

To summarize, both these phones are excellent phones and perhaps it will just come down to what consumers are used to. Those who always enjoyed using Blackberries will stick to what they know, and those who have purchased the iPhone in the last 18 months will probably be extremely satisfied with their choice and eagerly await the upgrade, something which can’t be too far off in the making.

The new found rivalry between these two great phones is going to be a tough battle but either way, the innovative new touch-screen Blackberry is bound to take the world of Smartphones by Storm [pun intended]!

The Storm is ready to strike

Research has shown that many people use the internet as a shopping search engine, to help find information about products, promotions and availability. Yet many of these people still prefer to buy products directly from a retail store instead of online. If e-commerce stores can optimize their websites to ensure that ALL visitors actually buy something, they could easily find their sales doubling, if not tripling.

So what can you as an e-commerce store do to optimize your site and achieve higher sales? Check out the following five steps to improve your turnover:

1. Optimize your store-front design

Your website is your store. The look and feel needs to instill a sense of calm, security and trust in your customers. An out-dated or messy looking website has the same negative effect on e-shoppers a messy storefront has on regular high street shoppers – it indicates a lack of efficiency and professionalism, resulting in customers feeling uneasy about giving you their money. Make sure that you take the time to analyze your website’s design before the Christmas season gets into full swing. Spending a little money on professional designers is a great idea as it will pay itself off in no time.

2. Use email marketing as a money making tool

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) recently reported that clever usage of email marketing can generate up to R50 return on investment for every R1 spent. The big advantage of email marketing is that users can share promotional info with friends quickly, easily and at no cost. 

The one problem with email marketing is that you need to have a list of users signed up and willing to receive promotional information. One way of building up your mailing list is to make sure that you have incentives to encourage users to sign up to your mailing list. Once they are signed up, you can expect them to forward a high percentage of interesting promotions and offers to their friends and this will cost you nothing.

3. Have more than one payment option

Having numerous payment options relieves customer anxiety as many people have their own comfort zones when it comes to making payments. Firstly, the ability to accept credit cards is a must. Not only does it save you money (5% or more per transaction) but your company name also shows on the customers bank statement, hence enhancing your company’s credibility. Third party options such as PayPal are also quite useful as many customers willingly trust these sites. EFT’s are not the most popular option, but some users feel more comfortable with this option.

4. Entice shoppers with promotions and incentives

Incentives and promotions are a great way to draw customers to your site. Something as simple as free shipping could result in the difference between a sale and an empty shopping cart. The other great thing about promotions is that users will often tell friends and family about promotions, meaning that new users get introduced to your site. Once a new user make use of your site, it is important to make sure that they return, so get them to sign up and receive future promotional information directly.

5. Promote privacy and security awareness

This is most likely the most significant of all your steps. The number one deterrent for online shoppers is the unwillingness to give out personal information to an untrustworthy source. Make sure that your privacy policy is easily viewable, something small like adding the phrase “We value your privacy” in strategic places has been proven to boost customers confidence. Be sure to refrain from asking for any personal details that are not absolutely necessary for completing a sale. Finally, adding security icons such as “VeriSign” throughout the checkout process has also been proven to increase shopper’s confidence.

These are all extremely simple and cost effective tips, so make sure that you pay special attention to these areas of your website and watch your casual browsers turn into a valued customer.

Many people dread the thought of Christmas – the endless queues, the impossible task of finding parking, hearing the same carols playing over and over and then, inevitably, the “Gautengers” taking over the beaches of Cape Town. On the other hand, there are a precious few who thrive in these conditions and look forward to the rush of walking from store to store in pursuit of the perfect gift. Come rain or shine, parking or no parking, some people love everything Christmas has to offer.

Luckily, for those who hate spending their holidays standing in crowded shopping malls, there is an answer – Online Shopping. Below are a few of the pro’s of online shopping:

Many would argue that shopping online for gifts is less intimate and slightly impersonal, but this is not the case at all. Shopping on foot in stores means that you only see what the retailers have on their shelves. Shopping online, you often come across singular gifts such as personalized bottles of whiskey, or even personalized calendars, either way you can be sure your gifts are truly unique.

Shopping online also tends to be cheaper than shopping on foot. Online stores have all their specials and promotions clearly displayed in one easy and accessible location, ensuring that you never miss a bargain. Many online stores offer discounted prices solely due to the fact that you are shopping online. When it comes to prices, price comparison sites such as Find It Now save you time and money by offering you the chance to compare prices easily, which means that you don’t have to walk from shop to shop scouting for the best prices.

Whilst Christmas is supposed to be a relaxing period spent with the kids and family, many people find themselves spending more time in shopping malls than at home with their loved ones. Shopping online means that you can do shopping in the comfort of your own home without leaving your loved ones for even a second. The time and energy you save could be better utilized running round the garden with your energetic 5 year old.

Another great benefit of shopping online is that you can quickly and easily send gifts to loved ones around the country or even abroad. Why go through the schlep of boxing, wrapping and posting gifts via snail mail, when you can just have it delivered to their door with the simple click of a button?

Often when shopping in high street stores, you will be torn between two or three products of the same kind that you want to purchase for someone. You stand in the crowded shopping aisle and quietly debate to yourself which one you should get. In the end, you could be selecting a product that is hopelessly over priced but managed to trick you into purchasing it thanks to some creative designs on the box. Why take this risk? Faced with a similar dilemma while shopping online, all you need do is read the product reviews that so many shops now have as a standard feature and base your decision on those. After reading what people have written about various products you can make an informed decision and be confident that you are buying quality goods.

Clearly this article is extremely biased towards online shopping, but why shouldn’t it be? Shopping online is often faster, easier, more convenient and it can save you a lot of time and money. If you love the “spirit” that populates the streets at this time of year then nobody’s going to stop you from what can sometimes be an fun experience, but if you’re dreading the thought of being caught up in overcrowded streets and malls then shopping online is definitely the safe and enjoyable option for you.

From this weekend (25/10/08), continuing over the Christmas period, consumers will be able to buy various Xbox 360 value packs and receive the console of their choice, plus a wide selection of family games, at no extra cost.

Xbox Europe’s VP of marketing - David Gosen, had the following to say:

“This Christmas we’re offering even greater value for families to access the fantastic experiences Xbox 360 has to offer. We’ve seen great momentum across all regions after the recent reduction of the Xbox 360 estimated retail price. By now offering top titles as part of the retail package, we’ll continue that momentum by bringing even more consumers to Xbox 360.”

According to iol.co.za, consumers will be able to take advantage of the following Xbox offers this Christmas:

For an estimated retail price of R1 799,99, the Xbox 360 Arcade Christmas offer comes with six games, including Sega Superstars Tennis and five Xbox Arcade games.

The Xbox 360 console (R2 699,99) and Xbox 360 Elite (R3 499,99) Christmas offers pair the consoles and with two amazing games: LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda - at no added cost.

So if you’re looking to buy a gaming console this festive season, either for yourself or a loved one, be sure to keep in mind the great value of these Xbox offers.

Be sure to also check out our recent article regarding the expected drop in price of LCD TV’s – a great accessory to go with your newly purchased gaming console.

Analysts say that 32 inch LCD TV’s which currently cost between R 6000 – R 7000, could drop to as low as R 3500 in the very near future. The average price for a regular 30 inch television set has been around the R 3000 – R 3500 over the past few years, meaning that for the same price, consumers will soon be able to purchase a much nicer 32” LCD television set.

David Barnes, analyst at NPD Group’s Display Search unit, said:

“We’re about at the point where the 32-inch set will be the commodity. Prices look set to decrease rapidly starting on ‘Black Friday’ (the day after Thanksgiving) and lasting all through next year.”

Barnes’ colleague, Paul Gagnon, commented:

“The industry is coming out of a period of rather tight supplies of LCD panels, but more factories are now coming on line.”

Whilst this is excellent news for South African consumers, we have to bear in mind that our economy is presently at a very low point, with markets, investments and home values having also dropped in recent times. Consumers in general will therefore have conflicted interests over the Christmas period, deciding whether or not to take advantage of these low prices whilst the last, or to spend wisely and in proportion with the ever-fluctuating South African economy.

Which way will the consumer go? Will they be wise and wait for more stable times in the economy, or will they be like me and live according to my life’s motto of: “Spend now… Worry later!” - Time will tell.

Over 54 000 readers played their part in voting for the coveted award and despite some tough competition from other gadgets such as Asus’ Eee Pc budget laptop, TomTom’s GO 920 car navigation system and Sony’s HDR-TG3 compact camcorder, the evening’s top award was rightfully awarded to the Apple iPod Touch.

Thanks to its sleek design, multi-touch display, 3D Graphics and affordable price, the iPod Touch was always going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Here’s what T3 had to say about the iPod Touch:

“In a word -brilliant. Not so much an upgrade as a total revamp of the iPod, the Touch 16GB is basically Apple’s iPhone without the disappointing aspects of that device – such as the recessed earphone socket, the paltry storage, the rudimentary camera and, err, the phone bit. It’s also thinner – about a third as thick as the iPhone.

Everything we love about the iPhone is still here. The huge screen sports a multi-touch interface that’s smoother than a greased eel.

It lets you flick through tracks, gawp at video and pinch-zoom photos, with no practice or manual consultation. Put next to an iPhone, the screen’s got a tad more detail and better contrast, too.

The Touch’s built-in Wi-Fi puts the iTunes Store in your pocket. Now, you can buy tracks that take your fancy on the move, then have them injected into your player once you’ve docked it back home. The Safari web browser also lets you view websites from Wi-Fi hotspots.

Apple’s earphones remain iconic but still useless, so bin them, safe in the knowledge that your replacements will fit into the earphone socket. Once that’s done, sound quality is on a par with any other iPod.

If you’re after a mid-capacity MP3 player, but don’t fancy such a mugger-summoning-yet-underpowered upgrade, the Touch is an attractive prospect. Be warned, though: once you’re used to Apple’s multi-touch interface, you’ll be spoiled for life. Nothing else is ever going to seem quite as inviting or inventive.”

Apple walked away with three other top awards at the prestigious event including: best commuter gadget (iPhone); best music gadget (iPod Touch 32GB) and a prize given by the magazine’s blog, Gadget Candy (MacBook Air).

T3 Editor Michael Brook said Apple had “nailed the mix of style and usability” with its latest crop of gadgets.
The full list of winners for the evening included:

• Gadget of the year: Apple iPod Touch
• Best music gadget: Apple iPod Touch 32GB
• Best imaging gadget: Nikon D60
• Drop dead gorgeous: Audi R8
• Best new media: BBC iPlayer
• Gaming gadget: Nintendo’s Wii Fit
• Toy of the year: Guitar Hero, music video game
• Commuter gadget: Apple iPhone
• Gadget Candy: Apple MacBook Air
• Retailer of the year: Dixons.co.uk
• Innovation of the year: Sony XEL-1 OLED television
• Green gadget: Honda Civic Hybrid
• Hi Def award: Sony PlayStation 3
• Home gadget: Sky+ HD, digital television
• Gadget you can’t live without: TomTom GO 930 – Reuters

All these products will soon be available to find, compare and buy on Find It Now.

After a tough year of research, design and development, we are just about ready to unleash an unmistakably unique shopping comparison experience to the South African online shopping community.

Our aim is to provide a fast, honest and easy to use service to the online shopping community of South Africa, and to ensure that they are able to make informed decisions when purchasing products from a wide range of categories at the best prices.

Some of the unique comparison tools for our shoppers include:

• Being able to shop within a certain price bracket
• Viewing a product’s price graph history and receiving email alerts when a product you are interested in becomes available within a particular price range
• The ability to compare two competing products on one page according to your specifications
• Comparisons to products according to features, price and quality ratings

In the same breath, we aim to provide a professional, efficient and lucrative service to all the online merchants that join the Find It Now network. Our aim is not only to drive as much traffic as possible to our shops, but also to ensure that our leads are of the highest quality, resulting in a high percentage converted into actual sales.

Some of the unique tools available to our merchants include:

• Simple online registration
• Uploading and editing your own shop logo
• Adding and editing products yourself
• Adding clickthrough credits
• Viewing monthly, yearly and product reports whenever you like
• and many more previously unseen tools

With new found experience, bundles of enthusiasm and our state of the art technology fuelling the Find It Now engine, we are confident that we will soon become the leaders in the online shopping comparison market.

Keep your eyes open for our official launch and be prepared to see the world of Online Shopping Comparison - revolutionized!

While there have been several basic sites emerging over the past few years the general public are only now becoming familiar with the phenomenon that has taken America and Europe by storm. Most Internet users are aware that they can shop online for books, music and electronic equipment, or send flowers via the Net, but the concept of doing any serious research into the best product or service at the best price seems daunting.

Even if the Internet has made thousands of products available to the public, hunting for the right site and comparing one product type across a variety of online stores is an onerous task.The beauty of price comparison Web sites is that they streamline the entire process and make all the pertinent information available to the user on one site, in seconds.

While the existing South African sites have done a good job with the technology available to them until now, the South African public can now access the latest, hottest price comparison site to hit the local scene to date. Find It Now has launched its incredible site, utilizing a winning combination of successful standard features that have worked so well internationally and the latest technological features taking the service from average to awesome!

On Find It Now, you can:

1.  Compare products according to features, price and quality ratings
2.  Find the best product AND the best supplier based on customer reviews and ratings. – It’s not always about the cheapest product but also about the service you experience during and after the sale!
3. Shop within a price bracket, receiving alerts whenever a product you are interested in becomes available within that price range.
4.Compare two competing products on one page according to your specifications
5. Read and write product and store reviews

Find It Now is set to become the leader in comparative online shopping in South Africa.  Free to buyers, simple to use, fast and super-efficient it is sure to be a winner with the discerning South African shopper.