Free Shipping Counts

One of the big game-changers in online shopping in 2011 has been aggressive courting of retailers to consumers. Free shipping has been the big player in these schemes. A common pitch involves free shipping on any orders over $50 in aggregate. An alternative option involves shipping to a nearby brick-and-mortar location of the retailer, again for free. Both have attracted consumers otherwise deterred by shipping costs that nullified perceived savings in product pricing.

A factor that has thrown a damper on continued online shopping growth, however, has been the inconsistency of shipping. In some cases, retailers have offered enhanced shipping time for an additional, but this comes across almost offensive to consumers who are already price-sensitive in tough times. Those retailers who have mastered the consistent delivery time problem, however, have seen significant growth and are now branching into larger market shares. Diapers.com is a perfect example of this scenario. Originally only offering baby products, the company now offers household cleaning products and just launched a new expansion into online grocery shopping, the ultimate challenge of timely delivery for online merchants.

24-Hour Convenience

A frequent benefit cited continues to be the ease of shopping when convenient for the shopper. 24-hour access allows consumers to buy when it suits them. With more people working odd hours or day and night, in some cases two jobs, frequent runs to physical stores during business hours are now much harder. Online shopping makes this problem easy to surmount as long as the consumer has Internet access.

Large Items Now Moving

New retailers are also finding traction in sales that previously and historically remained brick-and-mortar markets. Furniture sales is one example. Ikea, fashionforhome.com and Target are all seeing opportunities in selling home furniture online. In previous years, consumers were hesitant to such large products, wanting to physically see and try them first in a store. However, younger generations who are far more savvy and familiar with computer buying are gradually making their mark. This generational tidal wave is causing ripple effects in consumer behavior, in which online retailers are now seeing the benefits.

Customer Service Matters

Ultimately, customer service separates the online giants from the weak players. The traditional size of a company no longer matters in the virtual world. Online shoppers gravitate towards those companies that consistently provide what customers want and solve problems without fighting it out. Textbook examples of outstanding online customer service has been seen in shoe-seller Zappos.com, 2 seater sofa from fashionforhome.com, bargain finder Overstock.com, and handbag seller eBags.com. Each company figured out the classic rule early: happy customers produce revenues and sales.

The Future Fog

Going into 2012, online shopping will likely continue through the Christmas season and then take a dip in the spring as the credit card bills and deep winter hits. Then will come the tax refunds in April and a new splurge of shopping. However, this assumes the economy doesn´t bring further bad news. The cold water of more job cuts and possible higher taxes or Internet sales taxes can kill off an economic return quickly, even on the Internet.

Despite efforts to contain the leak, over two hundred thousand gallons of oil a day have continued to leak into the gulf. By the third week of May, scientists reported that the leak had made its way into a strong loop current in the Gulf of Mexico, which would likely take the oil to Florida, and the east coast. To date, close to eight hundred thousand feet of floating barriers have been placed throughout the gulf in an effort to contain the oil and protect coastlines.

On June 16, 2010, British Petroleum offered an apology to the United States, and agreed to pay twenty billion dollars over the next five years, more if necessary, to compensate for losses due to the oil spill, and to cover cleanup and other fines.

In January, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs announced the new tablet computer, the iPad, and Apple stock then did what it historically does after a product release: it dipped slightly. But by the end of the month, Apple was reporting record sales for the second quarter in a row. By early in February of 2010, the stock price began a steady increase.

The price of Apple stock soared in April of this year when the iPad was finally released on April 3, 2010. On May 31, 2010, Apple stated that two million iPads had been sold in the first two months. At the end of June 1, stock prices stood at $260.83.

Apple stocks have now reached record highs in June of 2010. On June 7, 2010, after announcing the iPhone 4, pre-orders have exceeded expectations. Some analysts currently predict that iPhone users will more than triple in number by the end of 2011.

On Tuesday, June 8, an unemployed veteran of the armed forces shocked the nation by defeating candidate Vic Rawl in a South Carolina primary race for the United States senate. Alvin Greene won the Democratic nomination 59% to 41% despite a very limited campaign budget and little campaign activity.

On Tuesday, June 15, President Obama spoke to the country from the Oval Office in a prime-time address regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The president spoke of the need for improved regulations and safety standards for off-shore drilling, and he told the nation that he had appointed Michael R. Bromwich to lead the Minerals Management Service, the federal agency responsible for all oil drilling reform.

A recent study from the University of Exeter in England concludes that increasing global temperatures is likely to play a significant role in the environmental decline of the Eastern European Alps. Two serious events during this decade, a heat wave in 2003, and a flood in 2005, resulted in glaciers in the region melting at a record pace, and millions of dollars in damages to the infrastructure in Austria.

On the Flip Side of Climate Change

A British journal recently published a study conducted by biologists from Australia that states that sperm whales in the Southern Ocean, despite being mammals that exhale large quantities of carbon dioxide, are actually contributing to the environment in an unexpected way. These whales add an estimated two hundred thousand tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through respiration, which is roughly the equivalent of the carbon emissions of about forty thousand automobiles. Their fecal matter, however, is estimated to remove over four hundred thousand tons in carbon from the atmosphere every year. This is a result of the iron released from their feces following the ingestion of the fish and squid they consume. This iron is a valuable food source for phytoplankton, which consume carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis.

Filming for Avatar finally began in 2007, and the final product includes both live action shots and computer-generated effects. With an original budget of $237 million, Avatar is currently estimated to have cost over three hundred million dollars to produce, and well over an additional one million dollars to promote.

By the middle of December of 2009, Avatar had been released world-wide to both box-office and critical success. As a result, James Cameron plans to create at least two sequels. In August of 2010 a re-release of Avatar that will contain six additional minutes of footage is expected to hit theaters.

Avatar won Academy Awards for Art Direction, Visual Effects, and Cinematography, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture- Drama.

• January 1, to celebrate the first day of the year.
• January 2nd is known as Coming of Age Day, and individuals who will turn twenty during the year are allowed to drink alcohol on this day.
• National Foundation Day is celebrated on February 11th, and on this day citizens express their love for their country.
• Toward the middle of March, citizens celebrate Vernal Equinox Day by tending to the gravestones of their ancestors in order to show their love for all that has lived.
• Showa Day is celebrated on April 29th, in honor of the birthday of the late Emperor Showa.
• Constitution Memorial Day marks the beginning of the postwar constitution, and it is celebrated on May 3.
• On May 4, Greenery Day is used to show gratitude for nature and all its blessings.
• May 5 is Children’s Day, a time to plan for the happiness of one’s children.
• Appreciation for the blessings of the oceans is celebrated on the third Monday in July.
• The third Monday of September is a day to show respect for the elderly.
• The Autumnal Equinox is celebrated around the third week of September to honor the dead.
• The second Monday of October is Health and Sports Day.
• Culture Day is celebrated on November 3rd.
• Labor Thanksgiving Day is November 23.
• The Emperor’s Birthday is celebrated on December 23rd.

But there is a very real aspect of playing World of Warcraft, and it is the risk of forming a psychological dependence on the game. While many individuals find that it provides a release from their daily worries, for those with a tendency toward addiction, online game play can be just as powerful and destructive as excessive alcohol or drug use.

One of the risks of too much World of Warcraft includes social isolation. So much focus can be placed on online relationships in the game, that real-life relationships are neglected. Normal daily tasks can be replaced by game play as well, so job and school performance, in addition to social support, can be compromised. Health risks are also very real, since sleep, exercise, and proper nutrition are often put aside for more game time. One has to wonder how healthy online competition really is once a player feels it is their main source of happiness.