Michigan Blog - Featuring Michigan Shopping, Travel, Business & People

• Customer Service & the ability to speak to a human being if necessary.


• Toll-free number for ordering


• Easy navigation and searching capability


• Alternate search options


• Quantity of products


• Brand Names


• Quantity discounts on products


• Coupons and sales


• Fast Shipping


• Product and store reviews available to read and write


• Transparency (who is behind this store?)


• Product photos and descriptions

Good luck with your online shopping and congradulations to GregRobert!

Labels: Online Shopping, pet care, Sell Products Online

If it's not a "Pay per click" and it's not an "Affiliate" website than what is it?? .. or more importantly, how does it make money?

Sortprice is probably the first "Flat-rate" listing product comparison engine around and is doing well in a number of verticals including Pet Supplies and Lawn and Garden.

According to Sortprice:
All merchants listed on Sortprice.com can receive unlimited clicks for product listings. There is no Cost Per Click, all campaigns are flat rate fees per month. Click fraud has been a large factor in the decrease of revenue from online advertising. At Sortprice.com with the unlimited click-through business model, click fraud cannot occur.

A few other state of the art features are available - one of them being the dive into social shopping with it's Facebook application.

Here is an example to try http://apps.facebook.com/grpetsupplies (give it a whirl and add a few items to a wishlist). All you need is a facebook account and a willingness to share a few products you like. Here is a Lawn and Garden Facebook Application to try.

To summarize the Facebook Social Shopping application:

• Lets users create a wish list of items they want, meaning their friends can use it as a guide for suitable gifts.
• People can also get gift recommendations based on information on their friends' Facebook profiles.
• Once people decide to buy something from their friend's wish list (or thier own) they are directed to the page on the corresponding merchant's website to make the purchase.

To give people motivation to try the application - use coupon code: googlerocks to save $5.00 on any purchase (greater than >$75) from any wishlist from either store: www.BackyardStyle.com or www.GRpet.com

Happy Shopping!

Labels: Christmas Shopping, Online Marketing and PPC, Online Shopping, social Shopping reviews

About 70 percent of Michigan adults age 50 to 64 shop on the Internet.

This demographic group is increasing as more of America's 80 million baby boomers pass their fiftieth birthday. As fall approaches, online shoppers will begin deal searching for holiday shopping. Each year the Christmas online shopping season starts earlier and earlier.

Baby Boomers grew up on technological change and are still open to new advances. From transistors to PC's to I-Pods, Michigan Baby Boomers have made the leap from one new innovation to another. Now, as more and more Boomers are passing their fiftieth birthdays, they are flocking to the world’s largest, most convenient shopping mall – the Internet.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 70 percent of adults age 50 to 64 are online, and the majority of those are likely to use the net to gather consumer information and to make purchases.

These numbers will continue to swell as the youngest of Boomers turn 50 in 2014. According to the Internet Site, BoomJ.com, 80 million Americans were born between 1946 and 1964, the years comprising the country's Baby Boom. Even though Boomers are computer savvy, they, like many other online shoppers, may not know how to find the net’s best bargains.

They may be overwhelmed by the number of unorganized and often out-of-date bargains listed on Internet sites. They may also beunaware of how to find and use coupon codes and printable coupons.

Here are good tips to help baby boomers and seniors find the web's best deals.

• Make use of coupon codes and printable coupons. A coupon code is a number issued by a merchant, and it allows customers to save anywhere from the cost of shipping to huge percentages off of an item's price tag. Shoppers type these codes into a box when making an Internet purchase.
• The best place to find coupon codes is to visit a site such as www.MichiganBusiness.us, which keeps an organized and updated list of codes from various merchants. Be wary of sites which are hard to navigate and are sporadically updated.
• The Internet offers a bewildering array of offers. Boomers, seniors, and even younger shoppers should look for sites which organize the web's latest and best offerings in a way that makes it easy for the consumer to sort through a plethora of deals. In the same way, boomers and seniors will appreciate sites, such as www.Michiganbusiness.us, which do not confuse the shopper with a lot of flash and pop-up. Those who are beginning to experience vision problems should also look for a readable, clear font.

Boomer and senior shoppers are more likely than younger consumers to do their research before making a purchase. They are also more likely to read the fine print on a web site. In that sense, mature shoppers generally make wise choices when shopping on the net.

However, since many scams are aimed at mature citizens, it always pays to practice Internet safety. Buy from reputable merchants. Check a retailer's security policy before conveying any personal information. Print out a copy of your transaction so that you can refer to it in the event that there is a problem.

By following these tips, mature Michigan shoppers can take advantage of all that Internet shopping has to offer.

Use coupon code: googlerocks at these fine online retailers:

• GregRobert Pet Supplies
• Rachel's Robin Wild Bird Supplies
• Backyard Style Outdoor Decor and Pond
• Shane's Tack Equine Supplies
• Rabbit Mart
• The Giving Spirit

Labels: Online Shopping