Like everything else online, last-minute Christmas shopping runs on Internet time.
So if you haven’t already completed your Web purchases, I’ve got news for you: The last minute has arrived. Although e-commerce sites will keep selling presents until Christmas Day, most don’t employ the magical fleet of reindeer necessary to deliver your order in a single evening.
Last year, many people who ordered online within 10 days of Christmas found themselves explaining to the kids that one of Santa’s bags must have been held up in customs. But at least they could take advantage of some screaming last-minute deals, thanks to a mad rush for market share that encouraged sellers to cut prices below what even elves pay.
If you’re holding out for some of those same deals this year, don’t bother. In addition to warning customers about the need to shop early, Web retailers are trying out a new business plan: charging enough money to keep at least a little for themselves.
Last year, stores were practically giving the gifts away in order to win new customers. Many offered significant freebies with relatively insignificant purchases. One site sold three DVDs for a dollar, a deal worthy of a mail-in music club. And if you paid for shipping, you weren’t looking hard enough.
Disappearing bargains
My personal favorites were the ubiquitous coupons for $10 to $20 off with no minimum purchase. I grabbed toys for my dogs at Pets.com and scented lotions for my wife at Drugstore.com (or was that the other way around?) in exchange for merely clicking through those sites. Amazon.com essentially gave me a $10 toy for my then-unborn daughter just for bothering to check out their new toy department.
This year, those kinds of deals have gone the way of Robert Downey Jr.’s sobriety. Drugstore.com is giving away free slippers, but only to first-time buyers. Amazon.com customers must spend $100 before they earn free shipping. Pets.com, meanwhile, was put to sleep before the holiday season even began.
That site’s demise is explanation enough for disappearing discounts. Last year’s holiday season was make-or-break time for a number of sites looking for the revenue to justify their venture capital and inflated stock prices. Many of them ended up breaking, and the ones that survived aren’t relying on giving things away.
It’s not like there aren’t any deals left on the Web. Coupon-collecting sites like www.Amazing-Bargains.com, www.DealDude.com and www.eDealFinder.com can direct you to significant savings at a number of online stores.
This year, for example, I had to pay for the toys I bought my daughter online. But I saved $10 on a $30 purchase at www.BabyCenter.com with a coupon code I found on Amazing-Bargains, which covered the shipping and shaved a few bucks off the total price.
Return to reality
You might think that the lack of steep discounts would drive customers back to the malls. But traffic at online stores is already up 40 percent from last year, according to figures tallied by market analyst Media Metrix.
Nielsen/NetRatings, another analyst, says traffic at retail Web sites increased by about 39 percent since the holiday shopping season began Nov. 1.
It seems that most shoppers are willing to pay a fair price for products online a development that shouldn’t be all that surprising.
While it was fun whacking the online pi & #324;ata last year to see what kinds of goodies fell out, it was only a matter of time until the candy was gone. And so long as nobody else is giving stuff away for free, people won’t feel too bad about opening their wallets to take advantage of the Web’s convenience and selection.
As it turns out, Web retailers might be saving the best presents for their stockholders. Dot-com investors have endured a bumpy ride of late, but they can take comfort in knowing that most online stores seem to be focused more on pursuing profits than spreading goodwill.
To contact syndicated columnist Joe Salkowski, you can e-mail him at [email protected] or write to him c/o Tribune Media Services Inc., 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611.
