Advantages and disadvantages of online jewelry shopping

To bring clarity in the very beginning I would like to stipulate that the quality of the merchandise is not a topic in this article. Any known type and quality of jewelry is already available on the net as it is in conventional (physical) stores. The task of this article is to outline the pros and cons of online buying of jewelry as opposed to the conventional buying over the counter in terms of convenience, price and service.
Advantages:

Massive choice - This particular point is one of the biggest advantages of online jewelry shopping and at the same time a disadvantage too. Having too much of a choice tends to have confusing effect on most people and blur their ability of an objective decision. On the other hand choice and diversity means that you will find what you are looking for, even if you are not very certain what exactly it is and you will find it at the best possible price, which brings us to the next point.

Competitive prices - Yes, it is logical for the prices to be more competitive online, exactly because of the massive choice. The convenience of being the only jeweler in town is replaced online, by the alternative of being a jewelry shop in enormous "jewelry only" shopping mall with thousands of jewelry shops next to each other, selling similar merchandise. It is getting even worst: the customer enters and exits the shop with a touch of a button without giving the merchant chance to state his case. The online jewelry retail stores are ran on very low cost, enabling the merchants to significantly narrow their mark up margins and still make reasonable profit.

Information - Any information about jewelry, diamonds and precious stones is widely available on the net and you don't need particular computer skills or a lot of time to obtain it. Armed with knowledge and ability to compare value for money at the click of the mouse the online customer is not to be taken for granted. Today's jewelers , whether they like it or not, will face educated customers, longing for the best value for their hard earned cash.

Time saving - This advantage of online jewelry shopping is very obvious. The time necessary to visit an online jeweler, looking for particular piece is an average of 6 minutes if you are using the assistance of JewelGateway and about 20 minutes otherwise, considering the search and checking the sometime surprisingly well positioned irrelevant hits. The time to visit a conventional jewelry shop depends on many factors, but it will suffice to say that it is not in the comparable margins.

Convenience - Very much connected to the time topic but there is more. I would like to mention, time taken from work, time taken on weekend (depending on the jeweler's trading hours), making an appointment (and stick to it), driving to and from, looking for parking etc. After all this effort the inventory you will be seeing will be limited in comparison to your online choice. The guidance and advice you will be given will be sale orientated and in most cases not 100% objective.

Disadvantages:

Relatively large amounts paid in advance - This is one matter with roots in the psychological background of most of us and it takes time to over ride it. The modus operandi of small scale trade for millennia is to immediately get what you paid for. In jewelry language: you put the ring on your finger, you pay for it and keep it there. Buying the same ring online lives you with this rather virtual feeling. You just paid a good amount of money (by the way, also virtual) and you got nothing. One can't be blamed for being cautious. Today more than ever the cyber space is crowded by con artists. There is however reliable ways to avoid them and stay on the safe side. Read more

Security of payment and shipping - Closely related to the above topic. The security of your payment is a serious issue and you have to make sure it is properly dealt with by checking the security policy of the jewelry merchant. In many cases though, the merchant is as exposed to fraud, as the customer and even more, since he have to ship an expensive jewelry before the payment is cleared. The customer have 3 to 7 days window to cancel the payment, while the shipping is irreversible. The shipping and insurance are handled by the merchant and in most cases is free of charge.  Read more

Impossibility to examine and try on - A major disadvantage, since very few pieces of jewelry fits well everybody. The touch of the polished gold or the glitter of a real diamond is impossible to simulate fully on the web page and thus, lives space for misconception. However this is promptly addressed with the implementation of proper return policy. A good return policy is one which provides a 30 day money back guarantee or possibly longer.

Overchoice - the advantage of massive and diverse choice in overdose turns into disadvantage. If you write "diamond ring" in your browser you will get approximately 8 million entries. Not all of them are jewelry merchants but a good deal are, besides how could one know. A customer seldom checks further than the first 20 to 30 entries, before she gets bored or confused and goes back or decides to buy over the counter. While Search Engine listing is done by stringent standards, it is automatic and done on the merit of marketing mastery rather than quality of the jewelry and service. You, as a customer might be missing this wonderful jewelry site, full of value packed offers on the jewelry you are looking for - just because they are listed 40th or 140th for that matter.

Impatience and Conservatism - These personal qualities of some customers, are big disadvantage to the online jewelry shopping and unfortunately there is no viable strategy to deal with them. My only advice to the customer in doubt is: Give it a chance. It may turn the hassle and hesitation into a pleasurable and exiting experience.

Article Source : http://www.pdring.co.za/component/content/article/1-articles/55-advantages-of-online-jewelry-shopping.html

Plan Your Luxury Holiday in a Luxury Cottage

A luxury cottage can be one of the most desired ways to spend a holiday. Especially if a person is a nature lover and wants to explore the beauty of nature by staying in these magnificent structures. You can discover the exquisite nature and enjoy the serene locations. English country cottages are more preferred nowadays for vacations because they are very exclusive and sophisticated. The concept of English holiday cottages emerged from the cottages of the tenants and imitates the large mansions of western England during the middle ages. These buildings were simply structured, made of wattle, stone and daub that used to be topped with thatched roofs so that the rainwater does not gets stagnant.

These cottages are very appealing and are indeed the dream of many city dwellers who wants to stay in these cottages. English cottages have a different charm, which can mesmerize anybody. These English cottages give you that warm and cozy feeling and were very popular in the United States during the mid 19th century and early 20th century. Young and retired couples prefer these cottages. With their romantic appeal, these cottages give you a feeling of being close to nature. One can also maintain these cottages easily. When spending a vacation, English country cottages are the best place to make your holiday significant.

With its picturesque backdrop, they can offer you a place that is away from the maddening crowds of the urban life. It will give you a place to relax and offers you a well-needed escapade from the mechanical lifestyle that you are used to. It will keep you away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded city life.

Orchard cottages provide you with some comfortable English cottages with spacious bedrooms, fully furnished spaces, along with facilities of kitchen, contemporary bathrooms and more. These cottages are available in four types, which are apple tree cottage, pear tree cottage, plum tree cottage and cherry tree cottage. Each of the cottages is designed to serve the best to you and is situated in serene locations that will match your comfortability. They offer a range of English holiday cottages in the Clitheroe area from which all the range of country pubs and restaurants are accessible. You can book your weekend holiday or even plan your extended vacation in these cottages and while your stay you can realize the grandeur of these cottages.

Apart from your stay, you can also enjoy all the activities that are been arranged by them which includes horse rides, mountain biking through the forest lanes, clay pigeon shooting, picnics and outings fly fishing sessions, paragliding, classic car adventure and a lot more things that will fill your vacation with joy and adventure. You can make your stay memorable with your family and friends. They provide complete relaxation and privacy to the guests and you get a self-catering service over here. A complete retreat for your family, a stay in these luxury cottages will help you find your tranquility base and in turn, you can explore a new side of nature.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4897111

Promotional Products – Create Competitive Advantage

There are many new ideas and products, nowadays that are used to create competitive advantages. In today’s corporate world it is must to stay competitive and keep all your employees and clients active and interacting with you. Different companies and corporates use different activities and ideas to keep the employees and clients in touch with them and let them participate actively with the company affairs; one of the best and widely adapted things to create competitive advantage is by giving away corporate gifts. The theme and the ways of doing business have been prevalent since the old days.

Before enumerating the advantages of the corporate gifts and how they help you in being competitive, let us give you an idea about what corporate gifts actually are. Corporate gifts are actually giveaways by the companies to promote their name and improve their image. Corporate gifts help companies in interacting with clients and other competitive corporates. These corporate gifts can vary considerably from promotional discounts and holidays and other facilities like free coupons and traveling tickets and free stays. Whatever you pick to offer as the corporate gift on behalf of the company, make it stand out in the crowd and do something that others are not doing. You must aim at offering corporate gifts that are not available in the local market.

Corporate gifts are used to challenge the competition and for withholding a strong position in the market competition. In the world, when we talk about corporate links and relations it is a must to maintain healthy and yet competitive relations with other clients and do your best not to lose the customers at any cost. These are the little things; if proper care is taken, then these would benefit the corporates with multiple profits but otherwise carelessness can easily ruin the profits overnights. So, one needs proper strategy and planning for offering corporate gifts.

Promotional Pens as Complementary Articles

he promotional pen is probably one of the most popular items ever in the history of promotional products. Promotional pens have ruled the popularity charts for ages and continue to do so till date. All thanks to their low cost nature and the universal utility they offer, promotional pens are one of the most widely used business gifts. This simple and easy to use promotional item can be used in more than one ways. Whether one gives them away to his employees or distributes it as freebies amidst the customers, it is completely one's call. But, irrespective of how you plan to put this fantastic promotional item to use, you are sure to hit the right notch.

There are countless ways in which these promotional pens can be put to use. One of the methods of using this promotional item could be giving it away as a complementary gift article. This incredible promotional item can be given away along with a certain or every purchase that a customer makes from your company. Giving away promotional pens as complementary articles has a dual advantage. One it pleases your customers by offering them more value for the same amount of money and secondly it helps in boosting your sales. This free gift gives your customers a reason to be happy and impressed with your company. And at the same time, promotional pens as complementary articles also work as an incentive for customers to buy your products and services.
While giving away these promo pens, as a free gift along with a certain purchase is one great idea, there can be various other ways to use it as a complementary article. How about thanking your customers for their visit to your store with these promotional pens? Giving away promotional pens to each and every one who visits your store as a thank you gift is one great idea to cast a long and indelible impression on customers mind. Your customers are sure to be much more than just impressed for the gratitude that you have shown via these promotional pens. And, who knows you store might just be flooded with people, courtesy-these promotional pens.
Promotional pens can also be provided as a complementary article along with a couple of other stationary items. You can place this fabulous promotional item along with other products like a notepad, pen pot, business card holders and the like. This wonderful promotional pen is sure to have a harmonising effect and make your gift a complete and a perfect one. So the next time you are looking for a gift for your interest groups, stack in these promotional pens with other stationary goodies and gift your audience the perfect thing.

 

A Bag for Christmas

With Christmas approaching we are in the season of giving. Corporate Christmas gifts are typically given out any time during December. So as we enter the 12 month of the year is may be worth considering some last minute gifts.Maybe you could consider giving a promotional bag.

Bags come with a variety of functions and at various price levels. We are not talking here of low price promotional bags. Rather we are focusing on the more expensive variety. A leather laptop bag for example.

The bag on the left is a ladies executive laptop bag. Made from leather it costs around £80 in the UK. The bag is fully functional as a laptop bag but could also have many other uses. It is of sufficient quality and design that it would make an excellent gift for a high-powered female executive.

Benefits for the Psychological Level

Self-awareness

Yoga practice increases the self-awareness. The yoga practitioner learns to act instead of reacting. They start to control their feelings and learn to be conscious, living the moment, the Now and not in the past or in the future.

   

Self-confidence

Self-confidence, or low self-confidence, is something, which Yoga seeks to eliminate through the practices. Someone with low self-respect cannot do their work properly or becomes easily tired, irritable and haggard. One who practices yoga starts to believe deeply in themselves and in the incredible potentials, which they have inside. 

Vitality and Change of Mood

Everyone who practices yoga over a period of time, reports a positive effect on both their outer appearance and energy level. Yogic postures with breathing exercises have been seen to result in having an invigorating effect on physical energy and improved mood.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/the-benefits-of-yoga-548787.html