Its Web site, spruced up for the holidays, currently features 3,000 items and a gift guide as diverse as the company's in-store stock. After Thanksgiving Day, Penney began airing a series of 30-second television ads to promote its Web site. We look at it as our third destination after shopping in-store and through the catalog. Nevertheless, he says, the company won't lose its reputation for friendly, efficient service. What's more, he says, the online power shopper tends to be female.
Many retailers tout ease of use and convenience.
Catalog sites such as Eddie Bauer, J. Crew and L.L. Bean offer features to assist shoppers new to the Web. In addition, many companies now make security guarantees to credit card customers afraid of fraud. Land's End, for example, regularly features closeouts available exclusively to the online shopper. Companies offer other services, too, only to those with a computer, including real-time inventory checks and complimentary electronic holiday greeting cards. Competition is stiff for the online shopper, who can expect goods to be delivered at least as quickly as products from traditional catalog companies.