On a cloudless summer day in suburban Chicago, a woman put her two children in the car and drove to the shopping mall. There she met one of her best girlfriends, who also came to the mall with her kids.

The group of two moms and four kids spent the whole day at the mall, having lunch in the cafeteria and then leisurely strolling, shopping and people watching. An afternoon movie in the attached theatre and malted milkshakes at the ice cream parlor finished off the mall excursion before the women drove back to their respective homes to prepare dinner.

These two women absolutely loved the mall. In their minds, it was one of the greatest places on Earth. After all, the mall was exciting, full of the latest and greatest retailers, a state-of-the-art movie theatre and plenty of free parking. Even better, the climate controlled indoor environment made it possible for a whole day of shopping and entertainment without being subjected to Chicago’s often extreme weather. No doubt about it; the mall was THE place to see and be seen.

That was 1968. It was the heyday of the enclosed regional shopping mall in America.

Here’s how this story might read in 2011:

A well-educated, working mom is able to duck out of her office for a couple hours at lunch to catch up on some long-deferred errands. With the kids in school, it’s her chance to actually get things done. That’s critical, because evenings and weekends are filled with dance lessons, soccer practice and select-league baseball games that often require the family to spend weekends at out-of-town tournaments.

Her challenge is to fit a whole day’s slate of errands into two hours. She drives her minivan to the power center located along the freeway. There she takes advantage of a 30%-off discount card she received in the mail from Kohl’s department store before stopping by the Wal-Mart Super Center to stock up on non-perishable consumables mostly manufactured in China. She takes care of mailing packages and dropping off dry cleaning at her friendly mega grocery store’s customer service counter.

Next, she speeds over to the lifestyle center, an outdoor mall with heavy landscaping, upscale national-chain retailers and a nice-but-fake-looking faade. There she purchases high-end cosmetics (the all-natural kind that are never tested on animals) and a dress for the coming weekend’s formal dinner. Before jumping in the minivan, she grabs a double latte, a little reward for getting so much done so quickly. She must head back to the office and cram in her work before picking up the kids from their after-school program.

Indeed, times have changed.

As the lives of retail customers have evolved, the retailers and the shopping mall owners have had to change in order to keep up. Today’s harried shopper simply doesn’t have the time to spend the whole day at the mall. Speed and convenience are critically important. Shoppers still want luxury and entertainment, but they have to be easily accessible and located close to homes or offices.

Consequently, we now see many of those old malls, the ones that were gleaming and glorious in 1968, being torn down and replaced with big-box retailers, open-air lifestyle centers and mixed-use “walkable” villages.

A perfect example is Randhurst Mall built in 1962 in the Chicago suburb of Mt. Prospect, Ill. According to Midwest Real Estate News, the once-popular Randhurst is now desolate, so crews are demolishing most of it to make way for a mixed-use center that will be home to offices, a hotel and a bunch of entertainment businesses in addition to an updated mix of retailers.

Retailers and retail landlords either keep up with the trends or they die.

Well, retailers certainly aren’t alone, are they? Your business needs to adapt too.

Keep in mind that, as a person, you are essentially a business. You are a business of one, a business unto yourself. In a lot of ways, you (as a business of one) have much in common with retailers. Like a retailer, you are selling a product (yourself). Like a retailer, you want to portray your product in the most desirable way while making it extremely convenient to your customers. Like a retailer, you must adapt to the changing needs and preferences of the public.

Regardless of what you do for a living, you must place your clients on a pedestal. Their needs and wants are not only paramount, they’re moving targets.

Are you doing whatever it takes to keep up? Are you willing to tear down a 1960’s-era mall and replace it with one of today’s hot new shopping developments? Stay ahead of the trend or risk being squashed by it!

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One of the first steps towards successful online shopping for designer clothing is making up your mind about the kind and brand of clothes you are looking for; because if you are not able to decide on this, you may lose focus in the rich and exhaustive online market for clothing. Now, if you have already decided about purchasing shirts or T-shirts from a G-Star collection, this is a step you could be exempted from – although if you wish, you could still go ahead and decide about the specifications of the G-Star T-shirt or shirt you would be searching for.

The second most important step towards successful shopping for clothing over the Internet is making a cautious choice of the online store for purchasing the clothes you desire. Whilst searching through numerous online stores for an appropriate G-Star shirt and T-shirt, you would find that many of these stores are no better than high street stores. This is of no use because one of the primary reasons of rushing online is usually the inadequate collection of mens’ G-Star clothing at the local high street store. Thus, the key to success at this stage of online shopping is to find a reliable and authentic online store that offers an exhaustive collection of G-Star T-shirt, shirt, and other clothing.

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To someone who is relatively new to e-commerce, you may be surprised to discover that there are a number of e-commerce solutions that are offered for free at an entry level. For someone who is just starting out and may be unsure of how fast their business will grow, these free solutions are great options. But before you start to look at the various software packages available, it is helpful to first establish your e-commerce needs. You can do this by evaluating your business.

Making Sure the Shopping Cart You Choose Is Right for Your Business

Take a look at the products you plan to sell. Are they items that are already widely available on the Web or are they things that are truly unique? If you are entering an already competitive market, take some time to browse the websites of your perceived competitors. Many of the free shopping carts require that the website displays their copyright notice on the footer of the page. In this way, you can gain some insight on what shopping carts they are using. At the same time, you can browse those sites to get an idea of the different set-up options available and the functionalities of the systems. This will give you ideas regarding the features you can have on your site. Things like discount coupons, signing clients up for newsletters, comparison features, and product recommendations can help you create a successful e-commerce website. It is also a good idea to do an online search and see what shopping carts are recommended by IT forums.

How Does a Shopping Cart Integrate into Your E-commerce Website?

A shopping cart on its own is not a comprehensive e-commerce tool. It is simply a virtual shop front, a place where customers can browse through the various products that you have on offer and select what they want to purchase. The shopping cart provides a place where the customer can collect and store items until they are ready to proceed to the checkout counter and pay for the items. Your shopping cart generally does not include your checkout, shipping or payment gateway. It also does not include your merchant account which is needed when accepting credit card payments. It is therefore important when selecting your shopping cart to choose one that integrates with your payment gateway and merchant account. If you are already a merchant account holder, speak to your card processing firm and find out what their recommendations are.

Essential Features of a Good Shopping Cart

You want a shopping cart that not only showcases your products but also helps you to grow your business. You also want a program that can accommodate your business as you grow and does not set limits on the number of products that you can have in your store. Look for shopping carts that has customizable product fields and options to include different sizes and pricing options. The shopping carts that make recommendations of additional products or allow customers to compare different brands are in a way virtual salespeople for you. These are the carts that you want to choose for your business. Make sure that the cart has an easy user interface and is easy to navigate. Otherwise customers may get frustrated and leave your store. Integration with your design and payment software is also a must.

Online shopping offers many benefits that you wont find shopping in a brick and mortar store or by mail. The Internet is always open seven days a week and 24 hours a day. Internet-only deals and bargains can be numerous online. Shopping on the Internet is no less safe than shopping in a store or by mail. Keep the following tips in mind to help ensure that your online shopping experience is a safe one.

1. While Online Order Only On A Secure Server.
Use a secure browser and shop only at websites that offer encryption protection. A protected website will have one or more of these three features:

a) The small lock or key symbol at the bottom of your browser window;
b) An address that starts with https (“s” for “secure”) instead of just http; and
c) A security warning box that pops up at the point of purchase.

Your browser should comply with industry security standards, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). These standards scramble the purchase information you send over the Internet, helping to secure your transaction.

2. Pay The Safest Way.
Use a credit card or Debit Card with a safe online shopping guarantee. Look for a card with specific guarantees, like 100% coverage for any losses due to fraud when shopping on the Internet. Many companies offer an online shopping guarantee that ensures you will not be held responsible for any unauthorized charges made online, and some cards may provide additional warranty, return and/or purchase protection benefits.

3. Protect Your Privacy.
Look for and read a website’s privacy and security policy. Stay clear of a website that either doesn’t have one or does not guarantee your personal information will not be sold. This policy should disclose what information is being collected on the Web site and how that information is being used.

4. Know Who You’re Dealing With.
Research your merchant. Look at the ratings consumers give them and stay clear of websites that either aren’t listed or receive poor marks. Shop with companies you know. Anyone can set up shop online under almost any name. If youre not familiar with a merchant, ask for a paper catalogue or brochure to get a better idea of their merchandise and services. Also, determine the companys refund and return policies before you place your order. These should be posted on the companys Web site.

5. Keep A Record.
Print out a copy of your order and confirmation number for your records. Reputable merchants will usually send you an email confirming your order. However a hard copy is always good to have in case your order is lost, deleted or not delivered as promised.

6. Guard Your Online Password.
Keep your password(s) private. Be creative when you establish a password, and never share your website passwords with anyone. Write them down and store them in a safe place. Avoid using a telephone number, birth date or a portion of your Social Security number. Instead, use a combination of numbers, letters and symbols. Do not use the same username and password at every website. Should your personal information be compromised, a thief won’t get very far if you use different passwords and usernames on different websites.

7. Track Your Purchases.
Use only one credit card to shop with online. This helps keep track of your online purchases during the holidays, and will make it easier to spot purchases that are fraudulent. Look for a card that allows you to review transactions online as well — you’ll be more likely to notice a problem early on.

8. Keep Personal Information Private.
Don’t enter more information at a merchant website than is absolutely necessary. There is usually no reason why you should have to supply information such as birth dates or Social Security numbers when making a purchase. Fill in only the bare essentials necessary to make your purchase. If you have children, teach them to check with you before giving out personal or family information online.

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