Sunday 15 February 2009

catalogue shopping

Catalogue shopping has grown over the years from small beginnings to the multi million pound industry we see today. Most of this growth has occured online, as internet shopping has grown every year, so has catalogue shopping too. The two go hand in hand, and almost every day a new company is created on the internet, hoping to get a slice of this huge market and the rewards that come with it.

Being first is always an advantage, and the likes of argos and littlewoods are ahead of the rest because they are now well established catalogue companies in their own right. Littlewoods especially have focuse all their attention towards online operations, and now have no high street presence at all. This highlights the power of the internet, and littlewoods have been quick to seize the huge growth online.

To do this must have been a big gamble, but the figures don't lie, and sales continue to rise year on year, and show little signs of stopping either. Argos catalogue have a different business plan, that involves mass market advetising, using many different media forms. The argos catalogue is now in millions of homes in the UK, and they also have a strong online presence and spend a lot on tv advertising as well.

These two catalogue companies are the most successful, and make sure their prices are competitive, and amongst the lowest you will find. Their buying power also helps to get their prices lower than the rest, and as they mnake more money they spend more on improving their product ranges, and lowering costs and overheads. Catalogue shopping online has changed over recent years due to these two companies, and other brands are struggling to keep pace, such as grattan and kays. They are the competition, and the fighting is fierce, but only the strong will survive, and the recent challenging financial times mean the best will rise, those with a solid businees plan, and large resources will thrive.

The large supermarket chains are also becoming more interseted in the online catalogue shopping market, epecially tesco, and are real challengers to the likes of argos

Friday 13 February 2009

Kitchen Accessories

You have got your kitchen just how you want it, designed just right with all the aplliances and fittings in place, the next step is to finish the job off properly with some snazzy accessories. You will find a massive choice of kitchenaid accessories online and in the high street, all designed to make life easier for you. These are the little things that make preparing and cooking things a breeze, and help you save time, which is probably the most important factor in the kitchen these days.

Food mixers, blenders, steamers, sandwich toasters, these are the things you need in the kitchen to make life simpler. The online catalogues sell thousands of these every single day, at the cheapest prices you will find. You can find ice cream mixers, smoothie blenders, pasta rollers, food grinders and a whole load of other accessories if you look hard enough. There are new designs coming into the market every single day, and each new model promises to be better than the previous one, so make sure you check out the various benefits of all these products before you buy, the last thing you want to happen is to buy something and find it at a cheaper price somewhere else.

Prices vary from different manufacturers, and you generally get what you pay for with these type of products, so it is a good idea to look for online reviews before you buy, these reviews can prove a great help in helping you make that final decision, and always take a look in the discount sections for sale items, and end of line accessories, you will find you can save a bit more cash if you spend a bit of time searching around.

Wednesday 4 February 2009

HD Televisions

There is a huge market for high definition televisions, with new models coming out every week. Staying ahead of the technology game is almost impossible unless you plan on spending a whole lot of cash evry few months. High definition is the new must have technology, and almost all new tv's come with freeview built in. The original set top boxes cost under £20 these days, and give you the opportunity to watch digital tv, and open up a new world of channels, that the terrestrial tv could not offer. New channels are moving to freeview every month, and very shortly you will need one of these set top boxes to watch normal television programs, as the big digital switch over is coming soon.

If you do not have a set top box you will probably have to invest in a dtv converter, which will allow you to watch digital tv on your old tv set. These are coming down in price all the time, so you really do need to make sure you are prepared for the switch, or you may find yourself watching a blank screen when you switch your set on, and you certainly do not want that to happen do you?

Obviously you need to shop around for these dtv converter boxes, and most people look for reviews from trusted online sources or forums. There are also many sites around that give honest dtv converter box reviews, and are often a good source of information with unbiased opinions to help you get the best box at the lowest prices.

Don't panic if you feel you have not sorted this problem out already, again, if you have a modern plasma or LCD tv you should already have the technology in built so no need to worry. If you don't have a modern tv set, then go online to the broadcasters websites and you will find all the information you require. Get a dtv converter box, and get yourself prepared.