ThinkDeal Official Blog Spot

An Apology To All Our Customers

2010-12-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

Every year individual is the online retail community look forward to the pre-Christmas sales period. Therefore, you can imagine the panic if during this extremely important time something goes wrong with your hosting arrangements or your server crashes. It all happened to us this year, and we struggled to get our site back-up and running. We are still licking our wounds, when we count up how much we potentially lost in sales revenue. But most importantly we want to apologise to any of our loyal army of customers who were inconvenienced by the unavailability of their favourite UK online shopping site. We are going to remember Christmas 2010 for many years to come. We still have a few technical issues that we are dealing with but hopefully we are now back in business. That leaves us only one thing to do and that’s to wish all our customers a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. ThinkDeal.Net

Netbooks Review

2010-09-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Size is important and that’s a fact!

Well look at mobile phones first came the battle to make the smallest but then when customers wanted to use them to access the internet having a large screen suddenly became an important factor. With computing if you wanted mobility then the laptop ruled supreme. But even that has now changed with the onslaught of the netbook. Normally netbooks are much cheaper than laptops. However, the price has been steadily increasing as the spec has been getting better. You can still find some great prices at ThinkDeal.Net and other good online stores. Today netbooks seem to be the hottest thing on the internet enthusiasts shopping list. Obviously, one very crucial selling point for netbooks is that they are much more portable. Both in terms of physical size and in terms of weight, netbooks can be better travel companions than regular laptops. But somehow they have become sexier too very chic, stylish, and available in multiple colours.

In this age of mobile computing and internet on demand netbooks seem to have a power all of their own. They are the ideal match for wireless broadband, and if your smartphone comes with a data plan, you can set it up as a modem and not pay any extra. Don't worry if you don't want wireless broadband, every netbook has an internal wifi card. But they are useful for many things including: e-mail, Listening to music, digital photos, Browsing the Web, Instant messaging and using facilities like Skype, working on word processing and spreadsheet documents when away from a main computer, and of course travelling (particularly on airplanes, ships, trains, and buses).

Netbooks are great for work on the move, but they can also be great for other things too. Netbooks have sound cards that allow you to record and listen to music. netbooks also have a built-in microphone and speaker you can record and playback anything. Netbooks come with enough room for some movies, digital photos, and albums. It also means you can update your blog or Facebook on the go without shrinking it down onto a smartphone.

The netbook operating system can be important. Many netbooks come with Linux (disbelief), a perfectly fine OS, but if you prefer, you can pay the extra to buy one with Windows.

At ThinkDeal.Net we offer a wide range of netbooks and laptops. A netbook will not replace your existing laptop or desktop. It simply hasn't the power or the features. But it will give you the flexibility to perform basic tasks on the move with little effort. If you like your devices to be mobile and can deal with the downsides of a smaller laptop, then a netbook is right for you!

10,000 + New Products

2010-08-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

We have had quite a weekend. Updating our site and adding something like 10,000 new products. Regrettably this did involve some downtime and we apologise for that.

But we are pleased to report that ThinkDeal.Net your favourite shopping site now offers you even greater choice. We have added products from some very big names including ACER, HP, Epson, Trust, Apple, Belkin, Fuji, and many more. In-fact we now offer products from over 800 manufacturers.

It is our policy to find the best suppliers, offer a great on-line shopping experience, and always try to meet our customers expectations.

Gummy Watches - This seasons must have accessory!

2010-06-16T04:02:00.000-07:00

Every month we stock a new product that is worthy of a special mention and this month it’s the Gummy Watch. We have the Gummy Fashion Sports Watches and the Gummy Glow in the Dark Watches. And on our site at the moment they are selling for under a fiver - although how long we can hold this bargain price is debatable!

Back in the day, gummy bands we're all the rage. Over a decade on they've returned but this time as a watch and are becoming the latest must have accessory! Gummy watches are becoming popular clubbing, playground and sports accessories this summer! They are ultra light at just 10 grams and designed with durable elasticity to fit any sized wrist big or small and unlike normal watches they don't suffer from scratches or scuffs! They come in popular range of colours, plus a glow in the dark range!

Gummy watches are becoming popular clubbing, festival, playground and sports accessories for this summer! They are ultra light at just 10 grams and designed with durable elasticity to fit any sized wrist big or small and unlike normal watches they don't suffer from scratches or scuffs! They are not supplied in expensive presentation boxes they are packed to keep the postage to a minimum.

The idea behind it is that it is something that will take a lot of battering at a festival, nightclub, holiday, sports event, playground etc. that it is quite durable but isn't something that you would intend to keep forever it’s a fashion item that will remain popular whilst the season lasts and hey if it goes out of style, or it eventually breaks you just bin it. Fun and collectible, they can double up as wristbands which can be stacked for instant impact; perfect for swapping with your mates too!

These cool little watches come in 15 colours for you to collect although at the moment we don’t stock the full range of colours. We are trying to get more but at the moment we have limited stock.

The Robots are Coming ...

2010-05-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

Every now and again we at ThinkDeal.Net like to tell you about innovative products that we have in stock. Well you might think that robots doing your housework was strictly in the domain of science fiction writers, or at best something that technology might provide sometime in the distant future. Think again, and then check out our range of iRobots.

iRobot home robots are designed to help you tackle household tasks more easily, so you can get more done.

IRobot Roomba is an intelligent and effective vacuuming robot. All Roomba Vacuuming Robots feature iRobots unique AWARE™ Robot Intelligence Systems. AWARE uses dozens of sensors to monitor Roomba's environment, and adjusts Roomba's behaviour up to 67 times per second, ensuring that Roomba cleans effectively, intelligently and safely.

iRobot Scooba Vacuuming Robot washes floors intelligently and effectively. Scooba uses a four stage cleaning system to prep, wash, scrub, and dry floors all by itself. Scooba features iRobot AWARE Robot Intelligence Systems. AWARE uses dozens of sensors to monitor the robots environment, and adjusts its behaviour up to 67 times per second, ensuring that Scooba cleans effectively, intelligently and safely. Scooba will clean a standard size kitchen on a single tank full of cleaning solution.

iRobots are currently available from ThinkDeal.Net. And as usual our prices are hard to beat.
　

Innovation meets security with this virtual card

2010-05-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever worried about entering your card details online? Identity theft seems to be the biggest drawback to the digital world. What if you could have a virtual prepaid MasterCard® that Generates a unique 16 digit MasterCard® number for each online purchase. The card numbers can only be used once and never by anyone else. The virtual card is FREE and on the same Free Neteller account you can also have a free plastic traditional style prepaid MasterCard®

Net+ Virtual Prepaid MasterCard®
Innovation meets security with this virtual card that will revolutionise the way you pay online.*

Available through the NETELLER app
Free downloadable application that allows access to your card from your desktop. When you make purchases online, Net+ recognises and populates the checkout page for you. (Windows only)
Web version for when you are away
Launch the virtual card from within your NETELLER account at any computer.
One-time use card numbers
Generates a unique 16 digit MasterCard® number for each online purchase. The card numbers can only be used once and never by anyone else.
No application or monthly fees
Plus, free point-of-sale transactions and there are no dormancy fees.
Automatic pre-loading
All you have to do is deposit money into your NETELLER account and you’re ready to use it anywhere MasterCard® is accepted online.
Instantly apply, download and use
No need to wait for a card to arrive in the mail—instantly download the virtual card onto your desktop or launch it from your account.
No overspending
Only spend the money in your NETELLER account and don’t accumulate debt.
Accepted everywhere
Use the card to pay for items online anywhere MasterCard® is accepted.

UK online shopping is continuing to grow!

2010-04-30T05:34:00.000-07:00

We are always pleased to hear that according to new research the popularity of online shopping is continuing to grow rapidly, with the majority of the British population aged 15+ shopping online. It seems the report for IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) by The British Population Survey (BPS) concentrates on the first quarter of 2010 and it found that the 50% benchmark was achieved for the very first time in February 2010 (50.6%), while March saw further growth in the number of online shoppers to 51%. The e-Shopper Index introduced by BPS and IMRG already reveals that an additional 3.7 million people have become online shoppers during the past two years alone.

Whilst all these statistics are both fascinating and encouraging to online retailers like us at ThinkDeal.Net we still need you our customers to tell us how we can continue to improve. One article recently published stated this “Buying online should be quick, simple and intuitive.” but then went on to ask “so why are conversion rates so frequently in single digits, with almost 60 per cent of customers who actually manage to put goods in the shopping basket abandoning the trip before they checkout?” Their conclusion was, “the answer is that buying online is not as easy as it should be. Many UK online retailers do not offer search functionality on their websites and we’ve all experienced confusing web order forms.” Now our catchphrase is, “we make it easy to shop” and we think our sites search facilities function extremely well and our order process is both simple and streamlined. Do you agree? Or do we need to take a further look at these important features of our site?

We believe If online retailers are to improve conversion rates, then they must promote loyalty and we want your ideas on how we should approach this task. In other words what do we need to do to in order to encourage you keep returning to our site? Obviously price is important but its not everything! What else would make you choose one online retailer over another?

Yet another independent study has revealed that UK online retailers have a long way to go to improve their customer service if they are to reap the rewards of the mushrooming e-commerce market, set to reach £60 billion in 2012. We are informed that in a mystery shopper exercise, as many as 45 per cent of retailers failed to reply to customer emails, with only 47 per cent of those who did providing accurate and complete information in their response. Those of you who have had reason to contact us for any reason please let us know how we did. Did we respond promptly, politely, and supply all the requested information in a clear and concise manner?

The team at ThinkDeal.Net want your online shopping experience to be gratifying and even pleasurable. We want you to feel at home on our site and we welcome all your comments and constructive criticisms. We look forward to hearing your comments on this blog and your ideas that might make the service we offer even more satisfying.

Interacting with customers through social networking

2010-03-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

For some time we at ThinkDeal.Net have realised that social network sites give people the ability to be in touch with each other, disclose information, and facilitate users to find individuals with compatible lifestyles.

As a business on-going market research is vitally important and the ability to interact with customers paramount. Social networking can take a significant amount of time, and time is money. But we checked the demographics of our customers and find that you are using social networks, the question is which ones? We thought we should use this our official blog to ask you, our customers; who do you use?

We would then utilize this information to decide whether ThinkDeal.Net should have a presence on that particular directory of social networking site.

In order to improve our customer services we need to know what you want from a shopping site. What can we do to make your online shopping experience better? Perhaps more payment options, an easier to navigate website, or even FREE delivery. We are certain that social networking will enable to us to interact with you our customers and thus become more aware and responsive to your needs. Please make your recommendations as to which sites you feel we should consider, perhaps Facebook or some other site. Remembering that our target marketplace is the UK.

In the meantime you can already find us on Twitter and Qype. With Qype you can leave reviews about your experiences when shopping with us … of course we love hearing how well we did but constructive criticism is also always very welcome.

UK retailers (online) go from strength to strength

2010-03-12T04:53:00.000-08:00

Recent research indicates UK shoppers spend the most online when compared to other European countries. Is this because UK online retailers have started to get things right by offering good service, quality products, and competitive prices. Or perhaps UK consumers are finally starting to understand that the internet offers a wealth of money saving opportunities.

In the past, women have been the biggest demographic group of online shoppers, with clothing and footwear proving popular purchases. And perhaps some of the first websites offering genuinely discounted products were the fashion outlets. Today, men are a key demographic often searching for ways to save money on gadgets and electrical goods.

In any event this is all dandy news for good UK online discount retailers. And UK Online shopping stores are some of the most successful in the world. Online sales account for 10% of the total retail sales in the UK. The research further predicts that internet shopping will increase this year, eventually hitting around £42.7 billion by then end of 2010.

Why this swing in the UK towards online shopping? In truth nobody knows. Perhaps we should blame the recession, or the British weather, or simply the public fascination with logging in online in the firm belief that bargains are waiting to be found. We can all agree that due to the fast paced world in which we live the internet definitely offers a very comfortable time saving and relaxed armchair shopping experience.

It seems UK Consumers are used to rummaging for the best bargains and whereas the High Street had been the first port of call it has now been upstaged by the internet. There are also practical advantages to buying online, you can do it in your own time, not have to fight for parking, or face the often crowded shopping centres. These days most things can be bought online online such as books, music, DVD's, computers, software, tickets, cars, and a list of other things including groceries.

But be warned if the growth is to continue then rogue internet traders must be sought out and eliminated. It's smashing to report that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and Trading Standards are putting in place new specialist teams, training, and technology required to take the fight to these cyber criminals. Thankfully, most UK online retailers are professional people / businesses who work hard to ensure a first class customer experience.

With recent figures indicating that almost 50% of UK adults have purchased at least one item online the future looks promising and as a professional online discount retailer I expect and hope the growth will continue. Possibly, it is more than just hope, with over 73.9% per cent of the UK adult population with access to the internet. UK internet retailing seems destined to go from strength to strength.