Online Portals: A New Way of Shopping- By: Chris Robertsen

Description : Who doesn't love to shop? If you're an avid shopper, you need to know about the latest trend in online shopping - sponsored shopping through online shopping portals. Sponsored shopping portals evolved from "special deals" from corporations such as credit card companies. They offer special prices and sometimes special products that are only available to members of the sponsoring organization. Sound intriguing? Here's more information.

Special Shopping Deals for Members

If you belong to the nation's largest auto club or organization for those over 50, you're already familiar with membership perks like special travel deals on cruises and vacations. Those organizations have set up special relationships with various merchants to provide discounts and special services to their members, and you reap the benefits of belonging. Now you can get the same kind of deals when you start your online shopping from the websites of many different businesses and organizations.

Can you get good bargains or great bargains? It depends on what the organization has worked out with the shopping portal company. Shopping rewards can vary, from discounts on your purchases, to charitable contributions, to even more imaginative rewards.

Charter Cable, for example, gives members access to the "Charter Shopping Mall," an online portal with more than 700 stores and merchants. Their reward? Dollars off on your monthly cable bill. Depending on the merchant, you can get anywhere from 3 percent to 10 percent of your purchase amount deducted from your cable bill. That's a sweet reward.

Many popular charities and business websites provide access to similar shopping portals. Charity shopping arrangements might include donations as well as discounts on the products you purchase. The variety of merchandise and services available through online shopping portals is beyond imagination. You can get bargains on health and beauty aids, products to help you improve your nutrition, vacations, cruises and travel packages, jewelry and more.

There are other benefits - besides discounts - to using shopping portals. They've been compared to brick and mortar shopping malls, but they offer so much more. Imagine shopping at a mall with more than 700 stores, including your favorite outlets for your favorite name brands and the biggest names in retail shopping - not just under one roof, but accessible without ever leaving your seat.

What makes shopping a breeze is that most online shopping portals provide an excellent search engine. With the help of the search engine, you can easily find exactly what you want without sifting through dozens of web pages and websites. Just type in the name or description of the product you want and you'll get a listing - often with photos, descriptions and prices - of all the products that fit your description. Click on the listing with the lowest price or the best deal and you'll be whisked away to that website to make your purchase. In the process, you'll score discounts or rebates on the money you spend.

If you enjoy online shopping and want to save money on everything from travel to baby wipes, check out a website that offers access to one of these online shopping portals. You'll wonder why you ever bothered to shop any other way.

Article Source : http://www.look4articles.com/

Author Resource : Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the world's MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.

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