By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Jerry's Auto Repair - Pullman, Wash.
www.jerrysautorepair.com
This site offers a fun, yet professional, design incorporating crisp graphics and a pleasing color scheme. Customers can schedule an appointment directly from the shop's Web site. An e-mail list allows customers to receive shop specials directly to their inbox. Customers can also view and update vehicle maintenance records. A thorough service menu and company information complete this site.
Web Wise
New Study Shows Internet Shoppers Misinformed
It's no surprise that online shopping has become increasingly popular in the past few years. E-commerce has become a fact of life for millions of people worldwide. Shopping online saves time and offers convenience. But not all online shoppers are treated equally.
A recent study conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania provides some interesting insight into the world of online commerce. The study, titled "Open to Exploitation," found 64 percent of adult Internet users believed incorrectly that it was illegal to charge different people different prices when shopping online. The reality is Internet merchants sometimes charge different prices to different customers for the same product.
Although the Internet empowers shoppers to compare prices and features of products, it also enables online businesses to unassumingly collect records about a customer's preferences and set prices accordingly. And legally, changing prices is fine, unless doing so discriminates against a consumer's race or gender, or violates antitrust or price-fixing laws.
The study also revealed first-time buyers at an online retailer could see higher prices than repeat customers. In addition, retailers may not offer discounts to consumers who buy the same brands without looking at alternative products on the same site.
The same scenario is true with online travel sites, according to the Annenberg survey. Sixty-eight percent of American adults who have used the Internet in the past month believe incorrectly that a site such as Expedia or Orbitz - that compares prices on different airlines - must include the lowest airline prices.
How do you know whether a Web site is using your information to adjust price? Check the company's privacy policy. Know that just because a site has a privacy policy does not mean that your information is not being disclosed. In actuality, a privacy policy most commonly explains how the site uses your information for commerce purposes.
Net Numbers
In a recent study, 87 percent of people strongly object to the practice of online stores charging people different prices for the same products.
Source: "Open to Exploration," June 2005
ASA Web Ways
Online Registration for CARS Available
Online registration for the Automotive Service Association's 2005 Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS) is now available on the CARS Web site (www.CARSonline.org). Register using a secure Web site and alleviate the hassle of filling out forms by hand and returning them by mail. In addition to online registration, the CARS Web site contains the latest information about this year's event, including a complete schedule, information about technical and management courses and the latest exhibitor list.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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