The world around us

Top name brands such as Netflix, QVC.com and Amazon.com have the most satisfied customers according to a survey by ForeSee Results Top 100 Online Retail Satisfaction Index. The survey was based on consumers who visited the top 100 websites based on revenue. Netflix and QVC.com received satisfaction scores of 85/100, while Amazon.com received 83, Barnes & Noble’s online site BN.com received 82, DrsFosterSmith.com received 81 and LLBean.com received 79. The report is available at ForeSee’s site for free.

As a frequent traveler, I realize the importance of accessing my passwords and bookmarks from my computer. While I usually travel with my laptop, if I am not with it, I find it easy to log on to Spyshakers and access my personal files there without worry about security. The best part of this product is that Spyshaker is simple to use and that it does not intrude unnecessarily.

Using a public computer can be quite dangerous, as if it has a keylogger or a screen capturing service, your passwords are compromised. The Spyshaker system prevents this from happening once you log in from its system and encrypts all data with a unique user key, that is unknown even to administrators. If you want to learn more about how the system works, watch a demo movie.

Sam’s Club is trying out a third party service who will assist Wal-Mart customers with their HDTV instalations, as the company has been facing a high number of returns of this item. In fact, high number of returns has been a problem at Costco Wholesale as well. Most customers have a problem hanging the TV sets on their walls and others want to return them when they realize they have to purchase a high-definition feed from a local cable or satellite company.

Bangalore’s Commissariat Road, which has a daily gross of Rs. 45 million, is the country’s hottest new retail spot. While retail space is very limited here, nearby Vittal Mallya Road is also a good bet for retail. This one street in Bangalore has seen higher sales than any other place in the country, significantly higher than NCRs Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road with Rs. 36 million and Bombay’s Malad Link Road at Rs. 29 million.

Something I love about the internet is that it lets me keep in touch with people across the world. I don’t mean just communicating via email, but rather the option of being able to send a gift or flowers to someone across the world, just from my computer. We have friends and family living all over the world and at special occasions, there is nothing better than sending a nice bunch of flowers, which is all taken care of over the Internet. Online florists such as Dot Flowers are probably my favorite type of online merchants, as they have made life so much easier for me.

Whole Foods is opening in London on June 6th and is putting the final touches the the stores. This will be the Whole Food’s first overseas store and is a highly anticipated event. The new store will provide its endless variety of health and natural foods, but also a lot more, such as a Whole Body department, where customers will be able to book facials and other body treatments. The store is to be very interactive, so customers get involved in the process of creating their own versions of products, at departments such as the muesli bar, where it will be possible to mix grains and dried fruit for your own version of breakfast cereal. There will be a Q Bar or a knowledge bar, where customers can go to get answers for any kind of question.

I love reading quotes by Sir Winston Churchill, he was one of the wittiest person’s ever, always with a handy riposte! Here are a few of his famous quotes. Interestingly, the first quote is my school motto. It’s something that we lived with and took to heart since we were 8 years old.

Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never. Never — in anything great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.
-Sir Winston Churchill

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
-Sir Winston Churchill, Premier’s review of the War

A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.
-Sir Winston Churchill

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
-Sir Winston Churchill

Trading stock options is pretty tough unless you have been specifically trained for it and worked with experienced traders. But there is a tool available that makes it possible to learn how to do it all online. PowerOptions is an options trading software that has made it possible to get all the information you need to know about investing in stock options, from their set of educational materials and their SmartSearch technology. With this technology, it is possible to find the best stocks, compare and analyze them, so that you can make some profitable investments. There is a 14-day free trial, so you can test the system out before making a longer commitment.

Tesco is interested in re-creating the community feeling it has in its physical stores, for its online store as well. The company is been looking into using next-generation internet technology, including aspects of social networking, interactive feedback and including of content generated by users, as part of its site. Instead of just selling things, Tesco wants to create a community feeling with notice boards listing community initiatives etc.

The company has already introduced Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, an interactive map system that customers can use it to find the store. The site will be one of the first UK companies to use Microsoft Windows Server 2008, which will ensure that its site loads quickly and is completely secure.

Circuit City is working hard at creating itself again. The company has faced some very harsh times in the past few months and is working on it turnaround, by cutting down on management, increasing growth at stores to better compete with competition and rapidly falling prices for some items. The company has not fared as well as its rival Best Buy, which customers have prefered and Wal-Mart’s low prices, which are hard for any other retailer to beat.