Detroit Internet Company Gears Up for the Holidays; Offers Tips For Saving on Holiday Purchases

Oct. 5, 2007 - PRLog -- Detroit, Michigan.  According to a forecast by Advertising.com, 84% of consumers will make purchases on the Internet this holiday season. This ties in with comScore Network's figures for last year.  In the fourth quarter of 2006, online holiday expenditures, excluding those related to travel, amounted to 24.6 million dollars.  
Most of us will buy at least one item on the Internet between now and December 31st.  Many of us, however, may not know how to locate the web’s best deals and discounts. To that end, Bloomfield Hills entrepreneur, Gina Bassman, is on a mission to help consumers save on holiday purchases.  
“I love working with Fortune 500 companies and quality boutiques to bring customers savings online,” says Bassman, founder and CEO of Gonicofish.com.
Bassman’s company is a free resource for online consumers.  Visitors to the site can quickly spot the best item for the best price from among the offerings of over 1,000 carefully selected merchants.  Shoppers can browse by merchant, by item, or by selecting one of twenty-five product categories.  
Bassman,  formerly a financial executive for the Detroit Lions and Ford Field, let the corporate world in order to spend more flexible time with her family.  While shopping online herself, she realized that many shopping sites confused customers with long, unorganized lists of deals and outdated discounts.  She realized that consumers needed a more workable option.
Bassman taught herself web design and construction.  She created her own, innovative web layout to help customers find just the right item at the right price.  Her aim was to make Internet shopping easy, fun, and family-friendly.
In keeping with that spirit, Gonicofish.com offers the following tips for online holiday shopping:

1)   First, determine your overall holiday budget.  Estimate how much you want to spend for gifts, travel, decorations, cards, and entertaining.  Scale your estimations to your financial situation.  Even if you have only a little money to spend, you can make it go a long way by shopping wisely.
2)   Make a list of all persons to whom you want to give a present.  Using your overall budget as a guide, jot down a dollar amount by each person’s name.  Also, write down one or two gift ideas as well. If you need inspiration, visit a site like Gonicofish.com for gift ideas.    
3)   Once you have a plan in hand, start shopping!  Visit shopping sites, such as Gonicofish.com, to compare prices, take advantage of current discounts, and do product research..  Starting early offers several advantages: a) You can shop at your leisure, without the pressure that comes from waiting until the last minute.  This allows you to think about your purchases and to make well-considered choices; b) You will be able to purchase the season’s hottest items, particularly toys and games, before supplies run low and merchants raise prices; c) You can take advantage of pre-season sales and discounts; e) You can work purchases into your budget, rather than accumulating a lot of expenses at the end of December; and f) Your purchases will have plenty of time to reach their destination before the holiday deadline.
4)   Don’t forget to use the Internet’s “buried treasure” – those elusive coupon codes that allow consumers to shave anywhere from the cost of shipping to huge percentages off of purchases.  There are a number of ways to locate coupon codes, but the easiest and most reliable method is to visit a central site, such as Gonicofish.com.  Look for a site that updates its information at least once a month.  Coupon codes have expiration dates.  However, they commonly show up in links and search engines and on web sites long after the coupon is no longer valid. You don’t want to waste time chasing down bargains that no longer apply.
5)   By now, most consumers are familiar with the rules of Internet safety, and most merchants design their sites with safety in mind. Still, it pays to be alert during the holiday season.  Shop only from businesses whose reputation you know or you can verify. Don’t give personal information over an unsecured web page. Check to make sure that a site has the secure site symbol and a written safety policy. Print a record of your transaction so that you will have something to refer to if questions should arise.  

It’s no wonder that Bassman has a heart for entrepreneurship and for helping consumers save money.  She is the fifth member of her family in three generations to found and run businesses within the Detroit area.   Her husband, Robert, owns his own CPA firm.

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Gonicofish.com was founded by Gina Bassman, a former financial executive for the Detroit Lions.  The company is a free resource that connects consumers with the best bargains from over 1,000, carefully selected merchants.  It's unique layout allows shoppers to quickly identify the best item for the best price.

Website: gonicofish.com