Buying books and electronics on the Internet? Definitely. Clothes? Maybe. But would you go online to buy everyday household supplies such as shampoo, diapers, aspirin, trash bags, toothpaste and paper towels?
More people are, and more online businesses are catering to them. Amazon.com in Nove
mber spent a half-billion dollars to buy the company that operates Soap.com and Diapers.com. Meanwhile, household-staples retailer Alice.com has quickly developed a following, and 11-year-old Drugstore.com continues to flourish, boosting sales 20 percent a year in recent years, according to official
s at those companies.
But online sales of household basics is still a new concept.
“This category has been a real laggard coming online,” said Mark McGuire, co-founder of Alice.com. Only now have online retailers been able to lower product prices and shipping costs enough to compete with traditional stores, he said.
While buying everyday basics online and having them shipped to your doorstep is a growing trend, the question is whether it’s right for you. Here’s what you need to know:
Product prices. Considering shipping is cheap or free at many of these online retailers, product prices are lower than you might guess.
“We generally try to be competitive with others online, in line with stores like Target and CVS, and we might be a little bit above Costco or other superstores,” said David Zhang, director of marketing at Soap.com.
Alice.com, named for the maid on the “Brady Bunch” TV show, generally shines in product prices, in part because it’s an umbrella storefront for many manufacturers to sell directly to consumers. That cuts out the middleman’s mark-up. Alice.com has a price-comparison tab for each product, displaying prices of competitors, even when theirs is lower.
Shipping costs. Online retailers know consumers hate paying for shipping, so most offer ways to get free or low-cost shipping. Soap.com is notable because it offers overnight shipping to two-thirds of the country for consumers who spend at least $25 and two-day delivery for most everybody else. Alice.com has a minimum purchase of six items to get free shipping, regardless of dollar value. Drugstore.com has a $25 minimum for free shipping, but not all items qualify. Other items, such as vitamins, get free shipping without a minimum purchase amount, said David Lonczak, chief marketing officer for Drugstore.com. Procter & Gamble’s site at pgestore.com has a flat $5 shipping charge.
Coupons. Most sites are working to offer electronic coupons. Soap.com will accept clipped paper coupons from manufacturers. You send them in after your order, and the dollar amount is applied to your account to be used on your next order.
Alice.com automatically applies coupons to your order, some that duplicate newspaper coupons and others that are unique to the site or the customer, based on buying history or demographic information, McGuire said. Drugstore.com has a loyalty program that will automatically credit your account with 5 percent back on eligible products. You rack up Drugstore.com dollars during a quarter and then have one month to use them.
Nonmonetary reasons. When it comes to personal-care items, certain purchases might induce embarrassment or anxiety. So some consumers might enjoy the benefit of receiving adult diapers, condoms, laxatives, Rogaine and wart-remover at their doorstep in a nondescript box. Another reason: Some elderly and disabled consumers can’t walk or drive to a store and might need home delivery. Another side benefit of shopping online is that many sites have product reviews. They might help you make better buying decisions than staring at products on a store shelf, wondering which is best.
Bottomline. If you’re an expert supermarket shopper with the time and inclination to regularly match coupons to store sales and stockpile bargains, you are unlikely to save money buying online.
“Bottom line for me: If people are willing to be brand-flexible, they’ll always be able to get bargains on basics like laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent, toothpaste and shampoo at their local grocery or drugstore,” said shopping expert Stephanie Nelson, founder of CouponMom.com.
But shopping online is worth a try if you aren’t a ninja shopper and your primary concern is convenience: shopping for household staples from your computer and having those items delivered to your door.
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