Buy the latest techy toys and tools online

(NC) – Even at the lowest ebb of the global recession, online shopping activity has increased.

Growth in North America was up 5 per cent in 2008, with a stronger 8 percent in 2009, much of it occurring during the holiday season in November and December. These numbers don’t measure up to the robust 20 percent year-to-year increases during pre-recession times, but their strength does indicate a deep-rooted appeal for shopping at home. In Canada, we spent $15.1 billion online in 2009 placing 95 million orders. Today, as many as 39 per cent of Canadians over 16 years use the Internet for shopping.

“The biggest benefits to shopping online during the holiday rush include avoiding huge crowds, finding great deals, discovering new gift ideas, and unearthing hard-to-get products,” says Steve Matyas, president of retail giant, Staples Canada. “So why not sit in the comfort of home and check off that shopping list on your own terms?”

The most popular items at this time of year, he said, are cameras, laptops, portable hard drives, calculators, as well as software and gaming. When in doubt: anything new in digital rules.

“Our web designers have also worked hard to make the online shopping experience more pleasant,” Matyas continued. “Once on the site at www.staples.ca, click on the Holiday Gift Centre & E-Mail Program banner where you can view the current deals and flyers, browse the product categories, or look up an item by catalogue number. This gift centre is a one-stop-shop to view, compare, and take advantage of the special promotions. For those who want to know the best tech deals as they occur, an e-mail program is set up to deliver this inside information directly to you.”

Each page, no matter where you navigate, is designed to display all shopping features, so each time you find an item, you can save it in your shopping cart, calculate the costs, or change your mind.

“Online shoppers particularly like the speedy next business day delivery, at no cost for purchases priced over $50. As importantly, you’re shopping with a very familiar and well established retail brand, so people are secure in the knowledge that they can return or exchange items with the exceptional customer service they’ve come to expect from us.”

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