These days, more and more people are eschewing the hustle and bustle of the malls and the crowds in favor of doing their holiday shopping online. Online shopping is a convenient time-saver, but sometimes it can still be hard to know where to begin. For that, MSN Shopping brings you several guides to help you find just the right gifts for your friends and family this holiday season. Here are 5 tips to help you get started shopping online:
1. Get Shopping Advice: if you need tips, how-to's, ideas, or detailed information about a product, technology, or trend, you should check out the MSN Shopping Advice Guide. Complete with Consumer Reports, Expert Guides, Buyer Guides, and Editor Picks, you can not only learn about a product or technology, like Plasma TVs, but also find out which ones were rated the best by Consumer Reports. There are also tons of guides, picks, & lists, like the Most Unique Toys and Games, Classic 80's Toys Make a Comeback, the Office Survival Guide, or a guide to Holiday Wines.
2. Gift Ideas from the Today Show - a video guide: MSN and NBC got together to create a 9-episode, clickable Holiday Guide featuring episodes like Sports Gifts, Gadget Guru, and Procrastination Central (I should watch that one!). In every video, you can click on a green arrow to link to the product being discussed.
3. Alternative Gifts - Giving to Charity: the holiday season is a good time to think about giving to those less fortunate. Charitable donations make a great gifts for those people on your list who don't want or need "presents." The Alternative Gift Guide offers you the chance to find a worthy charity instead. Whether it's saving endangered species, saving the rainforest, or giving the gift of a goat through Heifer International, the Alternative Gift Guide can help you make a lasting difference.
4. Green Gifts: Feeling a little guilty over your materialistic urges? Then do the right thing and Shop Green at MSN. Here you can find items made from recycled materials, items made from sustainable materials, energy-saving solutions, or chemical-free solutions.