ShopToEarth Fan of the Week: Gary Kaufman Walks the Talk

Success takes passion and Shop To Earn/Shop To Earth’s Fan of the Week, Gary Kaufman, has an abundance of it. A senior recruiting manager for a Fortune 200 retailer, the New Jersey native moved to Florida in 1999 where he lives with his wife and three girls who serve as his source of inspiration. His passion for helping people live healthier lives and reach their financial goals drives him to set up live overview events in his area, volunteer at Shortcut to Success seminars, participate in the Facebook fan page and promote ShopToEarn/ShopToEarth every chance he gets.

“I strongly believe in our mission of helping people become healthier and wealthier. I enjoy showing others all the ways Shop To Earn can be a solution to their problems and I seek opportunities to promote what we do. I walk the talk by shopping through my site more and more.”

Favorite Shop To Earth Items:

The Kaufman family loves to sample new products every month and have tried something from just about every category including candles, CDs and laundry care. Gary’s wife raves about the Avalon Organics CoQ10 Facial Cleansing Milk. Gary faves Clif Bars, Tigers Milk bars, ToGo brand tea and the Avalon Organics – Tea Tree Mint Treatment Shampoo.

Favorite Thing About Shop To Earn:

The system. Gary likes how ShopToEarn helps members reach their goals. He especially likes how Shop To Earn focuses on educating customers and that customers are not required to deviate from their normal shopping habits to take full advantage of the benefits.

Best Business Advice About Shop To Earn:

“Become the best inviter. Stay plugged in by getting on as many calls as possible. Get trained and follow the system. It works!”

Favorite Piece of Advice for New ShopToEarners:

“I can only tell them what I have been told which is to follow the system. I went about it all wrong at the beginning. I sent the mass emails. I put flyers out. I blasted it all over the place. The result? Almost nothing! The system works.”

Favorite Eco Tip:

“Just like with national brands, try out the green products and find those you like.

ShopToEarn “Takin’ Care of Business” with The Home Depot

One Step Closer to Becoming the Largest Shopping Portal on the Planet says Dan Swiniarski

“More Saving. More Doing.” is the latest motto of The Home Depot, and the home improvement giant has recognized ShopToEarn as one of its Top 20 Affiliate Partners of 2009.

“Shop To Earn has demonstrated itself as a true business partner and has continuously worked to strengthen the relationship with The Home Depot,” Joshua Inglis, Home Depot’s Interactive Marketing Manager stated in a letter to ShopToEarn President Dan Swinarski. “The dedication and open communication provided by Shop To Earn has resulted in outstanding performance throughout the year.”

ShopToEarn would like to extend both congratulations and gratitude to the ShopToEarn representatives who help achieve this prestigious award with one of the nation’s top retailers.

“This is just proof that we are one step closer to ShopToEarn’s goal of becoming the largest shopping portal on the planet,” says Swiniarski. “It’s clear where we are headed and look forward to the continued success of our partnership with The Home Depot and the rest of the ShopToEarn retailers ”

Share a Cookie, Feed a Family Benefits ShopToEarth Foundation

ShopToEarn Retail Partner Gimmee Jimmie Gives Green Dough

ShopToEarn/ShopToEarth and the Shop To Earth Foundation  (STEF) makes it easy for everyone to give from the bottom of their green heart. ShopToEarn retail partner Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies unites with the STEFoundation to donate $3.00 to $5.00 of each cookie box purchased  between now and November 17, 2009 to the STEF.

ShopToEarth Foundation will donate 100% of these funds to God's Little Acres, a South Florida non-profit offering recreational opportunities to special needs children, and providing Thanksgiving meals to families in need. This is a very special way to give green and feed some families in need for the holidays. 

In case you missed the moving moments of last year’s Next Step when ShopToEarth and their sale representatives made Thanksgiving possible for disabled children and their families via God’s Little Acres., this is a great  opportunity to join us in 2009.

Check out the story about God’s Little Acres and how ShopToEarn made such a difference in the lives of so many families.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6oTk2j_VvA.

The giving doesn’t stop there! Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies offers 10% cash back and if you buy now you can specify a holiday ship date. Order, save, ship, give.

ShopToEarn Social Media Happy Hour: It’s Vegas, baby!

All bets are on the next Social Media Happy Hour broadcasting live from Las Vegas where the industry’s leading Social Media and Internet Marketing conference, PubCon, is the backdrop. With the e-commerce powerhouse CEO of Zappos, Tony Heish, jumpstarting PubCon Vegas as the keynote speaker, ShopToEarn’s social media and executive team will also be center stage speaking, moderating and sharing knowledge with peers.

Join ShopToEarn on Tuesday, November 10 @ 9 pm EST as social media and Internet marketing experts Lisa Buyer and Joe Laratro report the very latest social media tips and strategies for playing your cards right and becoming a big winner through social media in the ShopToEarn business.

Lisa and Joe will cover the ins and outs of social networking sites like Twitter, while also sharing trending topics gleaned from one of the largest interactive marketing conferences in the world.

Also attending PubCon and joining the Social Media Happy Training is ShopToEarn President and CEO Dan Swiniarski, who will share his experiences as a CEO on Twitter and discuss ShopToEarn’s e-commerce, social media and business strategies.

So no matter your skill level or experience with social networking, this sinfully good Social Media Happy Hour is one you can’t afford to miss. 

Space is limited: Ante up and reserve your FREE Social Media Webinar seat now.

 

Twitter Follows

Twitter.com/lisabuyer

Twitter.com/jlaratro

Twitter.com/danswiniarski

Twitter.com/shoptoearn

http://twitter.com/shoptoearth

ShopToEarn Says ‘Tis the Season for Online Shopping - 52 Days 'til Christmas

Posted on 02 November 2009

Shoppers Get Deals, Save More with Free Shipping, Early Promos

Online shopping is going to remain a bright spot in retail this holiday season, according to the 2009 eHoliday Study by shop.org.

Over 80% of online retailers are expecting their sales to increase over last year’s total, and more than one-fourth of online shoppers plan to spend a larger portion of their holiday budget online this year.

“In a year where every penny counts, many people will start their holiday shopping online to find deals, search customer reviews to select products, and get gift ideas,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “The benefits of online shopping far outweigh the drawbacks, as far as most shoppers are concerned.”

Check out the entire article below for some interesting statistics and analysis on online retail during this Holiday Season.

Online Retailers to Emphasize Free Shipping, Social Media this Holiday Season
–Companies Try to Entice Shoppers with Earlier Promotions–

10/2009The economy is not only impacting shoppers, it’s affecting online retailers, too. According to results of Shop.org’s eHoliday Study, conducted by BIGresearch, shoppers will see changes in retail marketing and promotions this holiday season in response to economic uncertainty.

With an understanding that many of today’s shoppers use Facebook and Twitter regularly, and because these tools are more cost-effective than traditional advertising, 47.1 percent of retailers surveyed will be increasing their use of social media this holiday season. More than half of retailers said they have added or improved their Facebook page (60.3%) and Twitter pages (58.7%) this year, while two-thirds (65.6%) have added or enhanced blogs and RSS feeds. In addition, to provide consumers with an extra incentive to start shopping, one-third of retailers (34.3%) say they will offer holiday deals earlier this year.

As another sign of the times, free shipping offers will abound this holiday season. Four out of five online retailers (79.4%) will offer free shipping with conditions* at some point during the holiday season, while more than half (57.4%) also plan to offer free shipping without conditions. More than one-third (35.7%) said their budgets for free shipping are higher than last year, and nearly as many (30.0%) said free shipping offers will start earlier than a year ago.

“Retailers know that times are tough so they have created promotions and incentives to help Americans save money this holiday season,” said Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org. “From free shipping to Facebook, online retailers are combining new initiatives with tried-and-true tactics to make their companies stand out.”

Online retailers are also compensating for the economy by making operational changes to help them protect their profits. According to the survey, 41.4 percent of retailers have scaled back on inventory levels and 22.9 percent have hired fewer people in their stores.

While online growth is expected to slow this holiday season, it remains a bright spot in retail. According to the survey, 45.8 percent of online retailers expect their holiday sales to increase at least 15 percent over last year, while one-third (33.9%) expect sales to grow up to 14 percent. As a testament to the economy and the maturity of online retail, just one in five online retailers (20.3%) expects sales to be flat or decline.

In addition to a strong focus on sales and free shipping, many online retailers have revamped their websites this holiday season to make it easier for people to shop. According to the survey, many retailers have added or revamped their sites’ shopping cart (45.2%), search capabilities (44.3%), suggested items (42.9%), customer ratings and reviews (40.6%), and featured sale pages (37.1%).

Largely due to the convenience of the web, more than one-fourth of online shoppers (26.7%) said they plan to spend a larger portion of their holiday budget online this year. Reasons behind why people will spend more online range from the ability to shop at all hours of the day (41.9%) to shoppers feeling it is easier to compare prices (34.0%) to Americans’ insatiable appetite for free shipping (33.1%). Others said they will spend more online because it’s simply more convenient for them (32.4%), they don’t want to fight crowds in stores (24.9%) or because it’s easier to find items (16.7%).

The small percentage of people (5.7%) who plan to spend less of their holiday budget online said that they’ll pull back due to expensive shipping charges (22.8%), because they like to see or handle items before they buy (12.5%) or because they prefer a store experience (10.8%). A fraction of shoppers said they hesitated to shop online due to concerns about security (1.1%), credit card theft (0.6%), privacy (0.1%) or concerns about retailers tracking online activity (0.1%).

“In a year where every penny counts, many people will start their holiday shopping online to find deals, search customer reviews to select products, and get gift ideas,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “The benefits of online shopping far outweigh the drawbacks, as far as most shoppers are concerned.”

With online retailers diversifying payment options, customers have more ways than ever to pay for holiday gifts. According to the survey, two-thirds of shoppers (67.3%) will use a credit card for some online purchases this holiday season, though one-third will also use a debit card (35.6%) and PayPal (33.9%) for purchases. In addition, 11.5 percent of shoppers plan to use a gift card or gift certificate to pay for holiday items online this year.

About the Study
The eHoliday Study, now in its eighth year, provides an authoritative snapshot of the holiday activities of both large and small online retailers, many of which have been in business for at least ten years, and also includes the sentiments of online holiday shoppers. The Study, conducted by BIGresearch for Shop.org, surveyed 2,623 consumers from September 23 - October 6, 2009 and 70 online retailers from September 14 - October 6, 2009.

Is 50 the new 30? Skin Care Expert is Special Guest on Shopping Webinar - Wednesday

You can look your best, feel your best, and enjoy beautiful skin and optimal health every day of your life. Tune in this Wednesday, as ShopToEarth launches an exclusive new skin care line, Key Natural, live on tonight’s weekly Shopping Webinar.

In addition to money saving tips and tricks for shopping online, the Shopping Webinar will feature special guest and ShopToEarn consultant Tammy Claussen, who will describe how Key Natural will deliver powerful results to your skin and bring back that youthful radiance everyone is after.

Tammy has worked directly with Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a board certified clinical and research dermatologist, and CEO of NV Perricone MD, Ltd, a leading manufacturer and retailer of skin care products and supplements. She also built a successful network of over 5,000 people and generated $250,000 in sales revenue per month as National Vice President of Arbonne.

So make sure you are on the call this Wednesday, October 28, as Special Guest Tammy Claussen shares how you can live and look your best through Key Natural and enjoy beautiful skin and optimal health every day of your life.

Learn how to shop, save, your best and share your ShopToEarn-ShopToEarth website from our resident shopping experts. Space is limited! Reserve a seat now

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/883395067

ShopToEarn/ShopToEarth Dawn Connelly Wins Facebook Fan of the Week

Because it’s all about the attitude! ShopToEarn/ShopToEarth congratulates Dawn Connelly for having the right attitude and winning the Facebook Fan of the Week. After eight years as a trial lawyer, Dawn decided it was time to dance to the beat of her own drum. In fall of 2006, Dawn and her family moved to South Florida where she transitioned into real estate investing and joined ShopToEarth. On top of being mom to three beautiful kids, Dawn is a member of the ShopToEarth Advisory Board and heads up live national tour calls and weekly overviews for ShoptoEarn. In addition, she provides legal and marketing help to her husband in his paper shredding business, All Points Mobile Shredding.

So how does this busy mom manage to do it all and stay sane? Her unwavering positive and optimistic attitude.

“I believe that we bring about what we think about,” says Dawn. “A positive mindset is so important and I try to keep one every day.”

Favorite ShopToEarth Item: Emugenix Emu Eeze – Dawn’s husband Brian Connelly and his mother have found relief from back pain and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (respectively) using this all natural cream.

Favorite thing about Shop To Earn: The Mission and the People – Dawn loves being able to network with likeminded people who are striving for the same things she is: financial independence, freedom and a healthier life.

Favorite Piece of Advice for Other Shop To Earners: “Don’t give up. We all have down days so expect them. This is a 10 year plan.  The only way you can fail is if you quit.”

Favorite Shop To Earth Tip: Switch what you buy starting now. Instead of buying Tide, start buying Tru Green Laundry detergent. Swap Windex for Sun&Earth Glass Cleaner.

Favorite Eco Tip: “We can all make a difference.  Teach your children the importance of living green and preserving the Earth and you'll be making a huge contribution towards the future.”