Online shopping: a blessing and a curse?
Electronics Web site Etronics.com has launched a feature that pops up a "live chat" window after a consumer hesitates for more than a minute during checkout, says Mayer Balser, a founder and vice president of marketing.
An online operator of sorts asks if there's anything you need help with. "Sometimes someone with a shopping cart will try to leave the site," says Balser.
Online retailers have been working overtime to improve their Web sites in time for the holiday shopping season. While most of the upgrades should make shopping go more smoothly, some could encourage overspending, overly hasty purchases or simply overlooking things that should be red flags.
