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Savvy Retail Sites Draw Customers With Deals and Printable Coupons

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 July 2005, 03:00 CDT

This week: To attract more shoppers to a retail Web site, take a cue from some local businesses that offer deals.

Not everybody enjoys spending the day at the mall, so a little online reconnaissance may yield a sensible exit strategy with some savings in the bargain.

The Chapel Hills Mall Web site has a "Sales" section that directs customers to those among its 155 shops that are offering sales, coupons and promotions. Sign up for a free membership at the "Programs" page and you become eligible to win a $100 Mall Gift Card each month, while arranging to get savings offers and special promotions e-mailed to you at home.

Over at The Citadel mall site the "Sales" page will let you know which stores are offering discounts or giveaways, plus there is a "Visitor & Travel Info" section showing how to pick up a "Serious Shopping Coupon Book" the next time you are at the mall.

www.chapelhillsmall.com

www.shopthecitadel.com

Valpak.com bills itself as the "largest local savings site on the Web," which is to say it is a national organization that serves as a clearing house for local businesses to post their discount coupons.

On a recent day, the Colorado Springs page at the site had 103 area businesses participating, each with coupons that consumers can print for free. There are 10 categories to explore, with the biggest being dining (18) and home and gardening (16).

www.valpak.com/vpcol/home.do

It is possible to quibble with a Web site calling itself "Shop Local" when the information it offers is exclusively about national chain stores in our locale... but it is still a useful shopping tool. It gives you store specials at Target, Walgreens and 25 other area outposts, cross-referenced so you can browse by merchant or type of product.

www.shoplocal.com

A dozen local eateries are listed at restauranteur.com, offering a variety of incentives to get your business -- customarily a discounted entree, free appetizer, glass of wine or dessert.

www.restauranteur.com/co/cs/savings.htm

But deals offered on a Web site to attract customers have to be real.

The Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado site allows 24- hour access to reports on the reliability of more than 21,000 area businesses. Consumer Reports offers much free content of use to consumers at its subscription site and My 3 Cents serves as a leading source of real advice by consumers for consumers.

www.bbbsc.org

www.consumerreports.org

www.my3cents.com

Wells Fargo is celebrating its 10th anniversary on the Internet by sponsoring a sweepstakes in which it will give away $100,000 in prizes to customers who pay online, transfer funds or sign up for online statement delivery.

www.wellsfargo.com/10yearsweeps

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0126 or bainbird@gazette.com

Looking for a local business online?

The Gazette's Peak Links is an extensive Web directory of local companies' URLs. Find a business or submit your own. Go to ColoradoSprings.com and click on PeakLinks.

Source: Gazette, The; Colorado Springs, Colo.

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