So Gazaro Insider, you’ve finally found It. That specific device, software, computer, camera, smartphone, MP3 player, console, accessory… whatever it is you were looking for. But it’s a bit out of your budget – so what do you do?

According to comScore, US ecommerce spending for the first quarter of 2011 reached $38 billion, representing 12% year-over-year growth from 2010. With gasoline prices and unemployment at record levels, price sensitive consumers continue to search for the best deals, sales, and coupons. As a result, growth in online retail spending is now double that of offline retail spending.

What Does This Mean For You?

Prices online are always changing and it’s tough to know when it’s the best time to buy to save money. Have you ever noticed a $500 camera going for $300 one week and $700 the next? And that can be from just 1 store. What happens when you compare across 10 stores? 20? 50? It takes a lot of time to keep your eye on all those different stores and prices. It’s easy to lose track of who has the best deal, and there’s no guarantee that the deal will still be there waiting for you after you finish comparing.

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Do the recent Playstation Network complications leave Microsoft and Nintendo at an advantage?

Although the recent chain of hacks and security issues have left Sony $171 million USD short, the company states that it estimates to be back in the range of profitability before the end of next year. Shareholders seem to have the same beliefs- Sony stock value has risen 2.5% since their apology over the security issues.

In the end, however, what really matters is what the customers think. It’s up to you to decide: does Sony deserve another chance, or would this server downtime and personal information scare push you towards PlayStation’s top competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox or the Nintendo Wii? We might just be able to help you make that decision…

PlayStation 3. So you know about the recent Playstation Network hacks, and, if you have no knowledge of the PlayStation prior to reading this article, you’re probably wondering why anyone would want a PlayStation 3 in the first place. Rest assured, there’s good reason. Released just 8 days before the ever-popular Nintendo Wii on November 11th of 2006, The PlayStation 3 takes pride in not only being a gaming console, but a home media unit all in all. With a built-in Blu-ray player, live chat, picture & music storage & playback, and tons of games to choose from, your PlayStation 3 is sure to get daily use. Albeit the recent PSN problems may leave its users in doubt, Sony truly is dedicated to bringing the best 1-stop media console possible to its users. A great advantage of the PlayStation 3 is that the Playstation Network is completely free.

Xbox 360. From the company that brings us Windows, the Operating System on which you’re most likely reading this article, comes the ever-improving Xbox 360.  Released in November of 2005, this system has been out almost a year longer than its competing consoles. Although apart from the lower price of the Xbox 360, differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360 may seem miniscule. It’s been said, however, that the devil is in the detail. The Xbox 360 offers users access to Live Chat even when not playing a game, although Xbox Live requires a paid subscription (unlike PSN, which is free).

Nintendo Wii. Sitting pretty in the console market next to the gaming bad boys, the Nintendo Wii swept in seemingly out of thin air in November of 2006. Amazingly, this tiny white system, even now in 2011, is the best-selling console on the market, easily beating out the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. I’m sure that anyone who bought (or tried to buy) a Wii for that Christmas in 2006 will always remember just how impossible such a purchase was- the console was literally sold out before it hit store shelves. But what are the greatest contributing factors to the Wii’s success? There are 2 obvious factors here: the Wii’s infinitesimal price, and its unique appeal.

Before 2006, the gaming world had never seen such flawless controls using actual human movement.  Enter Wii. This console offers something that most consoles still don’t offer today: fun for the whole family. Games for the Wii are typically far more family friendly and interactive than games for other TV connecting consoles offered today. However, with the PlayStation Move and the Xbox’s Kinect, the Wii might be given a run for its money. Another important con for the Wii that all gamers should consider is its inadequate graphics.

One of the greatest differences between these 3 consoles is their games, which, in the end, are what the consoles are built for. Although some games are available on all 3, the consoles are probably most widely recognized for their exclusive games. Here are some of the most popular games for each console:

PlayStation 3 (over 315 million games sold to date): LittleBigPlanet, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 & Black Ops, Gran Turismo 5, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction & A Crack in Time.

Xbox 360 (over 353.8 million games sold to date): Halo 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 & Black Ops, Gears of War 1 & 2, Grand Theft Auto IV.

Wii (over 716.09 million games sold to date): Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit.

The hard-core gamers will probably always go head to head on which is the best console. Despite the many persuasions you may have been exposed to, the best console is definitely arguable.

We’d love to hear your comments on the issue- whether you’re a PlayStation diehard, an Xbox fan, a Wii owner, or even simply have an opinion. Will the recent PSN complications push you towards Xbox, or will you stick with the free PSN service over costly Xbox Live membership fees? Let us know- comment below, find us on Facebook or share with us on Twitter.

-Kaylie Benner

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Always remember that you can reach me by email, commenting on the blog, sending a tweet my way or finding us on facebook! I would love to hear which stores you think we’re missing on Gazaro, or about any great deals you’ve found lately! If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter – that way you can get all the important Gazaro updates right to your inbox.

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• And now introducing… Sears! Plus more Best Buy, and new features coming soon.

Also new and exciting this week is the addition of Directron to the list of Gazaro featured stores. Directron has low, warehouse/wholesale prices on electronics that they make available to the public, AND they stock over 20,000 items. One of my favorite things about their site is that they calculate shipping in real time using UPS rates, zip codes and product weight. No paying exorbitant  amounts of shipping for that USB Key you ordered. I did a test run and when I ordered a USB Key, the shipping was just over $4 to California, but when I ordered just a laptop, it was $14. Often shipping costs factor into purchase decisions just as much as the product price and now that Directron is on Gazaro, you’ll be able to find amazing deals, that you know you’ll be charged a fair shipping price for.

What are YOUR favorite brands in electronics? Do you buy exclusively from them? I’d love to hear what you have to say so drop me an email, comment below, or send a tweet or Facebook post my way. You can also get the latest Gazaro news and tips right in your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter (and if you do so right now you have a chance to win your choice of a Panasonic CamCorder, a Philips 22″ HDTV, or a Samsung 3D Blu-ray Player).

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At Gazaro we know that being able to organize the huge number of deals you find is of utmost importance to you and we want to make this as easy as possible! That’s why we added filtering options to the Gazaro page. Now you can filter your search results by DealScore, meaning that you can choose to see deals on electronics that are above or below a certain level. For example, if you’re looking for deals on HDTVs, you can filter your results to only show you deals that are Amazing, or Great, or Fair, or All.

Another VERY useful addition is the ability to filter by store! This is a fabulous tool as we all have stores we prefer to shop at online or stores that are closer in location to us. For example, now I can choose to see only the deals featured at Sears, which I know is only a couple of minutes drive from me, or I can choose to only see deals from Amazon, one of my favorite online retailers.

Also new this week to our search function is the ability to search by model number or UPC. I love this feature because it allows you to find that specific product you’re looking for, which saves a lot of time when it comes to electronics. No more searching through many results to find the ONE right product. Now, you can simply type in the unique UPC or model number into the Gazaro search and, VOILA, your product is there! If you check out the picture below you will see that we found this HP Laptop by searching for its model number. We know that saving time can be just as important as saving money and we strive to make our site easy for you to use!

Speaking of viewing deals at some great stores, this week’s we’re adding BUYDIG.COM to our list of featured retailers. BUYDIG has a large selection of all sorts of electronics and computers products including some interesting kitchen and outdoor living electronics.

As always, I would love to know what you think. Are there other features you’d like to see on our search? What other stores are you hoping to find on Gazaro soon? Go ahead and send me an e-mail, comment here, or find us on Facebook or Twitter. Also if you haven’t subscribed to our weekly news updates, do so now! And remember to always Protect yourself from Price Drops at Best Buy using Gazaro Protect!

From all of us at Gazaro, we hope you have a very Happy 2011!

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Still need to get some gifts?  To help you with your last minute shopping and gift needs, I’ve compiled a list that will show you the best deals at brick-and-mortar stores (since I know that with only 2 days to go, online shopping is out of the question). So click on these links and find the BEST deals at stores you have in your local area:

With all those great deals, you’re sure to find something for those last few people on your list, without breaking the bank.

Already bought all your gifts?  Well, if you bought any at Best Buy, be sure to make use of Gazaro Protect to get money back if the prices go down.

Gazaro Protect:

We first told you about Gazaro Protect a few weeks ago at the launch and it has received some great reviews!

“You e-mail the service your receipts (for online purchases) or paste a URL or scan a barcode with the Gazaro iPhone App (for in-store purchases), and if the price of the product goes down post-purchase during the guarantee period, you get an e-mail alert.”
- Rafe Needleman, CNET News

“It’s dead simple to use, too. Just search for what you bought, or enter the product’s UPC code and find out if it’s eligible for protection”
- Darrell Etherington, Gigaom

In case you didn’t know already, Gazaro Protect can save you money by automatically notifying you of price drops in the products you’ve purchased so that you can get a Price Adjustment. And best of all the service is available on the web, by email or on your iPhone, and it’s TOTALLY FREE!  For more info, check out the Protect Website or the other articles on Gazaro Protect.

To make your lives a little easier we decided to show you how the service works through videos. First up is an email service demo that shows you how to get protection for your products in under a minute:

Want to use the web?  Check out the Web Service Demo, which shows you how to get protection for either your online OR offline products directly on the web.

As you can see, Gazaro Protect is quick and easy to use, and since it’s totally free, you have no reason to not save yourself some money this Holiday Season! And remember, Gazaro Insiders can get the in-app upgrade FREE by using the coupon code FREEMONEY or forwarding the app to 3 friends.

From everyone at Gazaro, have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season, and best wishes for 2011!

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• TVs with the biggest dollar price drops
• Cameras with the biggest percentage price drops
• Best Deals on Headphones
• Best Deals on GPS
• Laptops with the biggest dollar price drops
• Video Games with biggest percentage price drops

Also this week, we’re announcing that we have shipping info on Gazaro!  You told us back in October that this was one of the most important features you want on a page and we listened. You can now see how much the shipping is going to cost you at the different retailers, right on the product page. No more clicking through, adding the product to your cart, and clicking check out to discover how much shipping costs. Now, you can evaluate the the total deal price right from the start. Check out the prices below on a Portable Hard Drive; even though Buy.com is the least expensive option, when you consider that Best Buy has a Free Shipping offer at the moment, it makes for a lower total price. And, then you can protect yourself against potential future price drops for free to boot – just register your product with Gazaro Protect!

Once again, we’re working hard at making Gazaro your one-stop-shop for all your electronics purchasing needs. All you need to bookmark for your electronics products is Gazaro!

It’s been a busy week, and we have one more new addition to the site:  Electronics Expo as a new store. They have a great selection on all sorts of electronics like cameras, home theatre systems, portable audio products and more! The more stores we add, the more deal-finding opportunities there are, and the less work it is for you to make sure you get the BEST deal out there.

How would you like to be able to sort your search results when you shop? Or what other stores or features would you like to see on Gazaro? As you wrap up your holiday shopping, let us know so that we can start the new year with the capabilities and features YOU would like to see! As always you can chat with me on the comments below, by email, or on Facebook and Twitter!

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Now on Gazaro you can also sort your search results by Relevance, which is great when you’re looking for a 8GB Red iPod Nano and would rather not see 60 iPod case results first. You can also sort by Price to help you find the lowest price options, or the best products under a certain price point. You can now even sort by the most Recent, meaning you’ll find products with the most recently updated information, or that have just been added to the site. So go ahead and try it out on Gazaro, and see how you can sort your search results to find EXACTLY the gift you need to check off the last person on your list.

Another exciting event at Gazaro this week is our feature as Kim Komando’s Cool Site of the Day! Here is just a tidbit of what Kim is saying about us:

“Today’s Cool Site, Gazaro, can help. It monitors prices from most major technology sellers. The products include computers, electronics and video games. And it tells you who has the best price on a product. But that’s not all. Each product as a DealScore. This tells you at a glance how good the deal is.”

Thanks for the recognition, Kim – we appreciate it!

And finally, we are pleased to add RadioShack to our ever-growing list of stores. So now, when you’re doing your last minute Holiday shopping, you have one less site you have to visit for your electronics gifts, which at this point in the Season counts for a lot. And the chances of finding a great deal for that hard-to-shop for person simply increases. Be sure to check out Gazaro for a great selection of deals on electronics gifts for all the people on your list. And since you can sort them however you prefer, you’ll save even more time and money!

Don’t forget if you bought something at Best Buy to use Gazaro Protect either on the web, by e-mail or on your iPhone, to make sure you lock in the best prices this Season. Trust us to keep track of the Best Buy prices for you and let you know when you become eligible for a Price Adjustment. Of course, if you haven’t already subscribed to our newsletter, you should go do that right now! That way you can get all the exciting news, updates, and more, right to your inbox. And definitely check us out on Facebook and Twitter! I’m always around if you’d like to chat about what other search options you’d like to see on Gazaro, what great deals you’ve found or anything at all for that matter!

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So last week we launched Gazaro Protect, our Price Drop Alert Service that saves you money by automatically notifying you when you become eligible for a price adjustment from Best Buy. Protect is accessible 3 easy ways, through the Protect Website, by email and through the  iPhone App (see images). All 3 of these services are totally free! You can also upgrade the iPhone app to the Pro Version by paying $1.99 or telling 3 friends, which allows you to track more than 1 product at once and unlocks the barcode scanner. However just for our Gazaro Insider readers, we have a special coupon! Enter the coupon code FREEMONEY in the app to get your Pro Version entirely free! We love saving you money. We also got some great coverage from CNET News, Lifehacker, Gigaom, AppScout and Minnov8! The articles are definitely worth reading so go check them out!

(Small note for all our Canadian friends:  we are deeply sorry, but Protect only works for Best Buy in the US at this time – not because we don’t want to support usage in Canada, but because things are not quite set up the same way for Best Buy in Canada as they are in the US.  We will support you as soon as we can – again, our apologies.)

Check out the video of the email service in action

To see the Webservice in action, go to our YouTube Channel.

New on our site this week is the addition of … User Reviews!  We really value user reviews, and we know how much you wanted them because it was one of the top 3 things you said you wanted to see according to our recent conversations with many of you. Now you’ll be able to get reviews of customers who have used the products you’re on Gazaro, so you know what the everyday user thinks about the products you’re deal hunting for. We really want to make your electronics shopping experience as easy as possible, and finding all the information you need in one easy location saves you time. Time and money are things that most people seem to need more of, so when you can save both by using Gazaro, I’d say that’s a pretty good deal!

Also new this week to the list of Gazaro featured stores is OneCall. OneCall has a great selection of home audio, home theatre, cameras and more. They have received great recognition for their excellent customer service from Amazon, CNET, Twice Magazine, BizRate and more. With a great selection and such great service, Gazaro is happy to add them to our list of retailers, as we know that this increases the chance of you finding a good deal, at a great store!

So now that you’ve had a chance to try out Protect, what do you think? Do you think you’re more likely to use it on the web, by email or on your iPhone? I would really like to know, so go ahead an send me an e-mail, comment below, drop me a tweet or facebook me!

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We just announced a new service today called Gazaro Protect^TM that gets money back for Best Buy shoppers after they buy! Gazaro Protect does this by automatically notifying you of price drops on the Best Buy products you’ve purchased, so you can claim the refund.  Want to buy a big gift but you’re afraid the price will come down?  With Gazaro Protect, you can buy with peace of mind, knowing you will get last minute prices, without the last minute crowds!

Our data shows us that from a starting point of Nov 20th, 2009, many major consumer electronics retailers dropped prices on 5% to 63% of their products by Dec 25th (see graph below)!  You might recall, from one of our earlier posts, that the average prices on bigger ticket purchases such as flat screen TVs and digital cameras during the 2009 Holiday Season were lowest in the week before Dec 25th, even lower than it was on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

So, what is the intrepid shopper, who wants the lowest prices, to do?  Lowest prices aside, there are a number of reasons why you might not want to wait until the last minute to shop:

• Last minute shopping crowds
• Possibility that the item you want will no longer be in stock
• If shopping online, likelihood that the item will not be delivered in time

That’s where Gazaro Protect comes in. Go ahead, buy what you want at Best Buy, and register your purchases with Gazaro, and then relax.  We’ll monitor the prices for you, and notify you when there has been a price drop.  Take that information to your local Best Buy store, claim your price adjustment, and hey, maybe apply it to buying something else that you wanted!  What could be better than getting the gift you wanted in the first place, avoiding the crowds, and then getting another gift with the money you saved?

Gazaro Protect is accessible in 3 easy ways: Website, E-mail, and Mobile.

E-mail: Just forward your Best Buy email receipt to protect@gazaro.com.  We’ll automatically register all the products that are eligible for protection, and send you a confirmation e-mail.  It’s that easy.  You’ll automatically get notified should any of the products drop in price, and you become eligible to get money back AFTER you’ve already paid.

Website:  Simply go to the Gazaro Protect Site (www.gazaro.com/protect) and copy and paste the Product Page URL or SKU of any Best Buy product, into the text box on the Protect Site.  Click on the Protect button and a description of your product should come up. You’ll be able to see if the product is eligible for protection (signified by a green image on the right), the product name and picture, how you bought your product (online or in store), the purchase price, the date you bought your product or received your online order and optionally you can include your order number (check it out below). Now just hit Protect and you will be prompted to fill in your e-mail address to receive automatic notifications of price drops on your products, straight to your inbox. That’s it!

Mobile: The free iPhone App enables you to enter the product’s UPC, or scan the product’s bar code (in-app upgrade). Gazaro registers the product and automatically tracks the price drops against Best Buy’s Price Adjustment policy. If the price drops, we’ll let you know, and you can claim your price adjustment!

Price Drop Notification E-mails: The Notification e-mails will include all of the information you need to claim your Price Adjustment, in one place:  the product info, the price you paid, the new lower price, your order number if you included it, and Best Buy’s contact information.

Gazaro is initially launching Protect for Best Buy, with plans to add more stores in the future. The Gazaro Protect iPhone app is available for free now at the App Store, and an Android app is also in the works for the future.

According to our October 2010 survey, 94% of our customers said they would claim a price refund over $10, and 56% said they would claim a Price Adjustment Refund on any amount (see chart below).

We are very excited about Gazaro Protect.  There are a lot of services out there that help shoppers save money before they buy (Gazaro included), but Gazaro’s patent-pending Protect is the first web service and mobile app that gets shoppers money back after they buy.  In our view, Gazaro Protect is not only a win for shoppers, but also for retailers, as it allows shoppers to buy with peace of mind, and encourages customer loyalty.

What you think of Protect? What products do you want to use Protect on this season? Let us know by sending me an e-mail, finding us on Facebook or Twitter, or commenting below.  If you haven’t already, subscribe to our newsletter to get all these great updates right to your inbox.

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