Do you remember thinking, "There's no way I'll ever make an online purchase; I just don't think it's secure"? So did I. And yet, today, although I'm cautious, I buy clothes or shoes online every couple of months. According to a report released today by Shop.org mentioned in this New York Times article, more consumers are feeling safer with online shopping. The report found that for the first time since online retailing has been in existence, clothing sales have overtaken computer hardware and software sales. Last year, sales for items like skirts, suits and shoes reached $18.3 billion, compared to revenue for PCs, printers and word-processing programs of $17.2 billion. "If you're looking for a sign that online retailing has really gone mainstream, I don't think you can find a better one than this," said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org.

So what's the biggest appeal of online shopping? Liberal return policies and better tools allowing you to zoom in and rotate the product have certainly helped the industry. But nothing compares to actually feeling and trying on clothes, as evidenced by the fact that return rates for clothes purchased online are about twice as high as any other products purchased on the internet.

You've heard about it for the past few months, but today, Monday, May 14, the new price of stamps officially took effect. First-Class letters, for example, will increase from 39 cents to 41 cents. USPS is also introducing a new pricing system based on the shape of your mail. For ideas on how to make the new shape-based pricing system work for you and your business, check out this article.