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I've always thought that it would be easy shopping for Mum. After all, I've known her for a long time, right? I've followed her around the house when I was a child; I've seen her preparing all sorts of meals, watching those soap operas on the TV, and generally fussing about the house. I know that she likes ice cream, baby figurines, non-stick cookware, khaki pants, needlepoint, and pedicures (but not in that order).

It's no big deal buying gifts for my mom whenever a special occasion comes around. I'll just pop into our local shopping mall, go to her favorite boutique, and buy her a gift. Whenever I don't feel like going out, I just log-on to the Internet and browse the online shops. Like I said; easy, right?

Well, it's definitely easy for the first, second, and even third Christmases. But nowadays I find myself wandering around from with a glazed look in my eyes, trying to sort out the overabundant items and ideas that scream at me from the rows of shelves and brightly-lit displays at the local shopping center. It's already three in the afternoon, and I haven't picked out a single thing. My eyes are starting to hurt from the Christmas lights, my feet are DEFINITELY sore, and I know that if I have to listen to that pesky 'Deck the Halls' song one more time, I'm going to deck the first Santa Claus I see.

Alright, it's still no big deal. I go home and log-in to my PC. Being Internet-savvy, I know there are a lot of online gift shops on the Web. 'Heh-heh, this is going to be easy', I think to myself. Why didn't I do this in the first place? I go to Google and type in the keywords. Big mistake. There are lots of results out there, and I mean LOTS. It's going to take forever to sort this one out. With nowhere else to go, I said a short prayer and dived right in.

I must tell you, the wealth of information on the Internet had me virtually gasping for air. There was a lot to digest and sift through. The next several websites were the same. It really was the equivalent of walking around a shopping centre, but this time my index finger was the one hurting as I point-and-clicked my way around the Web. This is not going to be easy. Shopping online was supposed to be painless and fast.

What online shoppers are looking for is the convenience and ease of use that good online stores are supposed to provide to their customers. They don't want to sift through layers and layers of categories just to find one item, and the prices and product description must be easily read. I once discovered a website where I had to read the product description in what seemed like fine print!

As for me, I set-up my own gift shop on the Internet shortly after realizing that I could attract more customers by creating the site based on what I learned from my own experiences as a shopper. Now I have no problem finding gifts for mom, and for everyone else, too.

About the author:

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of http://www.sarahgifts.com which provides great gifts for friends and family. Visit our website to find the perfect gift for any occasion.