I've always thought that it would be easy shopping for Mum. I guess I was thinking that being her child, I would know what she wanted. 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 coffee, baby figurines, non-stick cookware, denim pants, crotcheting, and foot massages (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 mall, go to her favorite store, and buy her a gift. Whenever I don't feel like going out, I can always fire up my computer 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 shop to shop with a glazed look in my eyes, trying to sort out the overabundant items and ideas that scream at me from the shelves and brightly-lit displays at the local shopping mall. I've spent the past four hours going from place to place, and still no gift. The Christmas lights are starting to hurt my eyes, my feet are hurting from all the walking, 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. I've shopped on the Web several times already, so I know what to do. This was going to be a no-brainer for me. 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. Items must be properly arranged in specific categories to allow quicker searching, 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 launched my own gift shop on the Internet shortly after realizing that I could attract more customers by building 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 baskets for any occasion.