The study surveyed US online adults, who have used or heard of Alternative Payments.  The results are:

eBillme: #1 in Customer Service with 77% customers satisfied

PayPal: 76%

Google Checkout: 75%

Bill Me Later: 73%

eCheck: 59%

We would like to thank our customers for this honor and we truly  appreciate your business. Be sure to contact eBillme Customer Service via phone, email, or live chat, anytime you have questions about eBillme, our merchant offers, and more.

eBillme customers know that checking out using eBillme has never been easier or safer. Use eBillme next time you are shopping online and take advantage of these great benefits:  free 1% cash back rewards program, best price guarantee, and hundreds of exclusive discounts and deals.

When you walk up to the counter in a store you have a variety of payment choices, be it the traditional credit cards, store branded credit cards, cash, debit, etc… and as the data is telling us, people are most comfortable with cash. Offering a variety of methods means giving customers comfort when it comes to the thing that matters most, their money.

Yesterday we saw an example of that with Apple and the iPad, the scenario was fairly straight forward, customer takes $600 to a store to buy an iPad, she is rejected, and the news is all over it.

When it comes to online shopping the payment mix is quite different. The majority of payments are credit or credit alternatives. Customers are clearly not shopping with their prefered payment methods.

Are some customers not buying online because you only offer credit?

The Answer is yes, and the amount was estimated by Javelin Research to be a staggering 21.1 Billion in 2008 alone!

Will giving people choice at the checkout get you a new customer?

The answer is yes. If you offer a secure cash payment option such as eBillme and allow consumers to pay with money they have without disclosing personal financial information, be it using online banking or walk-in (Similar to the iPad scenario) you are going to gain sales, and new loyal customers.

Do you agree that offering a secure cash payment method at the checkout will help you increase sales?

Some of the responses were pretty predictable. According to the eBillme Online Spending Index, 50% of Total respondents said ‘Yes’ when asked if they would divert more of their budget towards ‘Dining out’, and 51% of Total respondents said ‘Travel ‘. When it comes to entertainment, these are two common areas in the economy that experience predictable and healthy growth in times of wealth.

While many people have been spending more time at home in hopes of saving a few dollars, if the economy improves 29% of Total respondents said they plan on spending more money on ‘Concert or movie tickets’ and 13% say they’ll be ‘Going out to bars or clubs’. –but just because people plan to spend more time away from home doesn’t mean that people give up on home entertainment completely.

Economic recovery promises a rise in spending across the board, and in every sector. It’s important for e-tailers to note that despite the diversion of funds into entertainment that take people away from the house, consumers won’t stop shopping online for forms of entertainment for the home.

A substantial amount of consumers will remain interested in spending a majority of their evenings in even though the economy is on the upswing: 24% of Total respondents said ‘Yes’ when asked if they would be spending more money on ‘New music or movies (i.e. iTunes, DVDs, Blu-ray )’, and 18% of Total respondents said ‘Toys, hobbies, video games ‘.

Despite the fact that traditional areas are destined to see financial increases as the economy increases, so too will the popular areas of entertainment that grew during the recession! Prepare to see an overall growth, and not one restricted to any particular area. Everybody wins!

Stay tuned for the second installation of my blog, where we’ll look at how our spending habits will change with regards to our spending choices on personal grooming and beauty products.

It looks as though more people than ever are turning to the internet as a resource for deals on Mother’s Day gifts. According to the eBillme Online Spending Index, 25% of Total respondents polled said ‘Yes’ when asked ‘I will shop online for a gift this Mother’s Day. It begs the question: what else is motivating people to shop online other than the promise of deals on Mothers Day gifts?

The possibility of finding a better deal than in a traditional “brick and mortar” store motivates most online shoppers. However the internet also serves as a great resource for those looking to buy unique gifts for mom this year and there are numbers to support that! In the same survey as above, 56% of Total respondents said ‘Yes’ when asked ‘I am looking for something other than chocolates or flowers as a gift this Mother’s Day. ‘

So that’s the way things are shaping up this Mother’s Day 2010! Forecast says that people are looking to the internet to find unique Mother’s Day gifts and better deals on Mother’s Day gifts than at traditional stores. Stay tuned for more interesting information about people’s spending habits this year!

Luckily, businesses can attract those numbers to their stores by offering the right payment options. Payment options that assure safety on every transaction can make this demographic feel more comfortable making purchases online, find out more about how your business can take advantage of the web’s most secure method of shop with cash online!

This year, consumers told us that:

• 25 percent plan to shop online for gifts for Mom.
• 21 percent plan to shop online for gifts for Dad.
• 57 percent want to purchase something other than flowers or chocolates for Mother’s Day this year.
• 15 percent plan to spend more on gifts for Mother’s Day this year versus last year.
• 10 percent plan to spend more on gifts for Father’s Day this year versus last year.

Interesting to note that consumers are looking beyond the traditional chocolates and flowers and online merchants have a great opportunity to merchandise for these events and capture sales. We have listed some mothers day gift ideas on our Debt Free Mall if you are not sure what to get.

What are some gift ideas for mothers day?

The good news is that according to the Q2 Index data, overall consumer spending online over the next 90 days is projected to increase 7% over Q1 to an average of $252.

The quarter has two main shopping events, Mothers Day, and Fathers Day. We also asked people about their shopping plans both offline and online for these two events and the signs are also positive for online retailers.

Are you planning on shopping online in the next 90 days? What will you be buying?

“In the future, we no longer will be offering credit cards to approximately 15% of the customers to whom we currently offer them.
This is mostly because we deem them too risky in light of new regulations restricting our ability to make adjustments over time as the client’s risk profile changes.”

Banks have been under pressure more recently given the new credit card law that went into effect Feb 2010. As the adjustments to this law come into effect, and as new rules come into place, more consumer will be effected with higher fees, reduced services, even the total loss of credit. I have in the past commented that this will heavily impact eCommerce merchants in a previous post. Today however I want to understand what consumers think of this. What if you lost access to credit, what if you are one of the millions of banking customers who make the 15% Chase CEO is talking about.

Are you ready to live credit card free? How will that impact your ability to shop online?

· Online: Card numbers can easily get “hijacked” and debit cards are more risky to use because they’re linked directly to your account.

· Buying “Big Ticket” Items: A credit card offers more protection, and in many cases will offer an extended warrantee with your purchase.

· Anywhere requiring a deposit: Pay with a credit card, and the store gets its deposit while you retain access to your money.

· Restaurants: Many restaurants approve the card for more with the intent that you’ll leave a tip. The amount frozen for this transaction could be more than your original tab!

· Recurring Payments: If you forget to deduct that automatic withdrawal one month, you could bounce an important check.

These are just some of the tips that they offer to keep you safe when using your debit card. Like they mention in their tips, sometimes an alternative payment option offers much more security when paying online. eBillme offers platinum buyer protection that covers the customer just in case, and furthermore you don’t have to supply any of your personal information to pay cash online. Visit us at www.ebillme.com to find out more about how eBillme works and discover debt free living.

Since we received so many great ideas, we decided to feature another set. Here are 5 more ways some of you are finding success limiting debt.

“Shop at Aldi or some other generic brand grocery store. HUGE money savings!”
-Rich K

“Grow a garden, no matter what size of space is available to you.
-Dmann

“I shop garage sales. Often you can find brand new clothes with the tags still on them for next to nothing.”
-De

“Never go grocery shopping with an empty stomach. When shopping ask yourself if a purchase is a need or a want. Always use a list and stick to it.”
- Diane B.

“In previous years, one of the largest sources of spending for me was clothing, until I recently discovered a “gold mine”. There has been a stigma associated with thrift stores (i.e. Goodwill, Salvation Army, ect…) but I will tell you, that has been my biggest savior. My 3 kids are all outgrowing their clothes and I just spent $38 for probably $400 worth of clothes. They are all brand name and in EXCELLENT condition. One thing that most people probably don’t know is that a lot of local retail stores donate their unsold merchandise to these charities. I have purchased multiple items of clothing that were brand new for pennies on the dollar. (Oh, and the thrift stores won’t ask you if you want to open a credit card with this purchase! )”
-Shanna B

There you have it… a total of 10 great ideas for saving money and limiting debt!
Checkout the other money management tips from eBillme–and if you have any additional tips of your own to add to this list, leave us a comment and share!

* Another great way to save money: Enter our free contest giveaway every Wednesday and Thursday, for a chance to win great prizes from eBillme and our retailers.