online shopping

Amazon's holidays are off to a great start, but with its stock trading north of 100 times earnings, AMZN shares could be the one thing you don't want to buy from the online retailer. Instead, consider these companies that are riding on the coattails of the online shopping boom.

Retailers are finding ways to put a fresh spin on the classic limited-time sale this holiday season. Target's latest effort -- the Almost Last Minute Sale. From Dec. 8 to Dec. 11, it will offer discounts on items from its most popular gift categories in stores and online.

Millions of holiday shoppers aiming to avoid the crowds are headed online. But not all retailers do e-commerce with ease -- especially if you have questions and need help from a customer service representative. Which chains respond fast -- and which don't? We have the answers.

If you shop online, chances are you've left a few full shopping carts at the checkout altar. To combat that, some e-commerce sites are starting to follow up on those almost-sales with emails -- and offers of better deals.

That's what retailers anxious to lure holiday shoppers are hoping to find out with their latest innovation: Walmart, Kmart, Sears and eBay are all testing versions of the "real" online store.

Ah, Facebook: It's where you banter with "friends," share vacation photos and "like" everything from candy bars to political parties -- so why not shop there, too? Now, retailers are making it easier to do just that.

Step aside, old-fangled computers: Mobile computing has taken over. And although this shift has been coming for a while, it's not too late for investors to buy into the trend.

Walmart.com stores have opened in two California malls. They're tiny, but are stocking some hot items for the holiday season. It's a smart move for Walmart, but it begs the question: What were the mall landlords thinking?

From Nov. 1 until Christmas, Walmart says it will match prices with its rivals retroactively. Buy now, and if anyone advertises an identical product for a better price, go back to Walmart and claim a refund for the difference. But of course there's a catch -- more than one, in fact.

Shoppers looking for advice from their fellow consumers have a tough enough time sifting out the false reviews posted on legitimate product-review sites. But there's a worse problem out there online: "Nefarious" websites entirely devoted to promoting merchandise with fake reviews.