Shopping Tips

Conshohocken, PA (PRWEB) January 10, 2012

As the Life Improvement Store, IKEA strives to improve life at home, for the many. With this in mind, on January 14th, the retailer will host a national in-store shopping event offering IKEA fans a day full of their favorite IKEA experiences to share with friends. IKEA knows that friends like to shop together – BYOF Day, which stands for Bring Your Own Friend Day, is designed to reward IKEA loyalists, and their friends, with perks, activities and giveaways.

Friends can visit the BYOF tab on the IKEA Facebook page to RSVP for the event. While there, they can print offers for a free blue bag, free breakfast, and buy-one-get-one lunch in-store on BYOF Day. Users also can chose their IKEA Shopping Team and invite their Facebook friends to join them with customizable invites. For each friend invited, IKEA will donate $ 1 to Save the Children, up to $ 50,000.

At IKEA, we are always looking for another way to improve the lives of our customers, says Marty Marston, Product Public Relations Manager, IKEA U.S. BYOF Day has been designed with feedback from IKEA fans in mind and is dedicated to those fans and their friends. Its full of the unique IKEA experiences shoppers have told us they want more of.

BYOF Day participants should look forward to the following in-store offerings:

????Food Specials: Friends love to bond over food. Offers for free breakfast, and buy-one-get-one lunch can be downloaded on the BYOF tab on the IKEA Facebook page. Dishes made with items from the Swedish Food Market will be sampled throughout the day, and recipe cards will be handed out so friends can re-create their favorites at home.
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????Life Improvement and Home Furnishings Seminars: Each store will host a Life Improvement or home furnishings seminar offering tools, inspiration and product suggestions to help people improve the way they live. Find out which seminar is being offered at your store on the BYOF tab on the IKEA Facebook page.

????Ask a Home Furnishings Expert: Those looking for design advice from the experts can bring their challenges in-store where specialists will be on-hand to offer customized solutions.

????Gift Card Giveaways: To reward loyal customers, each store will give away five mini shopping sprees of $ 200 each.

????Complimentary Massages: To relieve the stress of the everyday, complimentary chair massages will be offered by certified massage therapists from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB).

????Free Blue Bags: Who doesnt love the IKEA blue bag? Pick one up for free by printing out the offer on the BYOF tab on the IKEA Facebook page.

????Tons of Savings: So you and your friends can shop in style and save on new lower price products for your home.

To learn more about BYOF day offers and details specific to local stores, people can visit the BYOF tab on the IKEA Facebook page.

Beyond this one-day special event, IKEA shoppers can continue to get more out of each IKEA store visit by becoming an IKEA FAMILY member. Membership perks include special discounts, gift card giveaway entries with each purchase, free coffee and tea in the IKEA Restaurant and more. On BYOF Day, shoppers will have the opportunity to sign up for the ongoing rewards program.

Connect with us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/IKEAUSA) and follow us on Twitter (@DesignByIKEA).

ABOUT IKEA

IKEA strives to be The Life Improvement Store, and since its 1943 founding in Sweden, has offered home furnishings of good design and function, at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. There are currently more than 330 IKEA stores in 40 countries, including 38 in the U.S. IKEA, the worlds leading home furnishings company, incorporates sustainable efforts into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information, go to IKEA-USA.com.

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(PRWEB UK) 5 December 2011

The Dandys YouTube channels went officially live on 1st December with a corporate style About Us video instructional videos showing shoppers how to buy online and how their goods will be delivered. As the UKs first topsoil and rock salt supplier to go e-commerce, Dandys have remained a market leading business within their sector and are continually the first in their industry to release new products, services and features.

The company has received awards for their websites and they make it a priority to continually update and improve their online shopping setup. The most recent change was the decision to swap to a one price delivered anywhere selling format for their websites DandysTopsoil .co.uk, DandysGardenCentre .co.uk and DandysRockSalt .co.uk; all of which have been hailed as easy to use and quick to buy from by online shoppers.

All three sites are front runners on search engine Google for key search terms despite being less than six months old, something which is no mean feat given the competitiveness of search terms topsoil, rock salt and gravel.

Dandys have the only website in the industry that offers over one hundred different gardening, landscaping and rock salt supplies for fast, free delivery to ninety percent of the UK.

With competitors still forcing potential shoppers to reveal their location before an allegedly free delivery price can be quoted, Dandys have adopted a much more transparent quoting system that shows one price inclusive of VAT and delivery, to anywhere in England or Wales.

The business already actively participates in social networking via the means of Twitter and Facebook. To ensure that Dandy’s remained ahead of the game and to guarantee the business was using all means of web interaction available to reach as many potential customers as possible, the business launched its YouTube channels: ‘Dandy’s Garden Centre TV’ and Dandy’s Rock Salt TV’, on 1st December 2011.

Not only will the channel include instructional and helpful how to style videos from how to lay a new lawn to how much rock salt do I need? as well as promo movies for the business as a whole, it will also feature a more light-hearted series of films showing the day to day goings on and in-house activities of the business and the entire Dandys team.

The Dandys first delivery video was created in partnership with Farralls Transport of Chester and their Sales Manager Paul Mather who featured on the video.

Sales and Marketing Assistant for Dandys, Amanda Arnold, who also starred in the video commented; Working at Dandys is like being part of a huge family and its great to think that well now be able to portray this to our customers as well as giving them great visual aids to improve their online shopping experience; from initial purchase right through to delivery and finally the end use of our products.

The Dandys YouTube videos can be viewed via their channels; Dandys Garden Centre TV and Dandys Rock Salt TV.

About Dandy’s:

Dandys began trading online in 2004 via their website http://www.dandys.org and were the first business in their market to have an e-commerce website. Since then the business has gone from strength to strength growing from a small company of just five employees to a medium sized business employing up to forty people. Dandys have their own in-house web design and build team who operate from their main premises on Deeside Industrial Park, Flintshire alongside the sales and production teams.

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Honolulu, HI (PRWEB) December 05, 2011

WHAT: Hawaiis renowned Honolulu Festival will celebrate the people and cultural diversity of the Pacific and Asia through a dynamic and entertaining showcase of performances and exhibits, the exciting Waikiki Grand Parade, and the spectacular Nagaoka Fireworks Show over Waikiki Beach.

WHEN: MARCH 3 – 4, 2012

SATURDAY, MARCH 3:

10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.

FREE cultural and arts performances at five locations:

Hawaii Convention Center, Ala Moana Shopping Center, Waikiki Beach Walk, Waikiki Shopping Plaza, and DFS Galleria

7:00 9:00 p.m.

Friendship Gala featuring Oahus top restaurants and exciting cultural performances by Honolulu Festival artists. Held at the Hawaii Convention Center as a benefit for the Honolulu Festival Foundation. Ticket cost is $ 85 per person.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4:

10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m.

FREE cultural and arts performances at five locations:

Hawaii Convention Center, Ala Moana Shopping Center, Waikiki Beach Walk, Waikiki Shopping Plaza, and DFS Galleria

Beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Waikiki Grand Parade along Kalakaua Avenue

8:30 p.m.

Nagaoka Fireworks Show over Waikiki Beach

INFORMATION: http://www.honolulufestival.com / @honfestival / (808) 833-3378

HONOLULU The Honolulu Festival is celebrating its 18th year in 2012 with a weekend of free arts and cultural displays, and live entertainment performances, March 3-4. Visitors and local residents are invited to see dazzling performances and exhibits from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Tahiti, Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii in five convenient locations in and around Waikiki.

Under the banner Pacific Harmony and the theme, Bonding together, hand in hand, the 2012 Honolulu Festivals goal is to help perpetuate the strong cultural and ethnic ties of people in the Asia-Pacific region. New this year will be the spectacular Nagaoka Fireworks Show following the Waikiki Grand Parade on Sunday March 4. Originating from Nagaoka City, Japan, this fireworks extravaganza will light up the skies over Waikiki.

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Kansas City, MO (PRWEB) December 05, 2011

Consumers not only get to choose the gift they want by redeeming their holiday gift cards on January 6-8, 2012, they can also make that gift even more valuable by participating in the newest shopping event of the holiday season, Gift Card Weekend (GCW).

During GCW, gift card recipients can redeem their gift cards from participating retail partners to receive extra value through special deals posted on the GCW website that will be offered for that weekend only. Gift Card Weekend is presented by Gift Card Impressions of Kansas City, Mo., the Retail Gift Card Association and Ceridian Stored Value Solutions.

We know that consumers are always looking to maximize the value of both the gifts they give and receive, said Brett Glass, CEO, Gift Card Impressions. We created Gift Card Weekend so the purchaser and the recipient of gift cards can get more for their dollar. Since the average person receives more than six gift cards each year, we feel this can be a meaningful event for everybody. Who doesnt want to save money?

Gift Card Weekend offers a wonderful opportunity for the participating brands, said Rebekka Rea, executive director of the Retail Gift Card Association. It gives them a chance to offer consumers who already have gift cards for their place of business the opportunity to enhance their experience, building a relationship that will entice the consumer to continue to shop with them.

The U.S. gift card market represents nearly $ 100 billion in annual sales, with about half of that occurring during the holiday shopping season.

GCW partners include national brands such as Sephora, Bass Pro Shops, Applebees, J.C. Penney Company, Inc., SpaFinder, Adidas and many more. Consumers around the country will be able to maximize their buying power both in person and online. More partner signings will be announced very soon and the deals each retailer will offer during GCW will be unveiled between now and January 6, the first day of GCW.

For more information and updates on retail partners, consumers should go to http://www.giftcardweekend.com or “like” the Gift Card Weekend Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/GiftCardWeekend) or follow Gift Card Weekend on Twitter (https://twitter.com/GiftCardWeekend).

About Gift Card Impressions

Gift Card Impressions is the leading Gift Card packaging and merchandising solutions provider.

Gift Card Impressions, based in Kansas City, Mo., builds customized solutions to deliver strategically focused; brand-differentiating concepts that drive incremental gift card sales by making products stand out at third-party point-of-purchase, in stores and online. Its solutions make the gift-giving occasion more memorable and personalized using the latest technologies to appeal to all five senses. Gift Card Impressionswhere innovation meets gifting.

http://giftcardimpressions.com/

About Retail Gift Card Association

The Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) is a non-profit association with a mission to create consumer centered gift card policies and procedures. RGCA membership is open to retailers, restaurants, and travel-and-entertainment merchants whose core part of their business is to sell products or experiences but who also issue and offer closed loop gift cards. The RGCA is focusing its resources on building positive perceptions on gift card usage, developing a benchmarking program for gift card sales and identifying legislative initiatives. There is useful information on gift card trends, innovations, and issues that are associated with gift cards on the website at http://www.TheRGCA.org.

About Ceridian Stored Value Solutions

With nearly twenty years of experience, SVS is a pioneer and premier one-stop prepaid and stored value provider serving top brands around the world. Our full product suite includes retail gift cards, branded prepaid and promotional cards, plus a robust loyalty platform. As a leading provider SVS manages more than five hundred million card products and processes over one billion transactions in 45 countries and 26 currencies worldwide every year. To learn more about increasing sales and simplifying program management, visit us at: http://www.storedvalue.com

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New York, NY (PRWEB) December 05, 2011

Ring in 2012 in style with loved ones, family, good friends and copious amounts of Champagne at Manhattans celebration destination, Mandarin Oriental, New York at the annual New Years Eve Gala. Guests can also extend their festive celebrations by booking the New Years Eve Weekend Gala Package.

Mandarin Oriental, New Yorks New Years Eve Gala

Mandarin Orientals second annual New Years Eve Gala Saturday, December 31, 2011 brings back the essence of the iconic Manhattan New Years Eve parties in the hotels stunning 36th floor ballroom with one-of-a-kind spectacular Central Park and city skyline views. This elegant black-tie evening begins at 8:00 pm with an open bar cocktail hour offering an array of delicious hors doeuvres stations. The evening includes a gala dinner with gourmet delicacies including Osetra Caviar, Black Winter Truffles, Lobster, King Crab, Wagyu Beef, followed by an incredible dessert buffet display. Surprise entertainment and dinner show acts will delight guests throughout the evening. After dinner, live music with New York Citys legendary Hank Lane Orchestras will have everyone dancing their way into the New Year.

Tickets to Mandarin Oriental, New Yorks New Years Eve Gala are priced at USD 1,500 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For gala tickets please call +1 (212) 805 8858 or email NewYearsEveNYC(at)mohg(dot)com.

New Years Eve Gala Weekend Hotel Package

Mandarin Orientals New Years Eve Gala Weekend Hotel Package is the ultimate grand finale to 2011 and the perfect way to launch into 2012. The evening glamour begins upon arrival to your stylishly-appointed room or suite with breathtaking views of Manhattan. The New Years festivities commence on Saturday, December 31, 2011 in our 36th floor Ballroom with a black-tie evening complete with cocktails, gourmet dinner, dancing to live music and surprise entertainment throughout the evening.

The New Years Eve Gala Weekend Hotel Package includes:

????Two nights accommodations in a deluxe room category or above checking in on December 30 or 31, 2011
????Two tickets to the annual black-tie New Years Eve Gala in the Mandarin Ballroom
????Daily American breakfast for up to two guests to be enjoyed in-room or in signature restaurant Asiate
????Valet parking
????Late check-out of 4pm

Rates for the New Years Eve Gala package begin at USD 5450. For reservations, please call +1 (212) 805 8800 and mention New Years Package. This package is based on availability and rates are inclusive of taxes and gratuities. This package is based on a two night minimum stay and additional nights may be booked at prevailing rates. Package must be cancelled 14 days prior to arrival to avoid a 100% cancellation charge.

About Mandarin Oriental, New York

A stunning fusion of modern design with stylish Oriental flair, Mandarin Oriental, New York features 248 elegant guestrooms and suites all with breathtaking views of Manhattan and Five-Star hospitality. Luxurious amenities include Asiate, the hotels elegant restaurant; MObar created by noted interior designer, Tony Chi; the Lobby Lounge with dramatic views of Central Park; a 14,500-square-foot, Five-Star Mandarin Oriental Spa; and a state-of-the-art fitness center with a 75-foot lap pool. In addition, there is premium meeting and event space, including a 6,000-square-foot pillar-less ballroom with three walls of windows overlooking Central Park. Located in Columbus Circles Time Warner Center, Mandarin Oriental, New York is in an idyllic location just steps away from world-class dining, shopping and entertainment, including the Broadway Theater District, Lincoln Center, Central Park, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Time Warner Centers collection of upscale retail shops and restaurants.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, resorts and residences. Mandarin Oriental now operates, or has under development, 41 hotels representing over 10,000 rooms in 27 countries, with 17 hotels in Asia, 12 in The Americas and 12 in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. In addition, the Group operates, or has under development, 13 Residences at Mandarin Oriental, connected to the Groups properties.

Photography of Mandarin Oriental is available to download, in high and low resolution, in the Photo Library of our Media section, at http://www.mandarinoriental.com.

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San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) December 05, 2011

Insidr (http://www.insidr.com) is launching today public beta of a independent customer service marketplace that connects frustrated customers to people who have worked in big companies and are willing to help when the company can’t or won’t.

Unlike most question and answer sites, the people providing answers work or have worked inside the big companies, so they’re better at cutting through red tape and getting answers to difficult problems. Unlike corporate customer service, the “insiders” work independently to earn rewards and points from customers. That means candid, unscripted help is available from engineers and other experts in a way that’s discouraged in traditional channels.

“We started Insidr because we felt frustrated and helpless when we had to call customer support. We decided to find a better way,” said Antony Brydon, CEO and co-founder of Insidr. “Our ultimate goal is to help customers and employees rewrite the rules of business, making it less about policy and politics and more about solving problems, helping each other and getting things done.”

Insidr lets customers post an online question and, optionally, offer a reward. The insiders offer help and earn the reward only if the customer is satisfied. Insiders can also earn award points for helpful answers.

Because insiders only earn rewards if they help, the customers’ interests and theirs are perfectly aligned.

Insidr has been in private testing mode for 10 months. At public beta launch, 1,280 insiders offer support for nine companies: AT&T Wireless, Bank of America, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, Sprint Network, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, United Airlines and Verizon. A typical question receives several answers within 30 minutes for an average reward of $ 8.

Examples of helpful answers include the following:

????Bank of America insider helps a woman get a new mortgage loan officer
????T-Mobile insider helps customer get a full refund instead of an account credit
????Dish Network insider helps customer avoid early termination fee.
Also starting today, a new feature lets you use Facebook “like” votes to elect a company to add to the support list.

Insidr was founded by Antony Brydon, Jeff Patterson and Jean Tessier, who launched ShopWell out of IDEO in 2010. Insidr is backed by $ 500,000 in seed funding from True Ventures and prominent individuals including: Gil Penchina, an early investor in LinkedIn and Evite and recent commissar at Wikia.com; Karl Jacob, CEO and co-founder of Keen, Ingenio, and Coveroo; Brian Witlin, IDEO entrepreneur in residence and co-founder of ShopWell; and Samer Hamadeh, founder & CEO at Vault.com and Zeel.com.

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New York, NY (PRWEB) December 05, 2011

Halfpricesoft.com (http://www.halfpricesoft.com) released the new edition of ezCheckPrinting computer check writer software, which can be one of the best tools for small businesses during this holiday season. EzCheckPrinting check writer software makes writing checks and paying bills fast, efficient and inexpensive. Now the new version can support the pre-proved check draft printing. This feature will help small businesses to receive the check payment by phone, fax or internet quickly and easily in this shopping season.

The new edition of check printing software is available for free download at http://www.halfpricesoft.com/check_printing_software_download.asp, with no cost and no obligation. During this holiday season, user can even get the license key for free if they check out through TrialPay offers online.

“It’s a win-win-win-win situation: the customer gets free product, we make sales, the TrialPay advertiser makes sales, and TrialPay gets commissions. ” said Dr Ge, the founder of halfpricesoft.com. We hope more small business can take advantage of this check writing software through this free offer.”

Priced from $ 29 (FREE through online special offer), ezCheckPrinting software is affordable for any business. With ezCheckPrinting software, customers can print or write on standard size checks or on 8 ? x 11-inch check paper with check-on-top, check-in-middle, check-at-bottom and 3-per-page formats. The new 2011 version is more user-friendly and allows users customize check layouts, set-up and print checks quickly, and eliminates need for expensive pre-printed checks. And the new blank check printing and importing feature make it even easier to work with ezPaycheck Payroll Software, Quicken, QuickBooks, Peachtree or other software.

The main features of this check writing software include:

3-Per-Page, Check on Top, Check in Middle, and Check on Bottom options.
Print checks from blank computer check paper or pre-printed checks.
Print pre-printed blank checks to fill in manually at a later time or to use with other software such as ezPaycheck, Quicken, QuickBooks and Microsoft Money.
Quick import and export feature
Unlimited accounts and unlimited check printing

With ezCheckPrinting, writing a check is really easy! All user have to do is to enter the date, payees name and amount payable to the payee. This check writer will automatically convert numbers to words. User can write and print a check with just a few clicks.

To learn more about ezCheckPrinting check writing software and the free offers, user can visit http://www.halfpricesoft.com/product_ezCheck.asp

About halfpricesoft.com

Halfpricesoft.com is a leading provider of small business software. ezCheckprinting can save user both time and money. With ezCheckprinting, user can have the flexibility to print quality bank checks immediately in a secure environment.

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Halifax, Nova Scotia (PRWEB) December 05, 2011

Halifax Car Service has never been as easily accessible as it is today, thanks to deCoste Family Motors joining PreferredLocalBusiness.tv, a local preferred business directory that will make Halifax Car Service immediately available to local internet searchers.

About deCoste Family Motors:

deCoste Family Motors is a full service repair facility. Their family understands how important safety is to other families. Their team of factory-trained technicians always keep safety and economy in mind when servicing a vehicle.

With many suppliers ranging from the manufacturer to aftermarket suppliers, deCoste Family Motors can source any of the needed parts required to maintain cars to factory specifications. They will do this at a fraction of the price charged by franchised dealers. Even if a car is still covered by a factory warranty, customers can have deCoste Family Motors service their car and their warranty will not be affected.

deCoste Family Motors takes their customers back to a time when having their car serviced was easy; a time when they could speak to the technician; a time when the technician could explain the service that was needed on their car; a time when the customer was allowed in the shop. That time still exists at deCoste Family Motors.

Their goal is to treat every customer like family. Their customer waiting area is warm and inviting. Their shop is neat and tidy. They treat customers with the kindness and respect they deserve.

deCoste Family Motors provides outstanding care delivered by a dedicated team, meaning their clients receive the personalized treatment and attention required for a stellar car repair experience. PreferredLocalBusiness.tv happily welcomes their newest listing for Halifax Car Service.

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Snowboarding shops can offer you a wide variety of choices when it comes to equipment, gear and anything else that you may want or need when it comes to the sport of snowboarding. Boarding shops are becoming increasingly popular in the parts of the country with the snow and terrain for the sport. For those of you who do not live in snowboarding country and do not have a snowboarding shop locally, you can visit a snowboarding shop on the internet.

Because of the type of conditions that one needs to participate in the sport of snowboarding, you can only find board shops in these areas. If you visit a ski resort that offers the use of snowboards then you will probably be able to locate a board shop upon your visit to either the resort or the town. It is best to go ahead and purchase any supplies that you may need until your next visit if you are not a local.

If you don’t have access to the required conditions to participate on a regular basis in this sport, you can always just rent the necessary supplies whenever needed.

Boarding shops offer many options to the customers. Whether you are buying, renting or just window shopping, snowboarding shops can usually accommodate you. Before settling on a shop, you can locate and compare different shops on the internet. There are websites available that list brands that the shops handles, prices, service and so on. You can look and compare different shops to each other until you have narrowed down the one that is best for you. Brands in boarding are just like brands in any other sports. Name brands sell. So, if you are looking for that brand that is hard to find, then this will probably be the best way to locate a store that offers it and it can also save you some time.

Online boarding stores are plentiful, unlike physical shops, which are not available across the country but only in specific areas. Online stores are located right at your fingertips. The only drawback to an online snowboarding shop is that you can’t physically touch, try on or look at the product before your purchase. You can look at pictures and read descriptions; however, online snowboarding shops do offer money back guarantees and this can prove to be very important. When purchasing from an online shop, do make sure that you have this option, because if you need it, you will be happy that you checked before buying. Snowboards and supplies can be expensive and getting stuck with an expensive item that you cannot use will not make you happy at all, not to mention that you will lose a lot of money by making the purchase.

Boarding stores can be found. Even if you don’t have one remotely close to where you live, don’t forget that they are at your fingertips. Don’t be scared to make purchases from an online store that offers money back guarantees. Purchasing from an online store can be just as easy as purchasing from a regular store.

Online shopping is thing that allows person the adaptability to bargain either good or service from a vender maiden the internet. These shop are similar to purchasing in an imaginary context on the grade alleyway or marketing mall. It is a procedure known as B2C (Business to Consumer). In scenario where 1 concern steal thing from another concern, that procedure is known as B2B (Business to Business). Both procedure are type of e-commerce.

It all began in 1990 when a cracked called Tim Berners-Lee created the worlds former worldwide wide object server and browser. By 1994, things variety online banking had begun and Pizza Hut opened an online store whilst Netscape making marketing online secure. The followers year saw the introduction of Amazon to the world of marketing online and by 1996, Ebay had entered into the online marketplace.

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