Firms on Web Recycle Ideas on Selling, Giving

Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t make it new.

With the online shopping hype this year come numerous retailers recycling traditional marketing tools, hoping that a Web-based spin will give them new draw.

Many retailers give a portion of their sales to charities during the holiday season. Since 1962, Dayton Hudson Corp.’s Target Stores have donated 5% of their pretax earnings to community organizations.

Taking a similar tack online, Santa Ana-based Toys R Web is donating 3.5% of its holiday season sales to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Mitch.

“I saw a lot of children who have lost parents, their home and their entire family, and I wanted to do something to help,” said Mike Shirdel, president of the 5-month-old Web retailer.

Going one step further, Los Angeles-based Shop2Give LLC allows customers to designate the nonprofit organization to which portions of their purchases will be donated. Shoppers can choose from 25 vendors, including Avon, K-Tel and J. Crew, with a varying proportion of their purchases being donated. Such a program would not be possible without the database power provided by computers and the outreach of the Internet.

Shop2Give is also making contributions to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Mitch relief efforts.

In another example of an old idea wrapped in digital clothing, dozens of retailers such as Disney, Amazon.com, ESPN.com, Barnesandnoble.com and Corona del Mar-based Shopping.com offer online gift certificates that can be e-mailed to the recipient and spent online.

Again, the Internet takes the concept a step further. Most online gift certificates, for example, can be bought for whatever amount the purchaser chooses.

Online retailer 1800present.com resells gift certificates from dozens of stores, including itself. It packages and sends the certificate in a blue velvet gift box with a satin bow.

One Web site with a targeted demographic provides links to online retailers that offer gift certificates and embodies the raison d’etre for gift certificates. Its address: https://menhateshopping.com

Jonathan Gaw covers technology and electronic commerce for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7818 and at jonathan.gaw@latimes.com.