Going to shop online? Great, keep these in mind.

By: MakeWayDigital | Category: Online Shopping | Posted on: April 28^th 2017

It’s good and convenient shopping online and saves your time and money (save time & money shopping Online). You can get wonderful products online which you can’t get in a local store, a mall or your local market. You just need to keep an eye on a couple of things to shop safely (Shop Online Safely) and get the maximum benefit out of it.

Is the site secure

Always check the shopping website has https://(Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure)with a lock icon in the address bar of your browser as shown in the picture. Https is the secure version of http that ensures the information you provide is secure as it sends your data to the shopping site’s database in encrypted format so no one can steal them. We will learn more about HTTPS in Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure article. Also check the website has a clear privacy policy that ensures your information like phone number, e-mail Id, credit/debit card data etc. are private and will not be disclosed to others.

Pop-up Ads

Be very careful about the pop-ups that looks real but are not. They may take you to a different site that is not secure or to a telephony operation to steal your personal info. The reputable online retailers do not use such pop-ups as they know these take the customers away. So always go to the online shopping sites where you don’t see such stuffs.

Your friend or relative has a good experience 

You must have friends or relatives who regular shop online. They can help you and suggest the name of good online retailers. If not so, don’t worry after reading this article you will be able to be an aware online shopper.

The site has a physical address and phone number

All the reputable online retailers have a physical address (registered office) and a phone number to contact. You can find these info in contact us or help. In case you don’t see an office address they must have a contact number. If you are not sure you can contact them over the phone to know more.

Return policy

Return policy is one of the most important factors while shopping online. In case you receive a damaged product, a product which you didn’t order, a non standard item, a different product or you changed mind after order and payment return policy comes in picture. You can see in the picture below the return page of flipkart.com website. Here you need to select reason for return, issue with item, return action like return/refund. You can also change the pick up address for return.    

All the reputable sites have return, cancellation and shipping policies. If you don’t see a clear policy on a site go and shop elsewhere.

Prices too low to believe

If you see the price of a product is very low than other merchants, they can be unlicensed, stolen or not real. For example a known brand’s smart phone with 20MP camera, 32 GB internal memory, 4 GB RAM and 4000mah battery is available in Rs. 499 or so on a shopping site that can’t be real.  Always keep away from those online retailers.  

Credit Card Accepted

All reputable sites accept credit cards but on the other hand fraud sites will try to ask for debit cards or account numbers. Credit cards are safer than debit cards as they are not linked directly to your bank account. You can check the article shop online safely. If you still think that may not be safe to provide your financial information on the web go for COD (Cash On Delivery).

Customer support

All the good online retailers have a physical address and a 24*7 open contact number to resolve your queries. In some cases they also provide an option of live chat. Anytime you want you can contact them to know more.

Get more info about the product

Once you click on the product you will see more about the product. You can see pictures from different angles, accessories with it, different sizes, specifications, colors, customer experience, customer reviews, testimonials, feedback etc. that will be very helpful to get more info about the product.

Payment option

All the reputable sites offer you all payment options either it be a credit/debit card payment, COD (Cash On Delivery), Net Banking, Gift Card, Promotional Code, Voucher, Phone Pe or Auto debit from your account (in case of EMI). You can pay as per your convenience. If you see an online retailer has limited payment option or not going to the actual bank site while payment skip the site and go somewhere else.

Get wonderful products online

In fact, if your experience is like ours, you will be amazed how many strange and wonderful products other people have been buying for years. Suddenly you see how incredibly specialized some products have become, and how many twists and turns there are in customization and service, because the Web merchants are trying to outdo each other.

Compare Products on more than one site

Do not rely on only one site. Always go ahead and check more than one site. You will find a single product has different prices which may save a lot of your money.

EMI (Equated Monthly Installment)

If you are going to purchase something which is costly and may put a burden on your pocket check for an EMI option. In all reputable sites costly items like a smartphone or a laptop are available on EMIs.

Discount Coupons, Vouchers or Promotional Code

Most online shoppers don’t put attention on discounts. Always check is the online retailer providing discounts coupons, vouchers or promotional code.

Deals and offers

There is an offer or deals of the day zone in each shopping site. Must go and check if you get a good deal for a product which you want to buy.

Product Quality

You always expect a good quality product in less price when you shop online. When you see a product always check the brand, the tags with it, the in-printed brand name, the quality of box in which it is packed, manufacturers details, where it is coming from, what it is made of. For example if you are buying smartphone, check if it is of a brand which you already know, how much is the internal memory and RAM, how powerful is the battery, Version of the operating system (should be latest), the type of screen, features like camera quality, up to how much memory does it support.

Warranty

Warranty is important in case if you are buying a costly item. So always go ahead and check the warranty.

Account Creation

All good online retailers only let you shop if you create an account. This is due to in case you cancel an order or return a product they can easily do that for you and can send you good deals and offers. This also becomes important for them as they recognize their active shoppers.

Now go ahead and shop on the web without worries.

Any questions if you have put it in comments, e-mail me or put it in the forum. I check it on a daily basis and I make you sure about the way to resolution.

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Thank you for reading.

Team

MakeWayDigital

In the next article we will discuss about how to shop online safely?

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