Online shopping has seen an extraordinary rise during the Covid-19 pandemic. Online retailers are still on an increasing trend post-pandemic. More than 69% of Americans shop online. The e-commerce market has swelled to a market capitalization of $4.9 trillion.
The significant dominance of online malls is due the convenience. The shoppers find it very easy to sit at their homes and shop for whatever they want without having the need to go to the mall. However, there can be instances when an online purchasing experience can leave you shell-shocked. Therefore, you must keep some things in mind when shopping through an online retailer.
Setting Up the Trap (Key Points)
- Read the product description carefully and ask questions from the seller if you have any confusion regarding the product.
- Check the shipping costs as they may vary depending on the product or your location. The shipping cost may increase the upfront cost of the product.
- Choose a seller who offers multiple payment methods. The best payment method is cash on delivery (COD) instead of credit and debit cards.
- Compare different sellers for the same products and check the price, quality, and description.
- You must check the seller’s reviews before buying the product. The reviews give an estimate of the product quality and customers’ experience.
- Read returns, replacements, and cancellation policies of the sellers carefully in online shopping.
- Keep an eye out for scammers and do not fall into their discounted traps. Only shop from reliable and reputable e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, or eBay.
Online Shopping – Read Product Description
Reading product descriptions is the first important thing you must remember in online shopping. Most online shoppers make this common mistake of purchasing products without reading the product details thoroughly.
Consequently, they end up receiving a faulty or substandard product. That turns out to be a damning online experience. Therefore, online consumers must read the product descriptions carefully before purchasing the product.
Moreover, the consumers should also ask questions of the seller regarding the product details if insufficient information is provided. The sellers will clarify all the details of the product.
Check Shipping Costs for Online Shopping
The shipping costs depend on a number of factors such as the product weight, the customer’s location from the seller’s warehouse, and the quantity of the order. Every seller on online e-commerce websites has different shipping costs.
Therefore, you must check the shipping costs before checking out with your online shopping order. The shipping costs can increase the overall upfront cost of the order considerably. Therefore, check the shipping costs of different sellers for the same product to save money.
Go Through the Available Payment Methods
Payment methods are very important in online shopping. Different e-commerce platforms offer and accept a limited set of payment methods. While most people use credit cards or debit cards for payment, others may rely on PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
You must go through the options available for payment methods before proceeding with your online purchase. The more payment options the better the convenience. However, the best practice is to select the cash-on-delivery (COD) payment method.
In this payment method, you receive the delivery first and then pay for the purchase. In this manner, you can check the product thoroughly before paying for it.
Comparing Sellers in Online Shopping
Most neophyte online shoppers make the mistake of not exploring different sellers on the e-commerce platform. They don’t go through different sellers in online shopping and shop from the one they see first. It is a poor practice on the end of consumers.
The consumers must compare different sellers for the same product. They should check the product descriptions, the prices, and the shipping costs of the sellers before selecting the best one for making the purchase. The comparison of sellers will help you get the best quality product while saving costs substantially.
Must Check Seller Reviews
Seller reviews in online shopping are the parameters of a seller’s reliability. The reviews give an accurate estimate regarding the quality of the products and the general customer service and prompt delivery of the products.
Before choosing any seller, go through its customer reviews to check if it is worthy or not. If the reviews are above 4.5, it is an excellent seller. You should avoid sellers whose reviews are below 4 stars.
Online Shopping: Return, Replacement, And Cancellation Policies
Every seller dictates different return, replacement, and cancellation policies. These policies are the key factor in a convenient online shopping experience. Some sellers have very complex return policies, making it a poor customer experience for the consumers.
Conversely, many sellers offer user-friendly and flexible return, replacement, and cancellation policies to benefit the consumers. Hence, you must read these policies before completing your online purchase. Choose the e-commerce seller that offers flexible and easy policies for return and replacement.
Choose Reliable E-Commerce Platforms
With the sharp rise in online shopping, scamming and fraudulent activities are also on the rise. Many newbies online shoppers easily fall into the trap of scammers. Consequently, they lose their money and personal information at the hand of scammers.
Thus, it is imperative to shop online only from reliable e-commerce platforms. There is a very simple way to check the reliability of online e-commerce platforms. You can use Google Trusted Stores to find which e-commerce platforms are reliable and safe for online purchasing. Platforms like Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Target, and Alibaba have a strong customer base and are reliable.
Concluding Remarks
Online shopping is the new world order in the consumer market. It has overshadowed conventional shopping methods due to the factor of convenience. However, naïve online shoppers may lose their money and end up with the worst online experience.
Therefore, consumers should know and remember basic tips while shopping online. The above-discussed tips are the go-to tool for the best online experience. Remember these things next time you head to an e-commerce platform.