You’d be surprised to know that around 25 to 30% of all shopping globally is done online nowadays, especially with the times we are living in, people prefer to do all their shopping from the comfort of their homes. With services like Daraz and Food Pand people are now even doing grocery shoping online. Plus, it gives you millions of options to choose from, which means not only do you get the best products, you end up saving a lot of money in the long run.
However, let’s face it if there are pros to online shopping; it also comes with its fair share of cones. We see people getting scammed all the time. Statistics suggest the number one cybercrime of 2019 was related to online shopping.
So how does one become an online shopping pro and make sure that they don’t get stuck in an online scam? Well, all you need to do is follow some guidelines, and that will help you steer clear of such scams. This article will walk you through different techniques that will help you become a pro at online shopping, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Get around the dynamic pricing trap.
The dynamic pricing trap is something most people aren’t aware of and consequently often end up paying extra money for their online purchases. Dynamic pricing is a sneaky strategy that many online sellers are using to show customized pricing to different customers according to their location, their browsing history, their spending patterns, i.e., the amount of money a customer generally spends on online shopping, and the current demand of the product. As this technique becomes more and more sophisticated, more online sellers are starting to use it and raise their prices based on the customer’s data.
However, there are a lot of ways to get around this trap. You should start with clearing your browsing history and cookies, then sign out of all your social media accounts and email, switch to incognito mode, and opt for local shopping websites. This way, you won’t have to worry about getting tricked into paying extra money.
Buy from secure websites.
How do you know that the website that you are buying from is secure or not? This is another one of those questions that most people don’t know the answer to.
If a website asks you to pay using your credit card, make sure that it has SSL encryption installed. To make sure that a website is using SSL encryption, check the website’s URL in the address bar; if the URL starts with HTTPS rather than just HTTP, then it has SSL encryption. Otherwise, it can’t be trusted with sensitive information like your credit card number.
Another way to tell whether a website is secure or not is to look for a locked padlock on the left of the URL in the address bar, which indicates that the website is secure. HTTPS is a standard used by most sites nowadays, even if they’re not shopping sites. If you open a website that isn’t using this standard, Google will tell you right away that it is not a secure site, so it wouldn’t be difficult to tell whether you should trust a website with sensitive information or not.
Keep an eye out for discounts and coupons.
If you want to become an online shopping pro, you need to know how to take advantage of coupons, sales, discount sales and offers. The best way to make sure that you stay updated is to follow your favorite brands and online stores on different social media platforms; this way, you won’t miss out on any flash sales and offers. You can only get a discount by using certain apps; for instance, by using careem, you can get loyalty points, and those points can be redeemed for discounts and promo codes.
If you’re willing to put in the extra work, you virtually never have to pay full price for the stuff that you buy.
Visit multiple websites before buying something.
When you go shopping in a mall, do you just buy the first thing that you see? You visit different stores, compare prices and quality, and buy the product that is best for you. If you want to get the best bang for your buck, you need to take the same approach with online shopping dont just buy the first thing that seems nice, explore your options, search around, and figure out which store or website is offering you the best options.
Choose the most convenient delivery process.
Choosing the right delivery process is one of the most important things that you need to master if you want to take your online shopping game to the next level. When you buy something online, there is a chance that something might go wrong during the delivery process; for instance, if you order something from Ali express, it can take up to three months to get here, even then there is a higher chance of damages and loses since your package has to be shipped from overseas, furthermore if you don’t receive the package you have to wait for three months before filing for a refund.
Now, this can be quite complicated. On the contrary, if you order something from a Pakistani store, it would be delivered to you within a week or so. Though you may get some good deals on Ali express, is the hassle really worth it while you can get the same quality in Pakistan.
Find out whether or not an online store is legit.
Online shopping is a fairly new concept in Pakistan, and not every online store is going to deliver the best quality. Therefore you need to know how to tell whether a store is legit or not; there are several things that you can look out for.
Firstly, check if the website has an Instagram page; if it does check the comments on their posts and analyze the people’s responses
Secondly, also check out the reviews on the website.
Lastly, check out the privacy policy of the website if it is clear and easy to understand that is a good sign.
