6 Ways Online Shopping Makes You A Wiser Consumer

Being a wise consumer in the midst of countless producers and sellers is a big advantage. There are many businesses, several advertising and marketing strategies, numerous creative juices squeezed to offer the best products and services out there. Shopping is a stress reliever but it is also sometimes stressful in many ways, and online shopping is a special type which provides big benefits to consumers.

Online shopping is said to be better and more timely than the actual shopping because of the convenience it mainly gives. Even if that’s the case, still some people get disappointed with the product that gets delivered to them, and some even get victimized of wrong or defective products. That’s why experiencing online shopping also comes with a risk, and with that risk also goes the chance for you to become a better and wiser consumer.

Just like anything, online shopping has both pros and cons, but this time, take a look at how beneficial it is not only during your shopping moment but also in teaching and transforming you to be a better buyer. Here are 7 ways it does what it does:

1] PAYING ATTENTION TO ONLINE SHOPPING SITE INFORMATION

One of the common risks of online shopping is getting scammed by illegal, fake and deceitful online sellers. Online shopping scams may happen because of lack of customer’s information about the website. There are many hints that will lead you to know whether an online shopping website is legit or not.

If you shop online, you pay close attention to the trustworthiness and reliability of the seller first then the rest of the services after. You become more careful when entertaining online sellers, and this attitude transcends to your actual shopping experience. You become more concerned to know the background of the online business you plan to buy from.

Alertness is both a requirement and an outcome of shopping online. Your senses become clearer with understanding to discern if the seller is sincere or is an opportunist.

2] GOING DEEPER INTO QUALITY

Probably one of the slight cons of online shopping is that you cannot directly interact with the products you’re looking at, through all your senses. You don’t get a hundred and one percent of the feel of their quality.

The advantage of that is you’ll learn to care a lot about getting the quality you want. When you shop online, you will see product descriptions, and from there, you’ll be informed regarding its quality. In online shopping, a special skill of reading and understanding product descriptions well is shown and enhanced.

By the time that you’re actually shopping in the mall, you might be able to apply that quality control skill you gained from online shopping. You will be able to familiarize yourself with technical terms and common terms used in product descriptions; that will help you on your next purchases. You become more meticulous when it comes to quality and product labels.  

3] COMPARING PRODUCTS

When you shop online, you have your own time in your hands, and your location does not even matter. Before you buy, you set a lot of options, eliminating one-by-one depending on the attributes you’re looking for.

You’ll learn how to compare different products, let’s say from different brands or units, by going into detail about their product descriptions, prices and other factors to consider. Having many good options to compare with each other widens your perspective and your ability to make sound decisions.

4] BEING KEEN ABOUT MEASUREMENTS

When shopping online, you cannot see live with your own eyes the exact products being sold. What you have are charts where the sizes and measurements are indicated. That means you will also learn to do close estimations and to be familiar with proper measurements.

You can measure things and spaces even when you’re just at home. For example, you are planning to buy a big speaker for your bedroom. The benefit you have is that you yourself can already measure the space where you’re planning to place the speaker when purchased. You can also make adjustments. You don’t have to guess or force your photographic memory to estimate the measurement because you’re actually just in front the space. The only thing left to do is to purchase the item that could fit there.

People usually regret buying stuff when they’re sizes are not what they wanted or expected. You have an advantage through online shopping because you learn to value and understand even more the importance of proper measurements so that buying an item will be worth your money. It keeps you away from reckless buying.

5] SETTING BUDGET BASED ON PRODUCT AVAILABILITY

Shopping in the mall, you might see an item which you really like but you have no money to buy it yet. The tendency is that if you wait for yourself to earn, you may miss the chance of buying that item while it is still available. In online shopping, you can check from time to time whether the item is still available or not; you may also see the quantity remaining.

Another thing, you don’t have to be in a hurry buying a product if you don’t have money yet. Instead, you can adjust and check the available dates or the quantity remaining to know whether your budget will still be able to survive until the next pay day.

In this way, you don’t have to hurry like how you worry and feel pressured when you’re in the shopping mall.You can buy now or later, depending on your budget, your time and the product’s availability. You can also be directly informed online about discounts which not everyone knows has heard of yet.   

6] GIVING OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION

In online shopping, trust is a very important factor for transactions to happen. As a buyer, you have to provide necessary and important personal details so that the seller may also verify that you’re a real buyer. You become more careful when you shop online because you haven’t seen any salesperson in person yet. It is a responsible act to give out information cleverly.  

You become wiser so that no scammers may use your personal information against you and to trick other buyers. You’ve heard of news about scams, and you never want to be the next victim, so you become extra careful with yourself.

BUY WISELY!

Online shopping makes you a clever consumer. You just have be more attentive to everything involved in it. If you’re hesitating whether to shop online or not, above are great reasons for you to try doing so. Your aim must be to become a wiser consumer and to gain a healthier shopping experience.

AUTHOR BIO

Nicole Ann Pore is a daytime writer for Zapals Online Shopping , an internationally renowned, global shopping website, providing a vast range of high quality products at affordable prices, with offices in Hong Kong, China and Australia. Online shopping and electronic gadgets are some of the many topics Nicole writes about. She gives tips on wise buying and utilizing.| Voice over acting, hosting, film critiquing and filmmaking are some of her interests. She graduated Cum Laude from De La Salle University Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts. “To God be all the glory”