In the world
today with approximately over 7 billion population, Google has over 1 billion
active accounts and gets over 2 million searches per minute (wow!!!); Facebook
has over 500 million accounts; Twitter also has over 500 million accounts;
Yahoo over 275 million active users today and there are still many more giants
out there but the point is; 1 out of every 5 people in the world today is
connected via internet. And if you are reading this, I am sure you use either
Facebook or Twitter or maybe even Google+.
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| Can't wait to get hold of this Skull Rivet Hobo bag i ordered on Amazon |
We live in a
world of Social Networking today and very likely this trend will survive the
century. No doubt, everyone is doing social network Viral Marketing today, promoting/selling
something or the other. It’s a virtual jack-pot there. Now, let’s go shop online, shall we?
Convenience and Variety: Have you ever gone out shopping with
tired or hungry kids? “I want to go home, or Mum can I have…can I have…can I
have”. Yeah, that’s boring. Or have you ever faced a situation where you have
no place to spend your time because you couldn’t find a parking space? Or,
you’re in a hurry because the shopping mall closes at 9 pm? Or even maybe,
there is too much rush at the store because of some off season sale and you can
barely stand or find what you like. Yes, I guess we all have faced that
situation. That’s where online shopping comes into the picture minus the
problems mentioned above. You can shop online while the kids are sleeping or at
school and they are open 24x7 in the convenience of your home. Or, maybe you can also invite a friend over and do some
window shopping. Just a few search and clicks and you have a thousand retailers
offering thousands of products. Compare products, shop and get it delivered at
your doorsteps. Now that’s convenience.
Compulsive or Impulsive Buying: This has happened to me. I went to the
store and came out buying something I actually didn’t want or need it because
of the compulsive pleasant upselling skills of the shop keepers. And at times,
I went in the store and ended up buying something I actually didn’t even need
it because at the time when I was going through all the stacks I didn’t realize
what I really needed. I just bought it because I thought I liked it; and
unfortunately I had to spend some few days near
the months end, broke or borrowing from friends and family. This can be avoided
when shopping online.
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| Okay, the pictures are stolen from Amazon. I haven't got mine yet |
Send Gifts and Reward Points: Ok, I admit; this is the one best thing
I like about shopping online. Who doesn’t want their birthday to be “special”
or to surprise someone on a particular occasion with a gift? Keeping this in
mind nowadays every major online shopping giant have come up with a “Send Gift”
features. So you can send a surprise gift to that someone special on their
special day from the store where you usually shop and vice versa. That’s
innovative and I am liking it so very much (Smiley!!! Smiley!!!). And now do I
need to even mention about reward points... I guess “No”.
Cheaper Price and Worldwide: Let me explain it this way, to run a
computer for an hour is a lot cheaper than to run a car (Customer point of
view) or a physical shop (Sellers point of view). In online shopping, the
product comes to us directly from the seller or store without a middleman
involved. So, the cost to the seller is less and thus we get much cheaper and
better deals online. We all need cheaper and better deals for sure and that’s
the reason why we look out for sales at stores; but now, we can have it all
throughout the year. Another thing I like about online shopping is, it doesn’t
limit me within my physical boundaries. I can shop from virtually anywhere and
everywhere with some few clicks and search. I can also read the reviews about
the products and also read people’s recommendations and experiences with the
store or the product. Wow!!! I think that’s clean.
Discreet Purchases: That awkward moment when I walk into a
store to purchase an innerwear and the shop keeper turns out to be a very
attractive and gorgeous young lady (Yes I am a man). Well, not a very serious
problem but for sure it does leave us into some embarrassing situations, right?
Now you got me. Some things are always
better done in privacy. For example, like buying a sexy lingerie, sex toys
(Sorry, I have to mention it) and so on. Now you can avoid that embarrassment
with online shopping.
Well, that’s
much about it, but before I go offline, just some quick notes before you go out
there and shop online, to avoid any unwanted situations or privacy theft which
is very common nowadays. Always check:
1.
Does
the online store (from where you are about to shop) value your privacy and
confidentiality? Is their Privacy Policy available for you to read it if you
want to see it?
2.
How
long have they been online or in the business? Are they reputed in the
business? (Always read other shoppers review and do your own research before
you plunge).
3.
Does
the online store you are dealing with have a way to contact them, like a customer
service number, address etc.?
4.
In
case of unsatisfactory service, check if they have a refund or exchange policy.
5.
And
always check for any shipping or hidden charges.
Happy Shopping :)
