Shopping can be very stressful if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you are driving all over town for specific items, you might end up missing out on great deals, losing track of what you’re buying from where, and will likely become very frustrated.
Thankfully, the Internet is faster and more vast than ever before. You can literally find and buy anything online — you just have to know where to look.
First, it’s time to change the way you’re browsing and using the Internet — then, you can start using these tips (and avoiding these mistakes) to purchase quality products all over the U.S. and the world!
Stop wasting time online during quarantine
Far too many people have been spending the last few months sitting on the couch and watching entire shows on Netflix. Every once in a while, you need to just veg out and relax on the couch, sure. But doing it all the time is horrible. It’s actually bad for your health to just waste away your day on the couch watching television.
Instead, you should be better using the Internet. There are so many things available to you online so why waste all your time just watching TV? Though money might be tight right now, there are still plenty of things you need to shop around for and buy. Now is the perfect time to start searching for products and services online. Whether you’re looking for custom tee shirts for your friends or swimming pool repair professionals to help improve the look of your backyard, you can find exactly what you need online.
Rather than waiting for door to door sales people to come to your home or spend hours looking over preowned cars on the lot, you can get exactly what you need if you know how to properly shop on the Internet.
It’s time to start using the Internet better
Utilizing the Internet to find, shop, and buy things online is actually a skill that many people have and many do not. However, these skills can be learned and strengthened over time. It just takes a little practice and a little guidance.
Here are some great tips for improving the way you shop and buy things online:
Around 36.7 million people in the United States buy products online from their mobile devices. Online shopping allows you to purchase items on your own time, and also search for the best deals worldwide.
- Utilize Google as much as possible — Google is essential when searching for items online. Whether you’re home buying online or searching for construction machinery for sale, you need to use the search engines to find quality items and the best shipping options available.Start by searching correct terms into Google. If you’re looking for something specific, enter that into the search box and you should be able to find some great products! Typing “sell my house fast” into Google, for example, is a great way to get in touch with local realtors that can help you out quickly. Additionally, if you’re looking for a new Apple device, don’t just search for “Apple” online because that will result in all kinds of listings that you’re not searching for. Instead, type in something more a little more specific and then you can buy certified Apple device.
- Beware of online scammers — Unfortunately, there are so many people out there who will do anything in their power to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals and steal their information and their money. Don’t let these criminals escape with your hard-earned money by purchasing something online and never receiving it. The best way to avoid these scammers is to do some research early on — we will go more into avoiding these online fraudulent scammers in a little bit, so keep reading!
- Don’t just settle for the first result — For the most part, you’re going to find exactly what you’re looking for on the first few pages of Google. But you shouldn’t just purchase from the first company that appears in a Google search engine result listing page. It’s probably a quality product, sure, but you might be able to find the exact same product for a significant amount less money down a few listings or on page two or three. So keep looking and always compare prices!
- Look for payment plan options — You’re not going to find a payment plan for certain products or services, but if you are hoping to not shell out a ton of money on a particular product, you can find great payment plans. These are typically offered for larger and more expensive items like vehicles, computers, appliances, and the like. Just because an item can be paid for incrementally, however, doesn’t mean you should do it. For instance, some products could be $500 upfront but could be purchased using a payment plan for 12 payments of $54. That seems like it’s a great deal but it’s actually $150 more money than its original price — so beware of these “deals!”
Online shopping in the news
According to Business Insider, HandM announced recently that it is closing 170 of its stores in 2020, 40 more than it had originally planned after reporting a 50% drop in net sales during the second quarter of 2020. The company plans on focusing the majority of its efforts into online shopping in order to reflect changing consumer shopping habits.
“It is clear that the rapid changes in customer behavior caused by the pandemic will further speed up the digitalization of fashion retail,” said HandM Group CEO Helena Helmersson. “To meet this, we are continuing to adapt to the organization and improve our ways of working, which will make us more flexible, fast, and efficient. We are accelerating our digital development, optimizing the store portfolio, and further integrating the channels,” she said.”
Additionally, analysts are projecting the pandemic to have a lasting impact on how people are shopping.
“Online sales are likely to remain more highly penetrated than they were before and this is something brands will need to assess,” added Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail. “The losers will be those retailers that are less adept in multichannel and which have large store estates which are increasingly irrelevant.”
Make sure you’re avoiding online scams as much as possible, as well. If you need a new roof or some residential fencing, you might end up working with a fraudulent contractor if you’re not careful. Instead, make sure you’re spending plenty of time researching a certain product, service, or company prior to exchanging any money. This way, you can look over references and ensure that you’re getting what you’re actually paying for.
Similarly, you might end up finding a company offering zero down loans, but they could just be trying to perform a clever online scam. There are ways to acquire zero down loans, sure, but just make sure you’re doing your research beforehand.
Online shopping facts
Here are some interesting facts pertaining to online shopping:
- Currently, there are roughly 2 billion online shoppers.
- E-Commerce sales are expected to reach $4.2 trillion by the end of 2020.
- E-Commerce has more than tripled since 2014, reaching 4.1 trillion.
- Online shopping sales are predicted to hit $6.5 trillion by 2023.
- 75% of people shop online at least once per month.
- 64% of shopping experiences start online.
- Approximately 41% of people that shop online say they are married.
- Around 49% of mobile phone users say they have used their phones to make an online purchase.
- The average American woman spends at least $400 shopping online annually.
- Amazon accounts for 47% of all U.S. E-Commerce sales.
Whether you’re home buying online or searching for any other kind of item across the Internet, make sure you’re doing plenty of research beforehand, are extremely careful when entering your credit card information, watch out for scammers, and find a way to carefully track your items throughout the entire distribution process.
