The internet has changed our buying habits. Many people have found
the convenience of online shopping to be a great experience. You
can easily click and see the product. You have a fun time
shopping, browsing, reading and getting informed about products.
And you don’t have to take time out from your busy schedule to
fight traffic, crowds and lines to buy the perfect gift for your
recipient.
No wonder Internet business generated $301 billion in revenue
last year, by a University of Texas estimate.
If you compare shopping online to offline you would think as
far as security goes, it would favor offline shopping, right? Not
really.
In the years past, shoppers were more reluctant to do their
shopping online – now things have changed greatly. And that
confidence in consumers directly reflects the enormous growth of
online sales.
I have a friend who took his wife out for a romantic evening to
a local restaurant. The last place you would expect credit card
fraud to happen. By the time he noticed they had charged him
double the amount for their dinner, it was too late to go back to
the restaurant. He rang me and we concluded that it must be a
mistake. It was later that we found out that the restaurant
owner’s reputation was a bit shaky. Apparently he frequently
overcharged customers in the hope they wouldn’t notice.
I don’t know. It’s a funny world we
live in.
Does this mean the internet is safe? Relatively yes, but
don’t forget, the Internet is an open field and there are some
bad elements out there.
We have been shopping online for years. We never had a problem
with credit card fraud on the Internet. But then again, we always
take precautions. From this point forward, you will see 10
checkpoints online merchants have to pass to secure our
business...
Will your credit card details be safe?
Reputable companies online know that one of the things
preventing customers from placing orders with them is customers
not been sure whether their credit card details will be safe.
Responsible companies have taken this concern onboard and have set
up their systems to provide the customer with maximum security.
How would you know if you are entering
your payment details on a secure page?
You should see a picture of a lock on the bottom right hand
side of your screen. This lock will appear on the page that you
fill in when ordering and ensures that your name, address and
credit card information is being sent to the online store through
encrypted code. This encrypted code means that a hacker will not
be able to steal your credit card information.
Does the online store value your privacy
and confidentiality?
Prior to the internet days, when I used to order something from
a mail order company, mysteriously I would be sent advertising
from companies that I hadn’t done business with. Back then I
didn’t know that companies sold your personal information for
advertising purposes to other companies.
Receiving junk mail was annoying but because of the cost
involved, it didn’t happen constantly. Imagine now if you do
business online with a company that doesn’t respect your privacy
and sells your email address.
Next time you open your email software, you are bombarded with
emails ranging from a dozen to hundreds. Now that’s not annoying
– it’s intolerable.
So moral of the story here, make sure your email address
won’t be sold. Ensure the online store has a privacy statement
which would state they will maintain your personal details in the
strictest privacy and confidentiality.
Does the online store have contact
details?
You may think, of course an online store would display their
contact details on their website. You would be surprised. I was.
No email address, nothing. This is a sure red flag.
Reputable companies will have contact details.
Do they have a refund policy?
Offline stores have a refund policy and you go into the store,
physically select the product and are then allowed to return it
for whatever reason. If a refund policy is important in offline
stores, it’s twice as important for online stores.
The internet in convenience surpasses the offline world when it
comes to shopping - but one thing it can’t match is that offline
you can physically touch the product. Therefore a refund policy of
30 days is great, more is better. No refund policy and I would
stay away.
Do they send you some sort of
confirmation when you place your order?
When you place your order what you need is something to tell
you they have receive it, a receipt if you like.
A reputable company will either issue you one via email or
display a new page of their website where they thank you and tell
you the order went through okay and your product is on its way.
When do they deliver?
What times do they deliver during the day? Do they deliver on
the weekends? Can you choose a time to have your gift delivered?
Will it be delivered personally to the recipient intended or will
the courier leave it outside their door?
How will your gift arrive?
If its flowers, will it come with a vase or in a nice box or
wrapped? Will your bouquet contain flower care instructions? How
about flower food to make your flowers last longer?
If you’ve ordered another gift product, will they wrap it? In
what kind of material will they deliver it? Do they tell you these
things on their website?
How long have they been in business?
This may not mean too much. There are companies that start off
and surpass all others. But perhaps for your peace of mind, you
may want to use an online store that has been in business for some
years. To check the history of the company is easy.
You can go to networksolutions.com
and click on "whois" on the top bar. You will be taken
to a page where you can enter the web address of the online store
you want to check and you will receive the relevant information.
Is the online store’s site easy to use?
Is navigating easy? Is looking for products easy? Do their
graphics download in a reasonable time? A sure sign of an amateur
sight is if they have their website cluttered with information.
Have they gotten any bad reviews?
A reputable company isn’t necessary one that hasn’t any bad
reviews to its name. It’s virtually impossible to please
everyone.
There have been companies I have bought from and absolutely
loved. So it surprises me sometimes when I stumble on a bad review
about their products or even bad comments about them.
So when is a bad comment about a company worth considering? I
take note of reviews where the writer complains of:
