Shopping Online is Convenient, Secure, Easy and Fun
Weekends come and go, and you wonder where the time went. Not having to travel and spend countless hours going from one store to the next to locate items would be a super time saver.
You know that shopping online would solve this. But you remain skeptical about buying things online. Identify theft is a major problem. To ease this concern, retailers employ highly secure shopping systems that encrypt credit card and other personal information. Shopping online has never been safer. It’s also more convenient thanks to major retailers and small businesses extending product offerings, services and perks onto the internet. The checkout process is easy and that virtual shopping cart is so much fun when you don’t have to push it around the store, or worse, carry a basket full of stuff you’ve grabbed because it’s on sale.
On the weekends, have your morning coffee, and browse the internet. Start with a well-known and established brick and mortar company. Put your feet up, relax, stay in your pajamas, and do some shopping. Have you noticed how major retailers are offering the same sales both online and in stores? Coupons can also be used online, just enter the coupon code. You would rather buy online than stand in line at the store.
You already know your size from having shopped in that store before, so go ahead and locate a pair of pants on sale and a nice blouse to go with it. Don’t forget accessories, such as shoes and handbags. Want to try a new exclusively online retailer? Some of these retailers offer free shipping, a generous return policy, and in some cases, free return shipping. It’s at least worth a try. You probably won’t go back to a store anytime soon after trying it out. No driving around for parking spaces, you stay parked in your home. Your car deserves better treatment so take it for long drives visiting a town you’ve never been to before or take the kids to a state park.
One fun aspect of shopping online is the virtual shopping cart. Go ahead and place what you will in that cart. If you change your mind, simply remove the items. No need to put it back where you found it either; or put it somewhere else and have the sales associate see it lying in a different area of the store, re-fold and re-stock it. We’ve all been guilty of this from time to time.
It’s perfectly normal to be skeptical of entering your credit card and other personal information online and then click “submit,” and hope for the best. You probably know to look for the “https” in the address bar. That ‘s’ means security, ensuring your information is encrypted, or translated into a special code or computer language. The retailer will usually reassure you that their shopping system is safe by pointing out the specific security features they employ. So look for these. If the website asks you if you would like to store your credit card information for convenient future use, you can decline this. That way, it’s not stored, but keep in mind you will have to enter it the next time you purchase something. That’s ok, though. Better safe, than sorry.
If you have reward points to redeem, you can do it online. Retailers may offer the same program. In some cases, they even offer more points for purchasing something online. Or they may offer a better price, an “online only” price. Benefits could be the same or better when shopping online. Coupons work much the same way except instead of the sales associate entering the coupon code into the register, you would enter it during checkout.
Sign up for retailer’s coupons and you will get them in your inbox as well as the mail. You can decide which is better for you and cancel the mailings resulting in your going green (but that’s another article). Some coupons sent via email are also good in stores, so print out what you want and for online purchases, simply use the coupon code. How easy and fun is that?
Shopping online can make your life easier and allow you to spend your weekends outdoors or working on a personal hobby or project. Retailers are constantly staying up to date with the latest trends in online security because identity theft affects everyone and it affects business. They understand your concerns. You are the retailer’s top priority and they know that by making their websites user-friendly, they will attract more business. They are continuously adding perks and programs to ensure customer loyalty and satisfaction. An enjoyable, secure, convenient and easy online shopping experience is now possible.