IF YOU'RE NOT AN E-SHOPPER...

If you're not an e- shopper...

...then you're wasting quite a lot! A lot of money, time and yes...energy for sure! How does it feel standing in the long queues at the billing counter of your nearest retail store... tiring? Or for that matter seeing your friend get the latest mobile handset at a much cheaper price than you... frustrating? And it surely doesn't feel good to hear 'out of stock' and 'no variety' from your retailer when you are in grave need of a product.

A word of advice for you... just relax and go e-shopping!

Today, online retailing has given a new dimension to the sale and purchase of a product. In India, the Internet is expected to grow exponentially from the previously reported active internet user base of 46 million to cover 120 million of the population by the end of 2008, according to an ASSOCHAM report. Out of this, a very small number actually buy products from an online store. The rest prefer to face the real-life adversaries rather than trusting these virtual stores. The question is: Where does this lack of trust stem from?

A Majority of today's well-equipped shopping portals have in- built secure and safe methods of protecting customer information and the money transaction details. Your security actually depends upon the site or portal that you choose to buy from and how careful you are during any such transaction and correspondence. Like I just said, regardless of the many apprehensions, millions still buy online and are satisfied customers.

Here are some tips to check how secure a particular e-store is:

1. Does the e-store have proper security seals for customer information? Check if the information is sealed and secure from the reach of hackers.
2. Evaluate the authenticity of testimonials attached to it, if there are any. An open platform to voice opinions builds up significant credibility. This will certainly prove the credibility of the website.
3. Does the e-store provide follow-up information regarding the shipping and delivery of the purchased item? How detailed is the information? Can you contact them for any further assistance? It is important to be able to get in touch with the portal, in case of any shipping/ delivery or other problems.
4. Also check whether transaction history can be accessed from time to time during the course of shipping of the purchased item.
If you have more tips to share with the better half of the Indian population who are still unaware of the advantages of online shoppers, and also know a few more safety tips, feel free to add to this post.

Happy e-Shopping!!!

Online Shopping Store