Tips to Remain Safe While Shopping Online!

The online shopping industry is growing leaps and bounds despite a major concern over the insecure online transaction. This security issue looms large on the future prospect and expansion quotient of the sector. In order to reap maximum benefits out of your online shopping experience, you need to be careful in the selection of a secure and trusted online store and the payment methods opted by you. There are criminals on the lookout of your credit card number and other personal information at almost every site.

Some key tips to stay safe in the online stores:
- Avoid clicking on links and try to search for a website independently in the address bar. This will keep you safe from any malicious spam.
- Wait for the address bar to signal a green light which is an indication that the website you are visiting has passed sufficient security check and is safe to be visited.
- The ever-so reliable SSL padlock helps you in establishing the site's authenticity. It aids in the identification of the site's owner and SSL certificate issuing agency.
- It is advisable to avoid the use of a debit card while making your online payments as it helps criminals in directly fraud your account and in case of theft, money-back process is longer in case of debit card than credit card.
- Try to make maximum to most purchases from a single credit card so as to avoid the mixing up of credit card information and the daily purchase as well.
- It is considered secure to employ a separate email account while registering on the online shopping portals. The passwords used in these accounts should be different from other personal account details.

Unstable economy aids in online shopping boom

Recently, the world economy has been going through a lean patch, wherein a majority of the industries have been gravely affected by it. For most of us, there is a 'less-to-spend and more-to-buy' situation which has indirectly been benefiting a sector which has come out as a savior as well as a survivor in this economically slag phase, i.e., the online retail industry which has been progressing leaps and bounds even as other sectors are finding it hard to gain some ground in the constantly stumbling economy. Online consumers all around the world consider e-stores as the safest bet in getting the best deals for their hard-earned money.

Highlighting this fact, a recent Consumer Behavior Report by PriceGrabber.com proves that the tumbling economy has had a positive effect on the online retail industry. The report, aimed at exploring the effects of poor economy on purchase decisions, provided promising results that the consumer base has been shifting to the online domain in the quest for better deals to suit their pockets.

The survey included responses from a total of 7,170 online shoppers in which they were asked to give an account of their expenditure keeping in view the high growth in levied income tax and interest rates in almost every sector. This survey was aimed at getting an in-depth knowledge about consumer behavior and the effect of economical swings on it.

The survey found that online shopping has been continually helping the consumers in cutting back on their expenses even in the present state of the economy and growing inflation which has taken a toll on everyday consumer spending.

In this regard, there are many e-stores which remain committed in helping shoppers get fair deals and save their hard-earned money. Most of the shopping portals have come up with features like price comparison (ebay.in etc.), group bargains (Retailsdirect.com), special offers (Indiaplaza.com) and many others, for saving money and time for their consumers.

The survey is a clear indication of the booming online retail sector despite the sagging economy. It also shows that consumers continue to make “cutting back” a priority.

Features Your E-store Can't Do Without!

Now that you have added all the required features on your shopping portal, from the shopping cart to the wish-list, special offers to the group discounts and latest products to the social-networking facility, but are still lagging behind your counterparts. This could be in terms of both traffic and the overall sales. If yes, then I have some advice for you to step up your shopping portal, today!
In the e-commerce sector, it is vital that we keep a check on what is essential and what is desired by the consumers at the same time. Hence, revamping of your e-commerce site on a timely basis is important. Earlier, it was relatively easier to set-up an e-store, for the consumers which then led to the online retail growth did not want anything more than cheap prices and good quality. However, with the passagwe of time, there has been stiff competition among the retailers in the online domain. Therefore, fulfilling the consumers' expectations and their satisfaction is of utmost necessity today.
Some of the features your e-store can't without include:

- Interactive Online selling
Change is indispensable for the success of any business! You need to minus the 'monotony' factor and add a fresh lease of air every now and then. E-retailers should regularly revamp every aspect of the e-store every few days or at least every month. There are dozens of sections on the e-store which require a new look and a new set-up altogether.

- Use of Rich Media
Don't let it be so bland! Online stores have a serious drawback in the form of visual delight that a shopaholic gets from the physical proximity to the products he's about to buy. To lessen it's effect, the use of rich media like video, podcasts etc. are vital in bringing reality into the online shopping experience. Portals using high quality rich media also have a competitive edge over the more traditional and bland shopping portals.

- User-friendly tools
Adding comfort to your consumer's online shopping time! Ensure that your shopping portal is not difficult to navigate through and should have user-friendly shopping tools like no jarring during page transitions and or confusing error messages.

- Easy navigation and search
Help your consumer to dig through your products easily! There are the two major factors working in favor of the e-stores in comparison to their physical counterparts, It is both time-saving and economical. It helps one find the products easily at a single click. Both search engines on shopping portal can end up in showing up irrelevant search results at most times. Advanced search and navigation technologies including the likes of visual search and color search are needed for providing easy-to-use interface to the online buyers.

- Social Commerce
Remember, shopping has been primarily a social activity? We are habitual in taking the advice of our friends and family before making a purchase and are also in the habit of sharing the same with them. Shopping, being a social activity calls for a social environment in the online medium as well. The experience of shopping is seclusion can never satisfy a true shopaholic. Therefore, being a Web-medium, community-based shopping can use the social networking tools to connect countless millions of people worldwide, sharing same interests and interests.

There Is More To E-stores Than Just Shopping!

In a bid to encourage the online shopping culture in India, I have been highlighting its importance as well as benefits to any regular shopper. Whether you are a ready-to-go shopper or someone who chooses shopping as a regular hangout option with friends, you need to know why the world around you is choosing the online format over its traditional counterpart.

In my last blog post, I mentioned to you about the incorporation of social networking into the shopping portals, to enhance the online buying experience. But there is more to these e-stores than just the number of products to choose from at a click of a button or making friends with shoppers. Today, e-stores are a collection of possibly everything and anything you need to know about a product, before and after its purchase.

Some of the many distinctive features of e-stores for the use of an avid shopper include:

- Expert product review sites
These sites serve as your shopping guide and offer opinions from experts. These sites are the review sites where there is an ordered collection of product and brand assessments. They compare products and identify the best for you.

- Consumer review sites
These sites offer real-world evaluations of a specific product. There are consumers or online shoppers who have actually purchased a particular item or have had enough online shopping experience to be shared with their fellow shoppers.

- Shopping bots:
These provide a detailed account of the available products across the e-commerce domain and provide price comparisons to the buyers for assisting them in finalizing the best deal for them

- Ratings sites
These are the ultimate sites for you to identify the best products in the online market and also rank your favorites for other shoppers. The rankings are given to the sellers based on consumer satisfaction.

- Browser Cookies
They aid the customers in avoiding filling out information every time they sign up on a website. They store your personal data for future use.

- Digital wallet:
It stores your purchasing information (including credit card numbers) and feeds it to online forms at your command.

Therefore, online shopping, unlike its offline version, is not all about fun and get-together. The idea of bringing the many facets of shopping and product knowledge together on a common platform is the basis of online shopping. The more serious and directional approach to the selection and purchase of an item is primarily accomplished through this medium which is far more compact and easier than shop - hopping.