I Want To Shop On The Internet, What Tips Should I Know Before I Shop?

A lot of us are starting to shop more and more on the internet. We may have been initially reluctant or resistant to shopping on the net, but, after making a few purchases, we’ve become more confident. Well, that’s good isn’t it? We’re now moving into the millennium. Yeah, it is good, but, we could still use some helpful tips while we’re trying to shop, so here they are!

1) Do your research on the items you’re thinking about buying. You will find there are lots of companies vying for your money so make sure you check a few to get the best deals! Just key in the item you’re looking to purchase via your internet service provider and voila you should be able to check the prices, features and compare the items overall.

2) Before purchasing the product you plan to buy, check the company’s policy on how they will handle returns if you need to return the item you have ordered. How long do you have to return the item and how soon will you be credited or refunded your monies paid.

3) Be careful about how you are paying for your purchase. Make sure the provider company or payment servicer taking your credit or debit card is legitimate and well known! This will alleviate future problems down the line if you have a return and need a refund. A good way to check out the provider, company or payment servicer, is via the internet. Do a search to see if there are any complaints listed for the company.

4) Check on what you’re being charged for shipping costs! Make sure you’re getting a good deal on the product you’re ordering overall including any shipping costs being charged. It is noted that some companies don’t charge shipping costs if you order a certain amount product, are a new customer, or maybe they have a special promotion going on at the time where no shipping costs are charged.

5) When you are considering purchasing a product from a company, look on their website for business seals of approval from companies such as; Bizrate.com or the Better Business Bureau. This usually means that the company you’re thinking about purchasing from has a good customer satisfaction rating.

6) Make sure when you place your order that you keep copies of your online purchase receipts and any email confirmations of your order. Keep these records at least until you have obtained confirmation from your credit or debit card company showing a confirmation of the purchase made.

Shopping on the internet has made it possible for the consumer to have access to literally millions of products at your fingertips. It’s timesaving and easy to do in most cases! So, go ahead and enjoy your internet shopping experience today!

Internet Shopping Up Again!

Shopping on the internet has been increasing every year over the last five years, a new survey predicts another busy year for internet shopping in the UK. According to the results of an online survey of 3,012 shoppers by PriceGrabber.com, this Christmas shopping season promises to be the busiest yet for internet shopping.

We thought you may be interested to see what fellow internet shoppers are up to and why, or just enjoy the amusement value!

Key findings

- The average shopper will spend GBP 768 on their Christmas goodies, of which 50% will be purchased online (hmm...sounds rather high!)

- 93% of respondents expect to do more online shopping this year than last year, citing a growing dislike of stressful high street Christmas shopping and soaring petrol prices as two of the main reasons behind this move.

- Comfort and satisfaction with the online experience has also increased dramatically and 88% stated they would spend substantial time researching products and prices online before making offline purchases.

- Over 50% of those surveyed will have started their Christmas shopping by November 1st, with 40.1% having already started by early October. But despite this "pre-planning" mentality, 75% of respondents expect that they will still be buying gifts as late as five days before Christmas.

The top 3 reasons shoppers are most likely to buy their Christmas gifts online:

1. Convenience - eliminate hassle of driving/parking/crowds (36%)
2. Flexibility - shop 24 hours of the day (33%)
3. Finding low prices (19%)

The top 3 things shoppers dislike about shopping for gifts on the high street:

1. Waiting in lines (30%)
2. Finding the right selection of gifts for everyone (28%)
3. Lack of time to get it all done (20%)

Additional finding

- 46% answered yes when asked if they would do more Christmas gift shopping online specifically because of high petrol prices

- 42% of respondents say they will shop for gifts online while at work. 45.2% of men surveyed admitted that they will shop online
while at work, while only 34.7% of women will count on shopping online while at work as an option

- About the same percentage of respondents answered that they will buy Christmas gifts online this year for pets (17%) as they will for co-workers (18%)

Survey Methodology

This Christmas shopping survey was conducted by PriceGrabber.com in October 2005. The survey ran from October 12-19 October 2005. It was administered online among a random sample of individuals. The total sample size was 3,012 respondents, 1,045 females and 1967 males. The confidence interval for all results is 95% with a margin of error of approximately +/-3 percentage points for the entire sample. LONDON - BUSINESS WIRE Nov. 2, 2005