Online shopping has seen skyrocketing rise in sales on the onset of corona virus. People were afraid of wandering out of home for making purchases in the brick-and-mortar shop. It can be observed by the message of the leading online grocery stores as follows:
On 25th March, 2020, a grocery Company – leaves message “We’ll be back soon! We are currently experiencing unprecedented demand. In light of this, we are restricting access to our website to existing customers only. Please try again in a few hours.” Such overwhelming response was driven by a steep rise in demand amid COVID-19. Another online grocery store company says – “Due to the sudden rush, we have stopped servicing many locations, but we are working to increase capacity and will be resuming operations shortly.” One of the leading ecommerce retailer worldwide announced on its site that the customers are relying on them like never before in their social distancing and self-quarantine efforts.
Hence they have temporarily prioritizing its available fulfillment and logistics capacity to serve essentials such as household staples, packaged food, health care, beauty and hygiene, personal safety and other high priority products. It is temporarily going to stop taking orders for lower-priority products.
Shopping for goods and online grocery store offers a myriad of benefits, like convenience, greater selection, and exclusive offers or discounts. The popularity shows constant growth, especially when social media has established a strong platform for shopping.
At the time when online shopping has gained momentum, we must observe both the bright and the dark sides of online shopping. As the number of online grocery shoppers increased, the number of scams also increased in immediate past.
To be a smart shopper, go through the pros and cons and enjoy the benefits of online grocery shopping without falling victim of e-commerce scams.
Pros
- Hassle-free shopping
- Product reviews
- Free shipping
Cons
- Return fees
- Sales tax and other charges
- Fraud prone
Pros of Online Shopping
Hassle-Free Shopping
Online grocery store shopping is so convenient mode that you completely avoid crowds and tumbling among people. You can shop from your comfort zone of bed and couch at home or in your office. This virtual shopping makes you browse oodles of articles with your finger tips rather than searching through rack in brick and mortar shops.
Product Reviews
There is one of exiting online grocery store shopping benefits that you can review to get all the information on the products and shop one you’re interested in. Basketor, the online grocery store lets its customers to share their experience which helps the future visitors to purchases smartly and get online shopping benefits. According to marketing consultancy BrightLocal’s 2020 Local Consumer Review Survey,” It’s beneficial for small businesses, too. Eighty-seven percent of consumers read online reviews of local businesses.”
Free Shipping
Free shipping the real stimulator and one of the key drivers of online grocery store shopping benefits. It accelerates sales for the customers make more purchases when they find free shipping options on their favorite online grocery shopping store. Eighty-four percent of respondents reported specifically making a purchase because free shipping was offered, and 77% of consumers said they have abandoned a purchase as a result of “unsatisfactory” shipping options reported by Austin, Texas based company.
Cons of Online Shopping
Return Fees
The refund policies of online shopping or online grocery store shopping make a major difference to decide your purchase. Sometimes a defective item makes you pay out of your pocket for the postal service you return. It is key player for the online grocery store that you will not accept stale produce which is not eatable.
Always keep an eye on the return policies of the online shopping while making purchase on the online grocery store or other online shopping if you want to avoid extra burden on return fees.
Sales Tax and Other charges
It is always observed that online shopping has more discounts and offers that the offline stores but all the products on the online grocery stores are taxable. In addition to that, sometimes, international and interstate shipping make online purchase more costly, for example, sellers have to pay a 5% transaction fee that they may add into the price of the item they purchase from Etsy, the famous e-commerce website for makers and creators across the globe.
Fraud prone
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there were 4.8 million identify theft and fraud reports in 2020, most of which occurred online.
The online shoppers must be aware of the websites that demand more personal information than your name, address and credit card number. As soon as such fraudulent site request you more information, leave it without making any purchase otherwise you may fall prey to them.
Millennials, or those 1980s and 1990s, are 25% more likely to fall victim of online fraud than those 40 or older, while older people more likely to lose larger amount of money when they are targeted cyber criminals.
Tips to get benefitted of online shopping
Undoubtedly, online shopping benefits are more in number which attracts the customers however, very often it becomes a disgusting experience in the lack of information. To make you a smart shopper, we suggest the following points to keep in mind while shopping:
Beware of Fraudulent Retailers
The FTC alerts shoppers that email is not a secure method of sending credit card, checking account, or Social Security numbers to an online retailer. If a company asks you to email them your financial information, take it an alarm.
If you find any suspicious activity on your account, first check it with your bank for confirmation. Next, contact the ACFE, or your state’s consumer protection agency to file a complaint. Madhok recommends always paying by credit card online, as credit cards often provide zero-liability policies that makes you free of responsibility for most of the scams.
Buy Direct
It’s important to know whom you are buying from and to identify all the important details regarding the product you need to purchase. To avail the benefits of online grocery store shopping and reduce the additional cost, don’t go through a third party source to make a purchase. It does not matter which service you use, read the fine print to know the return policies, taxes, and any other charges.
Make Comparison
Registering for sales alerts via websites like Basketor or flipkart for instance, can make you known when the rate of an item lessens. Making proper comparison while shopping helps the online shopping beneficial and savings easy. It is not right to consider that Amazon always has an item for less than other online stores. It is mandatory to observe the during Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon kept the rates of many items higher than Basketor or some other online grocery stores.
Build a Relationship with Online Retailers
If there are certain online grocery stores you trust, support, and regularly purchase from, it’s better to stay connected and maintain a relationship with them. When you join email newsletters or rewards programs, for example, they will offer you first-look access to sales and discounts on certain items. Rewards programs tend to build customer-retailers relationship which is beneficial for both the parties involved.
Tips to Save Money Tips
Among all the online grocery store benefits, one can follow some important tips to save money while one makes purchase from an online grocery shopping store:
Shop Tax-Free
There are some online shopping stores such as Basketor that allow you to purchase some essential goods fruits and vegetables, staples and beauty products without additional fees. It also pays to keep an eye on the vendors who may charge taxes on top of any potential shipping charges.
Keep Coupon-Based Apps
There are some money saving apps such as Rakuten or Cashback Monitor that can multiply your savings with the online shopping stores which offer cash-back incentives. You should sign up for as many item-specific rewards programs as possible, such as Basketor, which specifically provides cash-back rewards while you make purchases for online groceries.
Online shoppers may take advantage of end-of-month credit card rewards programs that can earn discounts on the goods and services you use most, such as some items of Basketor online grocery store.
Track Purchases and Returns
Track your online purchases through apps like Slice that track every purchase you make online, so you can keep eye on your deliveries in real-time on a map. It keeps all of your email receipts and tracking information in a certain folder of your email account. This helps you to return something if you decide since the label is easily accessible through such apps.
