Articles by "how to buy online"
Showing posts with label how to buy online. Show all posts

at July 16, 2017

3 Proven Online Shopping Models to Know
In this post,  Tina will introduce three online shopping models:
  1.        Mobile shopping
  2.        Online auction shopping
  3.        Classified shopping

mobile shopping1. Mobile-based shopping


Believe it or not, the increase of mobile phones in the world has influenced the growth of the people who use their mobile devices to shop online, and this will continue to grow in the future. Now, people are using their smartphones and tablets to visit many stores and to buy in webstores.

Mobile shopping is also boosted by social media networks, where people can share their positive and negative online experiences. Mobile shopping also offers applications to get direct access to online stores, so you can shop the same way you would using your computer.

Mobile-based shopping is effortless, and the steps to proceed are the same as on your computer.

According to the Statista website, the Mobile phone Internet was 52.7 % in 2016 and should be 63.4 % in 2017. That means the Mobile Internet is growing, and it will be the same for Mobile shopping.
   
online auction shopping

2. Online Auction Shopping 




In an auction shopping website, you can place a bid to get your item at a low price. A bid is a price you offer for an item until the sale expires. The bidder who offers the best price at the end of the bid wins it.

Online auction websites, like eBay and eBid, usually have fantastic deals where you can save money. You will need a PayPal account or a credit card to complete your payment.

There are several auction websites. Just do an online search, and you’ll find other interesting ones.


     
classified shopping

3. Classifieds shopping  

A classified website is an online place where buyers and sellers are dealing to buy and sell used and new items (usually in good condition).

In a classified internet site, you don’t pay online; you have to make an appointment and meet the seller.





classified online shopping useful advices

Five useful pieces of Advice to remember when you buy in a classified website

       
1. Don’t pay online in advance (for example, by money order, PayPal, credit cards, etc. ). You may never get your item.

2. Don’t give your personal and financial information (full name, full address, credit card number, PayPal, etc.)

3. Pay in cash as much as possible.

4. Try to know the reason the person is selling his item and make sure it is not stolen.

5. For your safety, avoid unsafe places when you meet your seller and use public places like a mall, a restaurant, public parking, a mall parking, etc.






Thank you for your reading time!



Mark M.


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at July 05, 2017

6 [six]Common Steps You Can Use To Complete a Successful Shopping Process

The Buyer's Journey
6 Common Steps You Can Use To Complete a Successful Shopping Process


This article is written primarily for those who are not familiar with the online shopping. However, if you are an experimented online buyer, I invite you to read the other articles where you will find many proven tips and tricks on:
  • The best strategies to shop and negotiate with your online sellers.
  • The correct times to find the best prices.
  • The latest security best practices, etc.
For those who need to know the proven steps to shopping online, let's continue to discover the buyer’s journey which contains the six following main steps usually used  to buy your items in a web store:

  1. Search for products 
  2. Take a look 
  3. Make a comparison 
  4. Validate items' quality 
  5. Complete the shopping process (add item to cart, sign up or sign in, pay) 
  6. Follow-up (delivery, return, exchange) 
1. How to Search for products
Your online shopping process will usually start on research for an item,  product, service; you need to buy. 
How to do an online search


Below are five practical ways to perform an online search with a search engine: 

A. Simple search

Here you just type the word or the group of words you need to search for your online shopping.

Example: 
  • You enter the address of a search engine like www.google.com or yahoo.com or bing.com
  • You type in the search box 'Lenovo tiny m700' then you start your search.
Your results will be displayed according to the algorithms of the search engines.

B. Search with " "

Example: "shopping online 2014,"
This search will display a result for all websites that contain exactly the words between the " " signs in the same order.

C. Search for the minus sign -

Example: shopping online - 2014
The minus sign before 2014 excludes all results that contain the words 2014.

D. Search for the sign ~

Example: shopping online ~ laptop
The ~ sign before 2014 includes synonyms of the words after the ~.
In this example, you can get the word notebook in your display result.

E. Search for the sign *

Example: shopping online *
The * sign will include all websites that contain the word shopping online.

Search results
Your search engine will display a list of websites, and you will have to select the one that will best fit your needs. In our example, you type the information to find (1), then you confirm your search with the magnify (2). A list of website links will be displayed so you can choose the one that is suitable for your item (3). Click on the website you need to visit.
Online search results

 If you know the name of your website, you can type it directly in your browser.

    2.  Take a look

Once you click on the website you are looking for, you can display the item’s description (1), get a preview (2) (See the image below).
online store page structure


 To find a particular item you can:

   A. Go to the main page (3) of the online store and click on the categories and sub-categories until you find your product.

B. Use the online store search box (4) to type your product name and click on the magnifying glass to display the result of your search.

The second option may take more time; you can use it if you are just surfing the store's website to take a look. Most sites also display other featured items (5) on the same page.



3. Make a comparison
After displaying your item on a website, it’s possible to compare it to other items on the same site or articles from other sites: 
  • For internal comparison, you can do a search through your website or look for the comparison button if available.
  • To compare your item with another online store, you will need to visit a price comparison website.
4. Validate items' quality
You can make a search on YouTube or perform an online search to get more feedback related to your product. Sometimes, many people have published their demonstration or comment about your item in YouTube, Vimeo, the store website, a blog, or a community forum.


5. Terminate the shopping process (add item to cart, sign up or sign in, pay)

  • After comparing and checking, you can return to the website you were visiting and click the button to add your item to your cart.
  • You click your shopping cart to validate the price of each item, the total cost of your order, and the taxes. Some websites will also show you the number of items added to your cart.
  • Once you click on the shopping cart icon; you will have the list of articles displayed on your screen so you can pay your order (also called Checkout). You can use the Checkout button to complete your order, but if you are a new buyer of this online store, you should create an account (Sign up) before paying.
Add item to shopping cart

  • Look for the “Sign Up” button (or create an account) before paying. At this step, you’ll fill out a Sign-Up form to create a username, a password, and enter your name, shipping address, email, phone number. If you already have an account, you can just Sign in (access your account).

Example of Sign up forms

Sign up - online form 1
  


Sign up - online form 2

Sign up - online form 3



You will also get another page to enter your payment/billing information (credit card details and billing address) or use a payment gateway like PayPal. Google Play, Amazon payment.


Online shopping - billing payment step

payment gateway, billing address

6. Follow-up (delivery, return, exchange)

The follow-up steps include the following steps you may have to do after receiving your order:
  • You will receive by email your order confirmation number and later your shipping confirmation that includes the tracking number related to your order.
  • You will be able to track your order in your online store or the Shipping provider (Ex: Canada post, USPS, …). 
  • Once you receive your order, you will be able to verify if the item delivered working well. 
  • You have the option to return, exchange or cancel your order before a delay usually established by the seller. Make sure you read the policies to avoid surprises. 

Thank you for your reading time!

Mark M.




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