Articles by "online payment"
Showing posts with label online payment. Show all posts

at April 09, 2018



In this blog, I group the 6 methods of payments in two main categories:
  • The mixed virtual payments(which include the same time digital and physical).
  • The digital payments.

   

The Mixed Payment Methods

You can usually use a combined payment method in both online and physical stores. For example, the credit card can be used online but also in the physical stores.


1. Credit card 

People had started using the credit card at the beginning of the 1900s when the Western Union Company began issuing charge cards to its customers. After that, other financial companies followed, using these popular methods of payment in online shopping.

2. Money order (online wire transfer)

To use the online wired transfer to a seller, you usually need to open an account first before using this option in your shopping process.


Little story about a scam related to a money transfer request 
I remember a person who offered a lot of computer devices at a pretty low price in an auction website, but he wanted to be paid only by wired transfers; some people were very excited and decided to buy. The seller just took the money and never shipped any items! After a couple of days, I went back to this website and saw the comments (reviews) of some people who complained they had not received their items.


3. Interac

In your area, many banks may offer the online Interac to let you pay securely with your Interac account. Make sure your bank offers this service.
The Interac system will use the money from your bank to pay:

  • An online seller.
  • A service provider.
  • Someone who also uses the same service.

The virtual payment methods



Virtual payments are used when you buy only from online stores. They include many solutions offered by some companies and financial institutions.

4. PayPal 
PayPal is one of the most popular online payment methods. PayPal acts like a virtual bank to save your PayPal money, transfer money to other PayPal users, and pay your digital invoices. Please read the policies in the PayPal website for more details.


With PayPal, you can pay someone or an online seller with:
  • Your credit card by using PayPal as a payment gateway 
  • The bank account registered to your PayPal account
  • Your PayPal money you collect by selling goods to people or the money transfers you received. 
Furthermore, your PayPal money can be transferred to your bank account and vice versa.
PayPal also has the functionality to encrypt and memorize your bank account, so you can select it in the payment process. You are also able to store one or more credit cards securely with PayPal, and when it’s time to pay, you just have to choose which credit card you want to use while shopping.



5. Google Wallet 

The Google wallet, developed by Google, is another virtual payment gateway to complete your transactions. It acts almost like PayPal. The Google wallet module is included in your Google account. It uses single sign-on technology, so you won’t have to log in with multiple accounts.


6. Amazon payments

Amazon is an online payment offered by some webstores; it's mainly used by Amazon customers to pay the sellers with the same credit card information registered in their Amazon account, so they don’t have to re-enter their credit card numbers or mailing addresses.

In this blog, I include only the most popular payments. However, you can find other methods of online payment like the Bitcoin, etc.


Whatever the method of payment you use, make sure you know the best security tips to protect your financial and confidential information online!


Thank you for your reading time!

Mark M.

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at March 07, 2018

The 9[nine] main steps used by Tina to shop in an online store or in a physical store


This article introduces the comparison between physical shopping and online shopping.

Online and physical shopping journey

Are you new to online shopping or need to know what is behind the curtain?

 In the following table, you will discover the different steps used by the buyers when they enter a physical store and an online store. 

Tina will help us discover the comparison between online and physical shopping steps.



Please read carefully

Tina is visiting a physical store

Tina is visiting an online store

Tina enters the store and picks up a cart.

Tina uses a navigator to do an online search to find a store. She wants to visit the webstore.

Tina signs up for membership in store.

Tina has the choice to create an online account to receive promotions and newsletters.
She will fill out a form to complete the registration process.

Tina walks into the store to see or check her items.


Tina does an online search or clicks the main categories of the web store to see the items listed. She can also make an online search on the store's website to find the items faster.

Tina picks up her items and places them in the cart.

Each times Tina finds the desired item, she adds it to his virtual shopping cart.

Tina goes to the cashier to pay her items.


Once she finishes her item selection, Tina clicks on the shopping cart to check the amount to pay.

Tina pays her items with her debit or credit card.

Tina chooses a method of payment (Credit card, PayPal, wire transfer, Interac) to complete her order.

Tina goes back home and enjoys her item!

Tina chooses the delivery options according to her needs.

Tina goes back to the store to return her item.

Tina receives the order, but there was a mistake. She fills out a claim like an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) request to return the item to the seller. She can also use an online order cancellation form to proceed.

Tina goes back to the store to get her item changed.

Tina also has the choice to request online an item exchange.
As you can see, there is not a significant difference between online and physical shopping. The process is almost the same; however, there are many differences related to the advantages and disadvantages offered by each of them. See more details in the following comparison tables.

comparisons between online and physical shopping

Online shopping 

Advantages

Disadvantages
The visit of an online store takes less time.
It’s impossible to touch or try an item. However, you can search for a video preview of people who tried it.
Fast online profile creation.
Price varies from one site to another.
Customization of your items and also your online customer profile.
Additional delay in returning an item in some particular cases.
Your purchase history is always available.
Price's negotiation available only by email, chat or phone.
Cost summary, you can see the cost of your orders.
Cannot see and touch an item.
Customer comments and reviews are available online. You can see the feedback left for an item.

Access to many online discounts

Stock status is available in real time.

Delivery at home or pick up in store, available at some places.

Online price comparisons to find the better price for an item.



Physical shopping

Advantages

Disadvantages
It’s possible to touch and try your item in a store.
More time required if you have to visit many stores.
There is no long form to fill out when you need to return your item.
No history of your order, so you may have to keep your files manually.
You can negotiate the price on an item right away.
Unknown stock status.
You can’t predict if the item will be in stock.
You have to go back to the store to return an item.
You can see and check the quality of your item.
It may take more time to compare your prices.


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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