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How to Optimise your Online Shopping Experience
Author: Adrian King
Internet shopping is now a common and convenient pastime on a global scale. However, it is not always safe and the results
are not always satisfying, or even satisfactory. By careful observation and research, it is possible to avoid frustrating
and negative online shopping experiences. One means of providing yourself with the best possible chance of experiencing
exclusively positive and enjoyable online shopping is to develop the routine of employing a checklist of criteria for
gauging the shopworthiness of ecommerce websites. In other words, you can follow a routine checklist to judge whether or
not it will be worthwhile purchasing from the ecommerce website of any particular online vendor.
The bottom line involves security and privacy with both credit card details and personal information. This first criteria
(or way of judging) for shopworthiness on your checklist includes finding and reading the shop's privacy policy because you
would not generally want to give your personal details to a business that shares your email address and other contact
details with the highest bidder. This openly invites spam emails from unsolicited, though often rampant, email and Internet
marketers. Also read the company profile or "About Us" page and ensure that the full range of business contact details are
provided on the site, including not just an email address, but also a real-world street address and a phone number. These
particulars can be checked through reputable and reliable sources such as the official Yellow Pages phone directory online.
Be alert to any available details about their transaction security (including the little lock displayed at the bottom of
your browser window when you are in a secure site). https:// (instead of http://) at the start of a web address in the
address bar near the top of your browser window is another clear indication that the page you are on is a secure one,
protected by 128-bit encryption. This security is absolutely essential for the page on which you provide credit card
details, otherwise these details are open to exposure to anyone attempting to intercept your activity on the net. Online
Payment Services such as PayPal and Paymate provide reputable and trustworthy security for credit card payments and money
transfers between online shoppers and online merchants.
The second criteria on the shopworthiness checklist is the clarity and detail of product descriptions and information
(including product image displays and stated delivery times). Reasonable purchasing decisions on the part of net shoppers
require sufficient information to allow for precise product and price comparisons between goods or services in an online
shop and similar goods and services in other shops, both online and bricks-and-mortar. Using a currency converter, which is
typically made easily available by professional international ecommerce/shopping sites, is often essential for making price
comparisons. A vendor's product displays and shopping cart need to clearly state the currency of the marked prices. Also
ensure that you are aware of any add-on taxes and shipping costs.
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A third checklist criteria for judging shopworthiness is prior knowledge, whether it be recommendation by a trusted source
(such as a reputable magazine or website), a reputation which precedes a vendor, or previous first-hand experience with a
particular merchant. This covers faithfulness of product descriptions to goods delivered, promptness of delivery,
communication & response to you as a customer. Reputation involves the trustworthiness of a brand, order fulfillment,
fulfillment of customer expectations and general customer service. If you have prior knowledge of a particular online
vendor, does that knowledge engender trust and confidence in the vendor.
Shopworthiness checklist criteria number four is ease of site navigation and smooth functionality of shopping cart. If a
shop cares about its customers, it will allow them easy access to the product range, available product choices, a basket in
which to gather their goods together (shopping cart) and an uncluttered sales counter (checkout which provides a clear
purchase summary and a single receipt of payment for the whole transaction). You should also expect to receive prompt
emails for confirmation of order & payment and confirmation of dispatch.
The four checklist criteria for shopworthiness can become part of your mental checklist when deciding whether or not a
particular online shop is worth shopping at. A quick, systematic routine of observation and on-site research can certainly
help to optimize your Internet shopping experience in terms of safety, satisfaction and enjoyment.
Adrian King is the Sales Manager for Australia Gift Shop, an online gift and souvenir shop based in Bundaberg in the state
of Queensland in Australia. The online shop at www.australiagift.net began operations as part of the Web Design firm,
PlanetPilgrim.com ( www.planetpilgrim.com ), in August, 2000. It retails gifts from Australia which mainly feature the
traditional designs of the indigenous people of that continent, the Australian Aborigines. The product motifs have been
drawn and painted by Aboriginal artists on the east coast of Australia.
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