Online shopping is definitely convenient especially for busy people who do not have time to go to the mall. With online shopping, we can buy everything and anything in just a few clicks and the best part is that we can do it anytime and anywhere even before sleeping or during traffic. With the growing number of online consumers comes the rise of various online shopping sites too. However, it is important to be careful and meticulous as to what sites to trust and support. In this article, we will share some guidelines in checking if a website can be trusted or not.
- It should have SSL certificate – first thing to check is if the website has secured connection. Since you will be putting in personal details as well as your credit card details, you must double check that the website has ssl certificates. This allows secure connections from a web server to browser keeping all data secured. To know if the website has ssl certificate, you must check the URL and you should see it as https and it has padlock in the the address bar.
- Products must be authentic with complete details and photos – next, you should check the products that they offer. It is important to check the details including description about the product as well as photos. You should check everything from size, colour and others.
- Complete contact details must be listed down in Contact Us page – it is also advisable to check out the Contact Us page. A reliable website must have complete contact information from email address, office address, phone number or mobile number so users can easily contact them. Of course you should check out if the numbers are working and the address is legit.
- They should respond to queries within 24-hour period –next, it is best to test if they respond to their customers’ queries. The response should be within 24-hour period to know that they are attentive. You must know for sure that in case something happens that you can contact their support team and you will receive a response.
- Read their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy – you should know your rights as consumer so be sure to take time and read their Privacy Policy and Terms of Service pages. It is advisable to save a copy in case you need it in the future.
- Read FAQ section –since you are new to the site, be sure to read Frequently Asked Questions and see the answers that might be helpful for your own experience in the website.
- See testimonials from other customers – lastly, it is recommendable to read reviews or testimonials from past and present costumers. This way, you will get ideas about the website.
It is fun and convenient to shop online but since you are paying real money, and you are entering personal and billing details, you must be extra careful to know who to trust. There is nothing wrong in supporting new websites but make sure that they are reliable by checking the things that we discussed here.