In this article, we are going to discuss the advantages of online shopping and provide you with some valuable safety tips to ensure your transactions are as secure as possible, for a pleasant and risk-free experience.
Let’s start with the advantages:
1. Lower prices
Online shopping can reduce overhead costs thus lowering the acquisition prices for you.
2. Online coupons
You can save additionally with online coupons or coupon codes. Coupon codes are texts issued by specific online retailers that you can apply at checkout and get a discount for your purchase.
3 Research options
Online retailers publish more information about their products on their websites than in a print catalogue.
4. Increased selection
An online search can lead you to the right products having the most affordable prices.
5. Saves time
You can make the purchase from the comfort of your home. Thus you save time with traveling, parking, and walking.
6 Convenience
Online stores are open 24/7, regardless of your time zone.
7 Environmental friendly
Studies have led to the conclusion that online shopping reduces fuel consumption and air pollution as you don’t have to use your car to go to the store.
The most important security tips when you decide to make an online purchase:
1. Common sense
- Now hopefully you already know this, but you should never give out your credit card number, social security number, or any other sensitive personal detail via email. In fact, you should never provide your SSN to make any online purchase.
- If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is… or, maybe not. Double check the website, look for reviews, and see what others say about that particular page or website.
- Don’t use public unsecured WIFI access to make online purchases. A wrong person could easily see your credentials.
2. Use strong passwords
Using strong passwords should probably fall under common sense. Unfortunately, this practice is not so common. People tend to use weak passwords and login credentials, thus encouraging and facilitating unauthorised access to their online shopping accounts. However, it’s a good idea to use strong and different or unique passwords for each site to minimize the risk of fraud.
3 Stay updated
- Make sure your operating system and your Internet browser are updated with the latest security fixes and patches. Out of date software can leave some opportunity for unwelcome viewing or access by third parties.
- In addition to this, make sure you use a solid antivirus or internet security suite along with anti-malware software. You can choose from a wide range of well-established security software providers.
4. Look for the lock
- Under no circumstance buy anything from a website that doesn’t have at least the “https://” in the website address. Take into account that even if it does, it does not mean it is a 100% secure but most web browsers like Google Chrome have a lock icon showing that the site has been verified as a secure connection.
- It’s also a good sign if the website allows you to use a payment service like PayPal since they often provide additional security layers and liability coverage.
5. Use credit, not debit
If you want to do it responsibly, use a credit card online instead of a debit card. If you use a credit card, your liability for fraudulent charges or transactions is capped at only $50 as long as you report the fraud within 30 to 60 days, depending on the card issuer. Debit cards, on the other hand, don’t necessarily work that way, and your bank account can be cleaned out if that card number falls into the wrong hands.
If you find these tips interesting and useful, or you have questions, don’t forget to leave a comment in the section below.
