How to be a Smart Online Shopper

Add to cart. Click to buy. Ship to home. Repeat.

For many of us, this has become an all-too-familiar routine in our household. A recent survey revealed that 62% of online buyers shop at least once per month, with 26% shopping online at least once a week.¹ Those numbers skyrocketed in 2020 due to COVID-19, with consumers increasing their online spending by 160% during the pandemic.² But just because shopping online can be considered safer than shopping in stores from a health perspective, it could be unsafe in other ways if you’re not careful.

If you’re finding yourself shopping online now more than ever before, here are steps you can take to keep safety and savings a priority:

Shop safely

Protecting your personal and financial information should always be a priority when shopping online. Cybercriminals use a variety of methods, such as fake websites and checkout pages, to steal sensitive information from online shoppers. If you know the warning signs of a fake website, you should be able to identify a potential problem before it occurs.

In addition to Internet browsing, be cautious when online shopping via public Wi-Fi networks. Cybercriminals often target places like coffee shops and hotels to create bogus Wi-Fi connections in order to steal information.³ The security of your internet connection is just as important as the security of the website you visit.

To help you shop safely, consider these precautions:

• Research the website – If you’ve never shopped at a particular website before, do some quick research to make sure it’s a trustworthy online retailer. Here are some ways to check if a website is legitimate.

• Look for the lock – To protect your credit and identity, ensure your connection is encrypted by looking for a lock symbol or confirming that the web address starts with “https.” If you don’t believe the connection is secure, avoid submitting your personal and financial information to the website.

• Use strong passwords – To best protect your information, create strong passwords for each of your retail accounts. Also, use different passwords for all of your accounts in case one of them is compromised.

• Read the privacy policy – Some websites may collect your personal data and sell it to third-party advertisers.⁴ If the privacy policy does not clearly state what data the company collects and how they intend to use it, consider using a different website.

Compare prices

When it comes to finding the best price for a product, comparing competitor prices side-by-side is a great approach. However, trying to organize all of that information yourself can be confusing. To find the best overall price in a fast and easy way, try using a comparison-shopping engine (CSE).

CSEs work by collecting product and pricing information from participating online retailers. When an online shopper searches for a product in a CSE, it will organize and display all of the offers it has for that product. This makes it easy to compare prices, view shipping options and read reviews.

Some of the top comparison-shopping engines include:⁵

• Google Shopping
• Yahoo Shopping
• Bizrate
• Shopping.com

For other ways to get more bang for your buck, check out this guide to money-saving websites.

Read customer reviews

In the world of e-commerce, customer reviews can offer a wealth of insight into a product, service or company. The ability to read about someone else’s shopping experience can give potential customers a glimpse into what they might encounter. After all, both positive and negative reviews can be useful when making a purchasing decision.

Positive reviews can build trust and provide assurance that you’re making the right decision. Negative reviews, on the other hand, can identify flaws in the product or reveal mistreatment by customer service. As you read through each set of reviews, look for repeated compliments and complaints and those that may address a question you have.

To highlight the importance of reviews for online shoppers, here are some statistics from a recent survey:⁶

• 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses
• The average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business
• Only 53% of people would consider using a business with less than four stars
• 67% of consumers have been asked to leave a review for a business, with 24% being offered a discount, gift or cash in return

Join loyalty programs

If you shop at the same online retailers over and over, find out if they offer a loyalty program. Many retailers offer immediate perks for purchases, but others may reward you for referrals, social shares and reviews as well. Some programs may also let you accumulate points to earn more exclusive rewards in the future.

Here are some examples of what a loyalty program could offer you:

• Limited-time offers
• Special coupon codes
• Advanced notice of sales
• Free shipping

Use your best judgment

To be a smart online shopper, it takes more than finding the best deals. The next time you plan to buy something online, keep these tips in mind for a safer and more productive shopping experience.

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This article has been updated from its original posting on April 17, 2017. Matt Diehl contributed to this article.

1 https://www.episerver.com/reports/reimagining-commerce-report
2 https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2020/07/08/new-and-occasional-online-shoppers-turn-to-ecommerce-during-the-pandemic/
3 https://www.lifewire.com/dangers-of-evil-twin-wi-fi-hotspots-2487659
4 https://www.fastcompany.com/90310803/here-are-the-data-brokers-quietly-buying-and-selling-your-personal-information
5 https://www.shopify.com/blog/7068398-10-best-comparison-shopping-engines-to-increase-ecommerce-sales
6 https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/