Marketing

Digital Shopping Without Borders - An Emerging Global Trend Among The Digital Youth

                 

Today, an evolution is occurring that will forever change the relationship between retailers and their customers. This new retail model, known as electronic commerce, consists of

- Mobile commerce supported by mobile devices and tablets

- Emerging social commerce platforms that bring together advertising, shopping and selling in a social media environment (s-commerce)

While the e-commerce piece of retail today is significant and a huge growth engine, the total impact of digital shopping on the retail enterprise today extends to the majority of retail sales. 

Digital shopping doesn't always lead to an immediate conversion but it does translate to influence throughout the path to purchase.

"The Indian e-commerce space is experiencing an exciting time where innovation is the key. Our research reveals that the advent of technology is slowly diminishing borders form digital shopping. Within the number of digital shoppers set to grow exponentially, it will lead to increase in the number of shoppers who shop from global retailers with online presence, as per managing director of PayPal India.

The emerging trends show that young consumers have developed a strong taste for shopping online. It has also been seen that the primary source of traffic for online shopping and social media activity are young consumers in the age group of 13 to 25. As a result of this, the number of online shopping platforms has increased and expanded dramatically over the last few years.

Benefits of Digital Shopping

Shopping online is better for many reasons. You don't have to go out to find what you want, you can avoid traffic, compare prices easily and get better discounts. However all this comes with risk of internet security. We are all familiar with phishing mails and the dangers of transacting on an unsecured site and using public computers or shared wi-fi connections.

Precaution to be taken

while doing digital shopping, people should be careful about the following:-

(a) Beware of devious discounts

You see a 40 percent discount sign and conclude you are getting a good deal. However, check the current market price of the product before clicking on the buy online button. Prices of products, especially electronics, fall within a few months of launch. Many websites, however, give discounts on the original maximum retail price.A simple solution is to compare the price on a site like http://www.junglee.com. Or, check out the price at your neighbourhood store. You may get a better deal there, especially if you go for an exchange offer. Also, find out about the site's business model. Is it an e-retailer, where the site is the seller, or a trading platform such as http://www.ebay.in/ where the site is just a middleman? In the latter, the guarantee comes from the seller and not the website facilitating the transaction. Similarly, complaints will have to be resolved with the seller, not the site that lists the product.

(b) Check for Coupons

While websites themselves offer discounts and deals, you can end up with an even better deal if you follow certain coupon websites. Few websites list deals and offers across different websites, product categories, even specific products. pick a deal from here before making the payment to save more money.

(c) Avoid direct bank transfers: Pay through official payment service.

Cash on delivery and net banking are the safest ways to transact online.However, if these options are not available, go for a virtual credit card. It is an add-on 'card' issued on your primary credit card. All relevant details are available only online. It has a validity of a few months and you can set a credit limit of your choice. A lot of shopping websites are following the marketplace model- they are essentially a platform for sellers to list the products they are selling. The website itself doesn't stock inventory, it monitors the order till it is delivered to you. A lot of sellers accept payments using credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, cash on delivery, or direct transfers to their bank accounts. Each shopping website has its own payment service through which you can pay using cards and wallets. The websites can then track the order status and help with refunds, if needed. Strictly avoid direct bank transfers, unless you know the seller really well.

(d) Shoddy security and privacy policy

Many websites require you to register before placing an order or even viewing products. The web merchant might ask you to enter personal details such as name and address. This should act as a red alert. Such information can be used to send spam mails. Don't answer questions that you think are unnecessary for processing the order. Moreover such sites require you to agree to certain terms and conditions. Read through these as you might be giving permission to share your details. E-merchants often share your information with affiliate companies. 

(e) Clear your browsing history daily

Have you ever wondered how e-commerce sites show you previous searches when you visit later? Websites use cookies and other technology such as pixel tags and clear gift to capture information to track shopping habits. Some of these cookies are saved on your system and are used to send advertisement banners and mailers, both by the site and third party sites with which the information was shared. You can opt out of this by changing your browser settings to not accept cookies. However, this usually means a poor digital shopping experience as parts of the site inaccessible. The middle path is to clear your browsing history daily.

(f) Don't forget to check the reliability of Seller

The ratings are good parameters to know the reliability of sellers as they are based on user feedback and how previous orders were executed. Any seller with a higher ranking will be a safer bet than one which has been flagged for wrong order delivery or poor quality products. For example, there may be five sellers on a particular web site selling a particular product. Always compare their ratings and go for the one which has a better past record.

(g) All about apps

Smartphone apps are a rage among shopping websites. Digital shopping sites have apps and some deals are available only through these apps. More so other players are also pushing apps. In essence, you can shop easily using your smart phone but always ensure that you running the latest version of the app. Keep looking for the update notifications whenever a new version is available-install these, because there may be critical security and usability updates.

Though the digital shopping has made the consumers life very easy but there are certain precautions to be taken before making a decision to purchase online. Now since we are completely in the digital world, the use of e-commerce can not be avoided. This is a simple time saving and cost effective way of shopping.