4 Hacks For Online Shopping A few ways to turn your regular online shopping into a budget-friendly-retail-therapy session. We have compiled a list of a few tips and tricks for you to shop till your heart's content without any guilt or regret.
By Kavya Pillai •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Technology is ever evolving and so are we. Gone are the days where you had to travel store to store, try a million outfits just to return home with one or sometimes none. With online shopping we can just relax on our couch and shift between brands and boutiques without leaving our house.
"Initially, I think all of us were a little skeptical about the authenticity of the products being sold online but since then e-commerce platforms have taken the effort to prove the authenticity of their products," said Muskan Chanchlani, a digital content creator about shopping virtually. Online shopping has become hassle free with its store to door delivery and order tracking. Also, options such as Cash on Delivery(COD) make it a good experience for all users.
However, there are still a few ways we can turn your regular online shopping into a budget-friendly-retail-therapy session. We have compiled a list of a few tips and tricks for you to shop till your heart's content without any guilt or regret.
1. Forget Items In Your Cart
In the sea of options of brands and styles, if you find something you like but can not justify the price, leave that item in the cart. Yes, you read that right! Leave it as with the advancement in technology, online retailers fixate on maximizing their sales. To do this, they cater to customer needs by analyzing shopping habits. If you leave some items in the cart and do not purchase them, the next time you are browsing the internet you will find a banner flashing a discount on those very items. Similarly, use your wishlist well. Create a good list of items you want and when sales roll in, the sites notify you about discounts and highlight those particular items more.
2. Read Reviews
"Never, I repeat never fail to read the reviews. Reviews are typically very honest; you may hear suggestions to choose a larger or smaller size. They could also be making hints about their level of satisfaction with the material, feel, or appearance," says digital content creator, Leisha Patidar. While shopping online, we are not the only customers and that is the best part. Depend on the online community for their reviews and ensure you know what you are paying for. These reviews will inform you about the material, size and other details that determine if the item is a good purchase for you or not.
3. Compare Prices
Online shopping is also a great way to save money, while you are not physically traveling to a store, you save on travel costs but you also are privy to gaining many discounts. If you feel you are not saving money while online shopping you may be making a very common mistake, that is, not comparing prices. Chanchlani says her biggest tip when it comes to online shopping is checking multiple platforms to see where she can get the best deals, " If it's not an immediate need I would also recommend waiting for a sale, we rarely get the offers and deals offline that we get online, during sales. So make the most of it!" Save money by simply putting the product on Google and checking other legitimate sites for their prices, you would be surprised to know the difference this makes to your pocket.
4. Ace The Fit
Our last suggestion to ensure your online shopping experience is good, is to ace the fit. Patidar says, "Always have your measurements in hand when shopping and compare them to the size guides for each brand." Shopping online is a boon but at times due to not trying clothes on we buy a size too big or too small. A good hack for this is to read the size chart carefully and measure oneself. You can also buy a cheaper item from a particular label that has the return policy available for it and note down your perfect size. The world is changing its image of bodies and beauty standards, prominent brands are working hard towards having a size best for eveybody, so do not settle for less.
