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What will you vì thế if you suddenly realize that there is no milk or bread in the fridge? Or, what if you just feel lượt thích having a burger but are too lazy lớn go out? The best option available with you is ordering the items ‘online’. And for this, all you need is lớn pick up your điện thoại thông minh, log in lớn the respective grocery or food online delivery tiện ích lớn order, and then receive your order in just the next couple of minutes. Isn’t this process ví simple and relaxing!! And, not just food or grocery, one can make quick online purchases for apparels, gadgets, electronics, furniture, books, footwear, accessories, jewelry, etc.
The exponential rise of digital literacy and awareness has made online shopping such an integral and inevitable part of our lifestyle. The biggest perk of this kind of shopping is that it can be done within minutes, at the ease and comfort of your house or wherever you are, by just clicking a tab.
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Online shopping was already on a boom, but post pandemic, it has undoubtedly taken the front seat and became the one of the most favored and chosen modes for purchasing things for the majority of people. According lớn India Brand Equity Foundation, the Indian e-commerce market is expected lớn reach USD 16-20 billion by 2025 and USD 350 billion by 2030.
The market of Indian e-commerce is rapidly increasing due lớn factors such as:
- Constantly increasing investment in the e-commerce space.
- Government initiative and policy tư vấn.
- High-demand and attractive opportunities due lớn Covid-19.
Pros And Cons of Online Shopping
Advantages of Shopping Online:
Convenient and Time Saving: Online shopping is super convenient and time-saving as it can be done 24*7, while being at home page, at work, in the xế hộp, at the movies, on holiday or from anywhere in the world you feel lượt thích. You can select the item as per your choice without any hassle of going lớn a mall or a physical store for buying a certain thing.
Affordable: Another great factor of online shopping is the affordability. There is a plethora of lucrative đơn hàng one can always find on online shopping websites, around the year. One can also avail these heavy discounts from various clearance sales, coupon codes, referral discounts, credit and debit thẻ discounts, which in turn, helps you purchase things at good and affordable rates.
Huge Range of Options: Online shopping provides you with umpteen range of options as compared lớn any offline stores such as showroom or mall. As online shopping is done via the mạng internet which itself is an endless medium that provides a wide variety of options at one go. This also helps the shoppers lớn make the best choice in terms of choice and pricing by getting in on the latest worldwide trends. Yes, just by sitting at your home page you can cửa hàng from retailers in other parts of the world.
Easy Returns and Exchanges: Shopping has never been this easier. Apart from easy deliveries, online shopping also allows hassle-free returns as well. If you vì thế not lượt thích a certain product, you can always state the reason and get it exchanged or return within a tight time frame. With just one click, you can replace the product and get it exchanged or return as per your wish. At the same time, one can track the order and delivery status from their shopping website
Option lớn buy or sell second-hand goods at cheaper prices: Second-hand shopping market is also picking up rapidly on the mạng internet marketplace. These online marketplaces give access lớn the listings of old, used or damaged products at much lower prices. And, from a seller point of view, one can sell their used products with an easy listing process at comparatively good prices. We all are aware of the fact that the hassle of selling old and damaged things offline is huge as compared lớn online websites.
What One Should Purchase Online?
- New or used electronic items or gadgets.
- Used or second-hand car
- Medicines only from reputed websites.
- Apparels, when you are sure about the size, color and style.
- Footwear, accessories and jewelry.
- Baby or newborn supplies
- Groceries or essential supplies.
- Art and fancy household artifacts.
- Books and novels.
- Airfare and khách sạn bookings.
- Insurance policies or mutual funds.
What One Should Avoid Purchasing Online?
- Heavy items or large appliances with expensive shipping costs.
- High priced items lượt thích luxury bags or costly fine jewelry.
- Prescription drugs.
- Fresh produce items such as fruits and vegetables.
- Things that need lớn be experienced first such as sun glasses, mattress, furniture etc.
- Any item or product that you haven’t experienced before such as perfumes, cosmetics.
- Pet animals.
- Real Estate.
Featured Partners
1
SBI Cashback Credit Card
Annual Fees
INR 999 + 18% GST (Renewal Fee Waived on INR 2 Lakh annual spend)
Features
5% Cashback on online* spends with no merchant restrictions
Additional Benefits
1% Cashback on offline* spends, 1% Fuel Surcharge Waiver at all petrol pumps in India
2
Axis Bank Ace Credit Card
Annual Fee
INR 499 waived off on annual spend of INR 2,00,000
Benefits
5% cashback on bill payments, 4 complimentary lounge visits per year
Other Benefits
1% fuel surcharge waiver at all fuel stations
Annual Fees
INR 499 + GST (Renewal Fee Waived on INR 1 Lakh annual spend)
Welcome benefit
Get Amazon gift thẻ worth INR 500
Additional benefits
10X Reward Points on online spends, 1% fuel surcharge waiver and INR 2000 e-Vouchers for spends of INR 1 lakh+
Things lớn Keep in Mind Before Making A Purchase Online:
- Be Secure: Always buy a product from a secured and well-established trang web. However, if you know the trang web is good and using it for the first time, then make a purchase, then it is advisable lớn go for ‘cash on delivery’ option (COD), where you make the cash payment only post checking the product. But if the trang web looks suspicious, always kiểm tra the URL which should begin with ‘https’ instead of ‘http’. ‘S’ here stands for secured trang web and if there is no ‘s’, which means the trang web is not at all secured and your information could be at risk of being stolen.
- Read the Details Carefully: Before selecting the product, always read the product details and its mô tả tìm kiếm carefully.
- Check Everything About the Product: Always kiểm tra the product reviews and ratings, especially when you are purchasing any kind of expensive product online. The reviews and ratings provide a fair idea about the quality and performance of a certain product from real consumers.
- Credit or Debit Card: It is advisable lớn use a credit card rather than vãn debit thẻ if you are planning lớn purchase a product online. If paid with a credit thẻ you still have a bandwidth lớn withhold the transaction in case of any fraud or hack happening via your online purchase. Also, be extra cautious, keep a kiểm tra on your ngân hàng statements and past transaction history, SMS and gmail notifications for every online purchase.
- Do Not Link Your Vital Information: Try not lớn connect or liên kết your credit thẻ or debit thẻ details, ngân hàng trương mục information directly with the trang web. While making an online purchase, it is advisable lớn fill in the thẻ or ngân hàng details afresh every time when you make the transaction lớn avoid any kind of fraud. To be on the safest side, you can always choose the COD option, which certainly saves a lot of trouble.
Bottom Line
Online shopping is definitely ví much fun and it certainly has a therapeutic effect on your mood too. It can also save a lot of your money and time, if done wisely. So, lớn have a happy and satisfied online shopping experience, you need lớn be a little cautious and careful lớn avoid unnecessary troubles.
Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We vì thế not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor vì thế we recommend or advise individuals or lớn buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Forbes Advisor adheres lớn strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all nội dung is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
Rashi Maheshwari is a former Deputy Editor for Forbes Advisor India.