Things to Look for as an Online Shopper (Part 2)
Shopping will always be a part of my life. I love shopping, I mean, who doesn’t? There’s something about it that makes me feel better. Considering that I’m too busy to do it nowadays, one would think I’d finally resort to simply going the online route since I’m practically on the Internet most of the time. But like I’ve mentioned, I’m still no convert.
To continue with the five (5) things I’m looking for as an online shopper, here are the remaining two (2) things that may help push me to do more of it:
Shopper-oriented features
I like shopping carts, transaction history, shopper profile and suggested items. I like the idea that a site offers such features that make shopping a little more personal. Allowing the data easily accessible will definitely make my online shopping experience a whole lot more better since, in some odd way, it makes me feel a little bit more in control of how I shop and what items I’d buy. These features make it easier to browse through catalogs of inventory. I’d also love it if the site has features that would allow me to share certain items with friends across other social sites I belong to like Facebook or Twitter. I like reading through reviews and comments on each item and not just those “is this still available sis?” sort of comments, know what I mean? Getting to read a sentence or two about the product I’m interested in will help in the decision making process.
Convenience
Convenience is the bottom line. One of the key things that holds me back from becoming the full-fledged online shopper that I know I can be is the lack of this very thing. If altogether the experience will not offer a convenient way of shopping, I’d choose the mall instead. If the site offers payment options that would require me to go to the bank or pick up my mobile phone, or buyer assistance would mean checking my email or phone constantly only to find out that I’ll get it more than 24 hours after, then shopping from that online store is not my cup of tea. Heck, if I had the time to go through all that trouble, then why not go to the mall instead? It’s actually great to explore flea markets, boutiques or sale events simply because I get to do it with friends or might discover fabulous finds along the way. But we all know that we don’t have the time all the time, yes? So yeah, even when I do have the money and I’m online most of the time, I can go for weeks (and even months) of not shopping if I haven’t come across a site that offers a convenient way of shopping.
Online shopping in Manila or make that for the entire country, the Philippines, will gain more traction as we embrace this activity more. I’m sure we’ll soon find out that there’s a site, an online seller or an online shopping portal that will offer the very things that we’ve enumerated. There are thousands of online buyers raring to go shop online given the right service offering.
