Shein? Romwe? Amazon? eBay?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, people have been forced to stay home and find ways to spend their extra time. With malls and stores being closed for months and only beginning to open in most cities over the past few days, people have switched to online shopping as a method to purchase their essentials and other items.
According to Absolutnet’s COVID-19 x eCommerce Report, online revenue has doubled since March 11th, the day the World Health Organization officially declared this pandemic. From toilet paper to tie-dye t-shirts, items have been delivered out of warehouses to buyers' doorsteps.
With the increase in online shopping, many individuals have decided to switch to online stores when it comes to purchasing clothing and accessories. However, this can often prove to be a lengthy and even dangerous process.
People having their credit card information stolen or never receiving their purchases have been a frequent occurrence, so it is important to be cautious and smart when shopping online.
Here are some tips on how to keep your online shopping cart and your information safe:
Make sure that the online shop you are purchasing from is legitimate, and has reviews to back their product up.
Additionally, make sure the company’s website is secure. This can be confirmed if the website has a valid certificate, has a green bar address on your browser, and a padlock symbol in the website bar.
Use a secure Wi-Fi network.
Ensure you are familiar with the shipping and handling policies, as well as any return and exchange policies. This is so that you are able to properly handle your products in case of any issue.
If possible, pay using a credit card. Alternatively, using a PayPal account means that any potential scammer won’t get hold of the buyer’s bank account information.
Even if online shopping can be risky sometimes, in the face of a pandemic, it can sometimes be the better choice. And online shopping does have its benefits! With the ability to choose and shop from the comfort of your couch and with the click of a button, it can honestly be a much easier and efficient way to purchase goods.
Whether you choose to shop online or in-store, it’s important to take the proper precautions to ensure all your transactions are safe and secure ones!
Article Contributors: Asima Hudani, Victoria Huang
Sources:
Absolunet inc. (2020, April 01). COVID-19 Driving Consumers Online: Canadian eCommerce
Sales Double in 2 Weeks. Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://www.newswire.ca/news-
Meyer, S. (2020, June 22). Understanding the COVID-19 Effect on Online Shopping Behaviour.
Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/covid-19-ecommerce/
Patel, A. (2020, May 22). Online shopping hacks: The best shopping discounts in Canada right
now. Retrieved July 08, 2020, from https://globalnews.ca/news/6962893/fashion-deals-
The Money Advice Service. (n.d.). Shopping and paying safely online. Retrieved July 08, 2020,