When ordering from an online site, one of the first things you should check is to see that their order page is secure. The page you enter your address and contact details on doesn't need to be secure, but the page you enter your credit card on should be.
The easiest way to tell that a page is secure is that it will start with https. Also, in Internet Explorer, you'll see a yellow padlock at the bottom of your browser window.
Reputable Merchant
You should also do at least a little research to ensure that the website you are ordering from is a reputable, dependable merchant. There are several ways to check on the reputability of a merchant:
Are they listed with the Better Business Bureau? Are they members of any other third party verification entities? Check their customer reviews on third party sites like http://Alexa.com, http://BizRate.com, and http://Shopzilla.com
If you're purchasing from a seller on an online marketplace like Ebay or Amazon Marketplace, check their ratings and customer feedback. Most online marketplaces offer some kind of a guarantee against fraud for orders placed on their website.
Company policies
Also check on the companies policies before you order from them. You should check that they have at least some kind of a guarantee and return policy. Also, how quickly do they ship orders? What customer service do they offer? Do they have full contact info on their website, including their physical address and phone number?
With a little research, you can save some time and money by shopping online ? and not worry about not getting your money's worth!
Online retailing (the so called "new economy") offers several advantages over traditional "brick and mortar" stores - but also has some interesting side effects and drawbacks (many of which are being addressed by technology). While Amazon wasn't the first - in the UK, it was a men's magazine offering pinups as the first historical case of "Internet commerce". Amazon was the first to have a significant impact on retailing as we know it.
The major advantages of an online shop are in reduced overhead; you have a web page that displays your products in a shopping cart software solution, rather than having to pay for display space, and employees to man the register. Customers do all the data entry needed to make an order, and your software can be configured to hold that order information for repeat customers.
As anyone who's run a retail business is aware, the cost per square meter of retail ready space is nearly triple the cost per square meter of warehouse space; even after the initial up front expenditures of creating an online shop, the reduced operating costs should (in theory) make for a more efficient business.
To pull in business, most online retailers employ discounting; Amazon is one example of this, with many hardback books priced at 10% to 15% over wholesale, which translates into a cover discount of 30% or more. Other shops, such as overstock, take remaindered lots of products and do much the same thing.
What this has done to brick and mortar businesses has been illustrative of market dynamics at work: Low prices dominate over everything else, and consumes vote with their credit cards. Entire market segments are rapidly shifting to online shopping models, most noticeably in items that are "commodity" products, like books.
Another retail segment that's been eliminated by online stores is music and entertainment retailing; Apple's iTunes store is now the number two music retailer in the world; it and Sony are the only two music retailers gaining market share. The old record shop on High Street may become a thing of the past in short order. Similar pressures exist with books; although the iPod for books has not yet materialized (Amazon's Kindle may be a first step towards that).
What's left on the retail tier are shopping experiences where customers want to see, touch or try on products before buying them: Clothing and similar merchandise is one such, as are shoes. Automobiles are another place where customers have proven to be wary of shopping online. Likewise, grocery shopping, in spite of several attempts to make an "online grocery store" has resisted all attempts to go into a realistic online market; look back a decade, and you'll see a lot of attempts to "New Economise" lots of traditional market segments, and while we remember the ones that worked (insurance, books, music), most people barely recollect the failures.
While online shopping has re-shaped retailing, the transformation has not yet completed.
Both Gabriel Adams & Vincent Norman are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Gabriel Adams has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mobile Phone Reviews, Limousine Service and Entertainment Guide. is a UK based online retailer with such a secure shop. Having served well over 30 thousand customers you can trust to go about their business professi. Gabriel Adams's top article generates over 4090000 views. to your Favourites.