More and more people are getting into online shopping today than ever before. In fact, some studies suggest that nearly 30% of all retail sales are done online, with major online department stores and supermarkets (our local favorite is Shop & Stop) leading the charge.
Some researchers are predicting that by the year 2025 at least half of all sales will be conducted online, and in the not so distant future the overwhelming majority of all retail sales will be taking care of by online department stores. This is why there’s such a push to promote the big retailers both online and through traditional media like TV ads and Newspapers. Everyone is vying for your dollar which is a good thing…because it creates competition!
Now, if you’re looking for the best online deals for whatever it is you are looking to purchase, you’re going to need to make sure that you are buying your products through the right retailer.
Here are just a couple of tips and tricks to help you do exactly that.
Do they have an online portal?
The first thing that you’re going to want to investigate is whether or not your favorite off-line retailer and department store has its own online portal e-commerce platform.
The overwhelming majority of major players in the retail space have at some form of web presence, as you just can’t expect to compete in the modern business environment without taking advantage of everything that the Internet has to offer.
Some retailers are slowly catching up with some being better than others. If your favorite bricks n mortar store doesn’t offer a web presence then why not? They’re either behind the times or there’s something else that should make you think twice.
What kinds of price matching are they willing to offer?
Secondly, you’re going to want to look into the price matching policies that different online department stores are willing to offer you.
Different stores will have completely different approaches to price matching, with many of them willing to match just about any price from any competitor. However, there are certainly some retail outlets out there that will not price match at all, while others would take things to an entirely new and give you a significant discount below anything a competitor would – all in an effort to win your business!
Shop around everywhere for the best possible deals
The only way to make sure that you’re getting the best possible deals through online department stores is to shop around as much as humanly possible.
This can be difficult for people that have developed feelings of brand loyalty with a particular retailer over another, but you cannot allow this to get in the way of you locking down significant savings. Browse around our site and you’ll find all the major retailers generally stock some of the same products but with varying prices. Use this information to your advantage – you’re most likely going to end up better off.
Always look into their return policies before you close out a shopping cart
Finally, you’re going to want to make sure that the companies you are purchasing from online have pretty generous return policies before you close out the cart and complete your order.
When you aren’t able to physically put your hands on a new product, or have a chance to really figure out whether or not it’s exactly what you’re looking for with your own two eyes, you need to know that you’re going to be able to return it without any headache or hassle whatsoever.
