10 Questions Every Online Store Should Be Able To Answer

Any activity or action which involves buying goods or services online is called online shopping. It is a simple process which you can carry out comfortably. All you need is your smart device, internet access and means of payment. You simply visit online stores like Amazon, Alibaba, eBay and various others, browse through their product options, make your choice, read about it, make your payment and expect your goods at your doorstep or close to your doorstep.

This is a huge relieve for shoppers who hate to queue at crowded shopping malls to pay for purchased items. As simple as the process is, newbies can develop cold feet in online shopping because of fear of not getting their products delivered or not getting the exact product they ordered for. These fears are understandable and you do not need to worry your pretty head about them. This is why we have a list of very reliable online stores that you can shop from without fear.

However, some people get so addicted to online shopping that they keep buying random things they do not need. Others do not have enough knowledge about the system and keep hesitating to click on the “place your order” button. In this content, we will look at 10 necessary questions you need to ask yourself or someone about online shopping.

1. What time will the goods be shipped?

Some people feel apprehensive about asking questions about online shopping. The reason for this I cannot specifically say. It could be because it is not a face to face transaction or because they feel it could be weird questioning a big online company about their shipping time. Whatever your reason for avoiding questions is, you really need to ask those questions. 

When you pay for a service, you have the right to ask for clarity about the service so that you can get the best out of it. You would definitely be upset if you get to realize that what you paid for is not what you get. So, to avoid heart breaks, you need to ask questions. 

Asking about the delivery time is not too much to ask. This is because no online store is perfect. Sometimes, error occurs and your goods might not get to you as at when due. Some sites tell you an estimated time of delivery, while some don’t. If you need a specific date and time, ask for it.

2. What is mode of payment?

Most websites request for payment through payment cards. If a site begins to ask you to send a check or cash or anything shady, then you need to question their intention. You need to ask question on the payment method you need to carry out so that you would not be ripped. Just as there are genuine online stores, there are also several cloned ones that prey on novice online shoppers. To avoid being a prey, you need to ask questions.

3. Is the site safe?

Personal security is a very vital aspect of one’s existence. It can be nerve racking for someone to start typing card details on websites without having any guarantee of safety. 

Before going into any transaction, you need to ask for the strength of the site’s security. You can read articles on how authentic e-commerce sites function so that you won’t be a victim of fraudsters.

When you are typing your credit card information on a site, the ‘url’ ought to begin with https:// and not http://. If the site does not have such feature when you are typing in your personal financial information, then you need to flee.

4. Do you offer incentives?

It is not gluttony to want one or two discount coupons every once in a while. Most websites offer such giveaways to active customers just to keep them interested in the site. Also, as an online shopper, you would want to know if being a regular customer will be a worthwhile thing to do on a website. 

If details of such incentives are not clearly stated about the website, then you need to make inquiries so that you do not shop amiss.

5. Where do your products come from?

Having knowledge of where the goods come from will help you to know how quickly or slowly it would get to you. This will determine the duration of time you need to wait for. 

For example if your goods are coming from a warehouse in China and you are several thousand miles away, it might take a lengthy time to get shipped to you. Prior knowledge about this can help you decide whether you would order from that website or not.

6. Do you have return policies?

Sometimes, what you get at your doorstep may differ slightly from what you ordered for. It could be the shape, size, color or anything that is just not right when you see the product physically. 

Standard online stores permit shoppers to return goods if they do not suit them and also get a refund. Such stores make you feel relaxed while doing your online shopping. So, it is important you find out about this before ordering that dress.

7. What are your customer reviews look like?

This is very important before making any payment online. You need to confirm that they have legitimate customer reviews. These reviews should not only be legitimate, they should also be good ones. Search for answer to this question via social media platforms so that you can have a positive guarantee about where you want to shop from.

8. How standard are the products you are selling?

Pictures cannot tell everything about a product. They would not tell you if the cotton used to make the cloth is one that has a high quality. 

Do not be in a hurry to buy things. Ensure you check the items’ description online before buying them. This can also safe you the cost of treating allergies after you got an item which is made out of something that does not please your body system.

9. Do you know anyone who has shopped from this site?

This question can save you a lot of trouble. You simply need to ask the people you know about how the site operates. Their honest opinion will help you ascertain the site’s quality.

10. How long has the brand being operating?

It can be very risky to order from new sites. This is because they have not built a name over the years which you can trust. Although, there are some young sites that have a very surprising growth. This should not be enough reason for you to patronize them because it might just be forged figures. The key thing is to find out about their reliability status properly before you take a dive in their river.

 

If you get convincing answers to all these questions, then you can go ahead to shop for as much as you want. Good luck!!!