Navigating the World of Online Shopping

With high street shops and mall store favorites closing down on a weekly basis, we better get our heads around this online shopping malarkey. It's here to stay and millions of online vendors selling everything from cat litter to cat walk designer clothes are magically opening their virtual doors for business out there in the ether of internet land. So too are the plethora of  "influencers" jumping on the band wagon from here to Timbuktu persuading their followers that this, that or the other product is the best.  But it's not all bad... let me explain! 
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Advantages of Shopping Online

• For those who feel the need to go to the shops in their pajamas, online shopping is right up your alley! The convenience of shopping  from your home means you really don't have to get dressed!

• Online stores are open 24/7 - a blessing for us midlife girls who are burdened with the odd menopausal sleepless night... nothing a little online retail therapy can't fix at four in the morning. Plus online shopping is very quiet so what the hubby doesn't know doesn't hurt!

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• ​Online stores have an infinitely larger inventory available than their brick and mortar counterparts, covering everything from sizes, styles, brands and colors. What you see in the shops is not the be-all and end-all of what's out there!​

• Better pricing is common place and there are often discounts and coupons available that are not offered in stores as there are less overheads online. 

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• It's much less prone to compulsive buying since you're not being carried along by the shopping current - the atmosphere, pressure from the shop assistant, the visual impact of only seeing that one piece left in your size!

 

• It's a great way to compare products and see feed-back from other shoppers. We no longer have to rely solely on the biaised opinion of a shop assistant. Reading other customer reviews on specific products gives you a better informed purchasing decision.

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• If you're the type that likes to have something in every color once you've found the perfect piece, then purchasing online and having it delivered to your front door is much more convenient than trundling around the stores laden down with heavy bags.​

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• It's made gift giving anywhere in the world as easy as eating cake. Just purchase online and have it shipped to the recipients address!

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The Disadvantages

• Lack of touchy feely experience and ability to try on. This is my biggest displeasure with online shopping. However... most online stores have size guides to help you pick the right fit with any given item, and a detailed product description. Customer reviews can also provide valuable feed-back on fit, quality of fabric and more. 

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• You miss out on the "instant gratification" experience because your purchase may not arrive for several days, but the anticipation of that package arriving may be an even bigger thrill for some! 

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• Refunds can take longer to process than those at a store as you have the return shipping time to take into consideration before the funds are made available on your credit card. 

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• Lack of someone to call upon when you can't find what you're looking for. Many sites now have instant "CHAT" help. I recently used this at Zara.com when I discovered that something I'd purchased only a few days prior had just gone on sale and I couldn't find their price match policy. The online associate was very quick to respond and... to the point, "Zara does not price match".  I suppose I could always return the one I have and buy it again at the sale price! 

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• Cookies - not the fattening ones, but the online stalking type! Once you've searched or looked at something online be prepared to see that product staring you in the face everywhere you go from then on in until the internet God's decide you're no longer a potential lead.

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• ​Security! This can be a concern as you're entering your personal information, credit card, expiration date and security code into an online site, so it's vitally important that you only use reputable sites and ensure your internet or WiFi connection is secure. 

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Tips and Tricks

• If you're new to online shopping, test out your early experiences with the online counterparts of your favorite brick and mortar stores. This gives you the comfort of trust and familiarity. My first online shopping experiences were with Nordstrom and since then I've expanded my horizons with more confidence in the process.  The other major win in doing this is you have a local store you can return unwanted items to instead of having to ship back to the retailer, thus your credit card funds will be available sooner.

• Always review your purchases carefully before pressing the "SUBMIT" button to ensure you don't inadvertantly select more than you had anticipated. Clicking is a lot easier than carrying to the checkout desk!

Beware the click!

• Caution, not everyone is warm and fuzzy! Packages left in doorways can lead some into temptation! Reputable vendors provide online tracking so be sure to bring your packages in as quickly as possible when they're delivered.

• Download the free app called Honey. This will add coupons, discounts or find best price available when you're shopping online. I recently bought something from Target.com and the Honey app kicked in and scanned all available coupons and better price deals out there and when it was done it said, "Go ahead, there will be no buyers remorse here, you've got the best price!" How cool is that?

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• Use Google to search for something specific when you don't necessarily know where you'll find it. I recently searched for a black velvet kimono on Google and was presented with images of various styles and brands with prices from different online stores. This made it easy to find which stores carried the style I wanted AND keep within my budget. 

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• Bear in mind that online vendors just like stores, have their own policies and procedures specifically with regards to shipping charges and returns. Before you purchase online be sure to familiarize yourself with their policies. Many stores offer free shipping and returns. Some offer free shipping if you spend over a certain dollar amount. Some charge for shipping to your home but offer free shipping to a local store where you can then pick it up yourself (e.g. Target, Forever 21). Pay attention, shipping costs can turn your deal into a costly endeavor!​

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• If you can outlay the extra money initially, order a size up or down in addition to the size you think will fit and return the one that doesn't work. This saves a lot of toing and froing with ordering, returning, re-ordering!

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• If it's your first time visiting an online store there is often a pop up box that will offer you a percentage discount on your first purchase if you give them your email address. It's okay to do this as you can always unsubscribe later if their ongoing relentless sales badgering annoys you! If it's a site you like, then the more email addresses you have in your family circle the more times you can get the first time purchase discount (shh, I never said that!)​

 

• Save your shipping boxes. Use them to fill with things you can donate to charity, go to Givebackbox.com on how to do this, it's worthwhile and so easy. You can also use them to ship things you may later come to sell on Ebay when you're tired of them, thus giving your clothes and other cast offs multiple lives!

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Ode to Influencers!

​Last but not least... and perhaps one of the most overlooked tools to facilitate this whole process is the work of bloggers/influencers! Why are they/we so important in this process? Because, perusing an endless barrage of iconic models in glossy magazines, air brushed, adorned and decorated in the latest and greatest styles, haute couture and grandiose finery and almost always a size zero, is not helping the every day women let alone the midlife woman make informed decisions about buying clothes or anything else online. They are merely a mirage of our dreams. Bloggers or "influencers" on the other hand are mostly every day people who come in all ages and all sizes! These are men and women who already look like we do and wear clothes that we can afford to buy (mostly).

They begin to feel like friends, your personal guru on styles, brands, where to shop, what to buy, how to wear it... you name it and there's undoubtedly an influencer out there talking about it. And, via many of your favorite influencers you can shop their looks or products directly from their Instagram account or their blog website and it doesn't cost you a dime!  Influencers will direct you right to the stores where you can recreate the look, purchase the goods, very often offer discount codes, save you  tons of time, provide a wealth of ideas and inspiration... all for free! 
 
Finding influencers that you trust is key. Seek out those whose styles you love, who genuinely promote brands or items that they themselves love, you can generally get a sense of this after following them for a short time. It's just as easy to un-follow an influencer if you feel they're not being authentic. If you're interested to find other bloggers and influencers to follow, check out those who I follow on Instagram, they are all fabulous in their own unique way!

Then, all that's left to do is sit back and enjoy your virtual friend's latest blog post or peruse their Instagram #outfitoftheday, immediately shop it online and all before you've  given a thought to what YOU might wear today!

I hope you found some useful tidbits in this article. Do you shop online? Do you have any tips or recommendations to share - I would love to hear from you in the comments!

As always thank you for stopping by...

Karen xox