Buying online made our lives easier. Online stores sprouted like a mushroom during this pandemic. A wide variety of choices are being offered to consumers from basic necessities up to anything you can think of can be bought online. How many items do you have in cart now?
Covid-19 made a big impact on the shopping industry online. People from all ages have the access to choose products or services according to their likings. Online shopping is a large section of retail industry that provides convenience and non-pressurized type of sales to its consumers. When you shop online, you have the freedom to choose among stores, compare prices easily, find good deals, and can select your preferred payments whether cash on delivery, online payment or bank transfer. This market somehow helps the country to contain the widespread of Corona virus because of its method where in it allows the consumer buy everything they need in the comfort of their home. They only need an internet connection, a mobile phone, laptop or a tablet to order online.
Due to accessibility, many problems arise. For instance, there are victims of online payment scams. The consumer who previously order online receives a parcel that was transacted using their own account, wrong items being delivered, payments being process without the knowledge of the account holder. Accessible as it is, and the seller sometimes fails to filter the consumer since it is done virtually or online. An example of a 7-year-old boy from Cebu who shopped online, when the delivery rider came the parents of the boy got shocked and the family was in chaos brought by the parcel amounting more than 40,000 pesos. They found out that it is their little boy who transacted using their account. Aside from that, sometimes the saying ‘Expectations versus Reality’ hits so hard. The product being shown in their advertisement differs from the ones being shipped to the buyer.
This time of pandemic you should think twice before checking-out. Online shopping can be transacted as easy as 1, 2, 3… but then again learn to manage your finances, research legit stores that offers worthy products, value your needs. Think twice before spending your hard-earned money. Now, is online shopping boon or bane?
By: Donna Dela Cruz
