Growth of Online Shopping
Online shopping has really taken off in the last decade. With the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, internet shopping has opened up a huge new avenue for retailers and consumers alike. However just because there is a multitude of online shopping options available to the discerning shopper, that doesn’t mean that all consumers are familiar or even comfortable shopping online.
Buying products online offers a fantastic option for consumers in that they can buy products from retailers that maybe they haven’t bought from before. Retailers based in different countries, for example once only accessible by travel are now fully accessible for all consumers if that particular retailer has an online store in that territory.

The High Street
There will always be a need and demand for the ‘high street’ shop as some people simply enjoy the physical shopping experience. Furthermore, concepts such as showrooming where people examine particular merchandise in-store but actually buy online will prevail. The opposite, known as ROPO (research online, purchase offline) is true for other people.
The true value of shopping online is the value that you can get. While you may have to invest more time in terms of research to get the value, you can do it all in the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to be concerned about poor weather conditions hampering your shopping experience or parking nightmares.

Showrooming
Showrooming is a particularly good idea if purchasing something of high value or something that you don’t feel you can get a good concept of when viewing online. An example of this is a wrist watch. When you go to buy a watch, you want to know how it looks on your wrist. Everyone’s wrist size is different and like spectacles and other similar items, they can look different on you compared to the next person. Therefore, the best option is do some preliminary research online to get an idea of brands and styles that you like. Make a list including the preliminary online prices you see and then go to a store that stocks the products locally (if applicable) and physically try them on there. Of course while you are there, you can take note of the cost and sometimes it might even be less expensive in-store, if perhaps they are having a sale for example. While all this activity might sound callous and almost sneaky, your reasoning should be that you are trying to get the best price for the product that you want, whether that is offline or online. You could choose to have a discussion with a retailer if you found a particular item cheaper online and attempt to bargain with them to see if there is any leeway on the price. You never know unless you ask!

Returns Policy
If it is clothes you are shopping for, check the online shop’s return policy. Some online retailers offer free returns which is a major plus as sending back garments can prove costly by post as they are bulky. If you do purchase garments online and they don’t suit or don’t fit and you have to return them and the retailer in question doesn’t offer free returns, find a good, cheaper delivery company to do the return for you. Try one online clothes retailer at the beginning so that you get used to their sizing. Sizing can vary greatly with clothes and shoes and it may take a couple of attempts before you get it right. However once you do, you will be able to purchase from that online retailer in confidence.
Newsletters
Sign up to newsletters for your favourite retailers so that you are informed immediately of any online special deals. Many retailers do ‘online only’ offers and by signing up to be kept informed, you will always get the best value from your favourites. Be sure not to sign up to too many though or else your inbox will be bombarded! You can easily unsubscribe to any newsletters that you become tired of. The ‘unsubscribe’ option is usually located (it needs to be an option on the newsletter as per data protection laws) towards the lower part of the email newsletter.

Online Only Deals
At certain times of the year there are special online deals which can result in huge value for consumers. One in particular is called ‘Cyber Monday’. This is a concept that was coined back in 2005 in the USA. Basically it is an online sale on the Monday after the U.S. Thanksgiving in late November. It has in recent years extended to the rest of the world as many of the U.S. sites have a presence on EU domains also. For example, Gap.eu which is the European arm of The Gap retailer offered a 40% discount online across the site on Cyber Monday 2013. As the years go by, more and more retailers have joined this as they recognise the increased opportunity that it brings in terms of sales growth.
So get online and start doing some research. A good tip is to start with researching a low value item i.e. something under €50 and see what is the best online price you can get in comparison to offline. Happy online shopping!