Online shopping this holiday? Image standard license from Adobe Stock.[/caption]
The day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, used to signal the official start of the holiday shopping season. Retailers traditionally saved their “best deals” for those brave enough to battle the crowds, turkey fatigue, and sometimes the weather to shop till they dropped. Last year, 84.2 million people shopped in stores on Black Friday, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Another 93.2 million shopped online, surpassing Cyber Monday’s 83.3 million shoppers.
This year is different. The pandemic has changed how and where we shop. Adobe is predicting record gains for e-commerce, with online holiday spending projected to reach $189 billion and buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) expected to reach 40 percent Year-over-Year growth.
Are you planning to shop online this holiday season? If you are, stay safe with these suggestions.
Shop retailers you trust. Are you familiar with the retailer? Have you purchased from their online store before? What was your experience like? Did the purchase arrive on time and in good condition? When you’re thinking about purchasing from a new-to-you online retailer, it’s your responsibility to vet that retailer. Check reviews and pay special attention to when they were posted and who posted them. Was the reviewer a verified purchaser or did the reviewer receive the item through a special promotion? I recently went to make a purchase at an online store that I’ve purchased from in the past. Unfortunately, it seems the pandemic has caused supply chain issues for the retailer. Recent reviews showed orders were taking weeks to be processed and calls to customer service were going unanswered. My due diligence meant I placed my order with a different online retailer, and I wouldn’t be left hoping I’d get a refund.
Watch out for so-called dream deals. It’s relatively easy to use stock photos and create a storefront. It also doesn’t take much effort to post an ad on any of the sites that allow you to sell personal items you no longer need. Think twice about buying that tablet or wearable that’s “on sale” and offered well below the asking price at other online retailers or purchasing something sight unseen from someone you don’t know via a personal ad. Remember when you were told “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”? Whoever told you that was right. Don’t worry, if you don’t say anything, I won’t either. No one likes hearing, “I told you so!”
Steer clear of pop-ups that offer free gift cards and more. If you don’t know why a spinning casino wheel just popped up in your browser, don’t play along and click any links. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t sign up for free newsletters or other offers, like 15% off your first purchase, from legitimate websites that you trust. It does mean that if you were casually browsing and suddenly were declared the millionth visitor to a website and the proud winner of a $5,000 shopping spree, that the odds are very good several million other people are receiving the same pop-up message, and it’s originating from a scammer and/or an infected web server.
Safeguard your personal information. Use unique and strong passwords and store them in a secure location. Enable multi-factor authentication, especially on financial accounts. Choose where, when, and why you share your personal information. Do you need to have an account to make a purchase? Are you being asked to provide more information than you feel is necessary for the purchase, like your household income or ages of your children? If you are not comfortable, cancel the transaction and look for another online retailer.
Do not forget device maintenance and security. When was the last time you spent a few minutes maintaining your devices? If you can’t remember or it’s been a few months, plan to give your devices some love while the turkey is cooking, or you are mulling over whether to eat another piece of pie. Make sure updates are installed. Scan for malware. Uninstall apps you aren’t using any more. Check your preferences on social media accounts.
Happy shopping!
