Studies Show That Online Shopping Can Be Just As Satisfying As Going to the Store

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Studies Show That Online Shopping Can Be Just As Satisfying As Going to the Store

 

Did you know that, according to Statista, a statistics portal, 1.66 billion people worldwide shopped online just in 2017?  

It seems every day is Cyber Monday, and you can get some pretty incredible deals, but you need to know what you’re doing. Online shopping can be a little different than walking into a brick and mortar store; after all, you only have a picture, and you can’t touch, feel or otherwise examine the product.

Dean Supply, who has been a leader in the food industry since 1950, caters to online shoppers looking for supplies for residential and commercial restaurant and bar use.

The company offers that same extensive inventory to online shoppers–with many brand names available right on their clearance page.

Read on for tips of having the best online shopping experience.

First Things First:  Online Safety

This is probably the number one priority in making your shopping experience a good one, but there are some simple things you can do to help protect yourself.

 

  • Try to stick with merchants with whom you’ve already done business.  You’ll have a good idea of their procedures and you’ll know if they’ve gotten any not-so-great press about security breaches.
  • Look for that little icon of a lock on a website. That will tell you that the site is secure.  It’s usually next to the URL to the right, like the one here at Dean Supply, or even at the bottom of the page, because it depends on your browser.
  • Check the URL:  If it starts with “HTTPS” that means it has SSL ( secure sockets layer) and you’re okay.  If you don’t see it, don’t do business!
  • Check statements regularly.  If you shop online, don’t wait for the paper statement –go online to check it and report it immediately if something doesn’t look right.
  • Use credit cards or Paypal.  They’re secure, in that they’ll help protect you in the case of fraudulent activity.  When you pay by check, you’re on your own.
  • Careful!  Give out information sparingly. Online merchants have no need for your social security number or birth date and, in the wrong hands, they do enormous damage.
  • Don’t place your orders from public computers or WIFI, because you just don’t know what’s going on and you could be tracked.
  • Use caution with shopping apps.  Remember a year or two ago, it was all over the news that there were fake shopping apps on Google Play or the App Store?  Like phishing, they had the logos and looked official–but they contained viruses. If you see ac store and you think “I want that,” go to the store’s website to see if they really are in the online shopping business. Go directly to the store’s website and do business from there.

Find your desired merchandise

Sometimes it takes a little detective work and you’ll need to use a combination of keywords and strategies. For example, Dean Supply has a general way to look, just by using the toolbar at the top to find the type of product.  Each page also have filters where you can get more specific about brand, color and price.

 

For example, if you wanted clearance items, you’d click that at the top and then use a filter to find, say, bar glasses like this Cardinal Rocks Glass.

Look For Deals

 

Remember, it doesn’t end just with sale items!  There are digital coupons, free shipping and other offers.

 

Check The Return Policy

 

Nothing is worse than receiving your item only to find it’s not right–and then finding out the company won’t replace it.

 

At Dean Supply, we pride ourselves on excellent customer service and we treat them like family.

 

Now that you have these tips you can, as they say, “shop til you drop!”