As we mentioned in the last blog post, e-commerce is growing exponentially both in Spain and worldwide. It is becoming more and more common and frequent to purchase products and services using the Internet, through various e-commerce platforms. Among the main advantages of buying online, we can highlight the possibility of buying at the time we want and without leaving home, without queuing, without waiting, quickly and conveniently, as well as being able to compare prices without having to go from store to store, and even get lower prices and more variety than in physical stores.

But, what should we take into account when buying online?

Below, we will review the main aspects to consider in order to carry out transactions in the best way.

One of the first tips would be to check the web when we see that the offers are too tempting, with a very noticeable price difference between different pages. In that case it is important to pay attention to whether the product is really new or used, or has defects in its packaging for some reason. It is always important to compare prices on different websites before deciding, taking advantage of the advantage of doing it very quickly. Another recommendation is to avoid using public wifi networks, such as in bars or cafes, as the greatest danger is the potential theft of the payment method data. You should also look for information about the store and see the opinions and ratings or reviews that other users have made.

Having an antivirus installed to detect possible threats can be very useful. Likewise, the mobile or computer from which the purchase will be made must be kept updated, since if there are any security or privacy problems, these are usually solved by means of updates. Something fundamental is to check that it is a secure connection. This can be done simply by verifying that the browser bar shows “HTTPS” instead of “HTTP”, and that a padlock appears next to the URL, which indicates that the online store has a security certificate and can be purchased securely.

When creating an account on an e-commerce platform, it is important to enter a secure password (combining letters and numbers), which is not the same as the one used in other services. It is also important not to save the payment method used for future transactions, because it is safer to enter the data every time it is necessary than to have all the bank details stored. If you have the possibility to pay by credit card, it is safer than using debit cards, because if it is necessary to return the product it is easier to get a refund to the credit card than to the debit card.

To make purchases in a more practical and agile way it is important to use filters, and thus obtain results as close as possible to our preferences, avoiding seeing a huge list of products that are not what we are looking for. Likewise, to take better advantage of online sales, it is very useful to monitor prices a few days before and thus ensure that the discounts are real. Another recommendation is to check the stores’ apps, since sometimes there are better discounts that operate exclusively for the app and not for the web. Other issues to observe are the possibility of product returns, the warranty, the shipping method, its times and costs, and customer service and after-sales service.

Remember that Macrotest is a partner of Easy Commerce, an omnichannel e-commerce software platform developed from more than 20 years of experience. We hope these tips will be useful when making purchases through e-commerce platforms!