The Internet has revolutionized the way we shop. Technology has enabled businessmen to shift from traditional methods of selling goods to e-commerce wherein you can buy and sell goods without running a brick and mortar store. When you are selling things online, you do not have place constraints and a wide variety of products can be displayed on your website. All you need is a stable internet connection, a well-built portal, good quality pictures of your products, and necessary licenses to run your business.
And for the customers, shopping has become unthinkably easier. All they need is a smartphone to access the internet, open the necessary app or internet browser and place the order. The product is delivered to the customer’s doorstep within a few days. Because of the numerous advantages of online shopping and thousands of offers from hundreds of websites, more and more people are buying things online over the conventional method of visiting the local market, especially when COVID-19 is haunting the streets. Isn’t that amazing?
Table of Contents
The Top 10 Advantages of Online Shopping From The Top 10 online Stores are:
Convenience.
Convenience is the biggest attraction here. Where else can you shop at midnight while sitting comfortably in your bed wearing pajamas? There is no crowd to steer through, no queue to wait in front of the cash counter, no hassle of driving and parking and no salesman to brainwash you.It is a pollution free, stress free and time restriction free shopping experience. You can check in and check out whenever you feel because all the online stores are open 24X7. Moreover some products like e-books, movies, softwares and games are delivered the moment payment is processed.
Better Prices.
Most online stores come up with jaw-dropping deals and better prices than conventional brick and mortar stores. Lower prices are available online, because products come to you directly from the manufacturer or seller without involving middlemen and there is no cost of running a physical store. You can easily compare prices and find a better deal. Discount coupons and rebates are offered frequently to attract buyers. You not only save on prices and you save on taxes too. Many online stores have a physical location in your state and therefore are required to collect only the local taxes from you.
More Variety.
As everything is on your mobile screen, you get to see multiple images of products in one go. The options are literally unlimited. If you are visiting a really big online store, you will have access to almost any brand or product that you fancy. You will get to see what others are buying and have access to the latest international trends without physically travelling abroad. You can buy local and non-local products from retailers located even in the remotest part of the country. The choices are plentiful and options are unlimited. You can also place orders for products yet to be launched or out of stock.
Send Gifts Directly.
When you buy a gift item from your local market, you need to go through all the hassle of packing and shipping the item through local courier service. But when you buy something for someone online you have the option to get the item delivered directly to the doorstep of the person you want to receive it. Online shopping sites have made sending gifts easier. You can send gifts to people no matter where they are. All the packing and shipping is done for you. And if you want they can wrap it up with gift wraps for you. Indeed, sending gifts to your loved ones is amazingly convenient these days.
More control.
Perhaps, it is not polite to visit a brick and mortar store as many times as you like, haggle with the salesperson and then come out without buying anything. Therefore, although you can’t find the exact item you need, you end up buying something else because you could not find anything better. This is not the case when you shop online. You can visit a store whenever you feel, even at midnight when the world is sleeping, go through their entire stock, add and remove items to and from the cart, compare prices, mull over various options, and then check out without buying anything. Nobody will judge you for that. Amazing, right?
Easy Price Comparisons.
When you visit a big online portal like Amazon or Flipkart, you will see that the same product is being sold by different sellers at different prices. You will also see similar products with detailed features, rating, customer reviews and prices. You will get to see first hand unboxing videos by buyers and you can also research about the product and its performance on various product review websites. Comparing prices is easier for online shoppers due to the huge number of varieties available to them. You can make your purchase decision, based on the experience of other buyers.
No crowds.
If you are an introvert who prefers to avoid crowds as much as possible, visiting an online store is the right choice for you. Especially, when the entire world is suffering from COVID-19 pandemic, avoiding the crowd and any other social gathering is the only choice we have. Moreover, when you visit a popular shopping mall, being crushed in the crowd may force us to make a buying decision in a hurry. A rushed decision is not good if you want to save money. When you shop online you avoid crowds and moreover, there is no need to spend on fuel and parking. You save money that way too.
No Pesky Salesman.
People, when they go out to shop from the local store or shopping mall, end up buying things that they don’t really need, all because some expert salesperson pressures them or uses his selling skills to compel them to make these purchases.This is not good if we want to save money on shopping. Moreover, at times we ourselves end up buying things we don’t really need just because they caught our attention and we have some extra money in our pocket. This is called impulse buying which is not good if we are trying to save money. Shopping online may help us avoid these situations.
Online Shopping Saves Time.
Time is money and therefore, when we save time we save money directly or indirectly. Online shoppers do not need to stand in a long queue to pay for the products they buy. The moment you place the order, you are taken to the secure payment gateway wherein you can pay using your debit/credit card or UPI. You can Pay on Delivery as well. Moreover, finding a product is easier because, unlike a departmental store where you need to physically walk into a section to find an item, you just need to type in the product name and all the related products appear on your smartphone screen.
Online Tracking.
Whether you buy something for yourself or your loved ones you want to be sure that the order has been processed, shipped and out for delivery. Most of the online shopping sites in India lets you check the status of your order or the status of its delivery. You can check and get an estimation of the delivery date and time. You are informed on the delivery status via email, SMS and whatsapp. If needed you are contacted directly by the seller or the delivery man. And moreover, if you are not satisfied with the product that has been delivered to you, you may return it without paying anything extra to the courier.
Now let’s talk about how to save money by shopping online.
You can save money only if you know how to save money. Saving money means that you pay less than you have to. People call them online shopping tips or online shopping hacks or insider information. But the fact is that it is all about knowing what to do and how to do it without making a mess.You just have to know where to shop, how to shop and when to shop to grab the best deals possible. Here is a list of some practical hacks that you can try while shopping online for various online shopping websites in India.
1. Buy From Companies that Have Good Rewards Program
For any online shopping website to survive in India, loyalty is important. That’s why most online stores have loyalty programs for customers. Therefore, whenever you decide to buy something from a store look for the kind of offers and discounts they offer to new and existing customers.
2. Register Date-of-Birth When You Sign Up
If you are comfortable giving out your date-of-birth to the top best online shopping sites, make sure you give them that piece of information. Most online stores offer some kind of special offer, discounts, deals and even FREE ‘Birthday Freebies’ to keep their customers happy. Make sure you don’t miss those offers.
3. Visit The Right Website
There are hundreds of online shopping sites in India. Their stock is similar but the prices are different. And we can’t deny that it is really hard to find the right store to order from when price is not the only thing that we care for. Therefore, when you buy from big online shopping sites like Amazon and Flipkart; buy from sellers with the highest ratings only.
4. Comparing Prices Is A Must
Price comparison websites are a hit among online buyers because they help us save a lot of money and time. And you definitely need to visit a price comparison website when you are planning to buy something really expensive, like a DSLR camera or a state of the art gaming laptop. These price comparison sites help you see the prices being offered by different online stores in India. Compare features, price and ratings of the sellers before you actually click on the purchase button.
5. There Are Best Days And Hours To Shop
Believe it or not, research suggests that Tuesday is when the prices are lowest online, followed by Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoon. Never shop on Sunday. To avail discount coupons and deals, visit the top ten shopping sites on Thursday and Friday. Shop when festivals are around because most online stores come up with ‘Dhamaka’ offers a month before the festival.
6. Find Coupons
Look for Coupon Codes and there are sites that verify and list coupon codes. Finding a coupon before you buy something will help you save a lot of money. Coupon codes are sent to existing customers via email and SMS. You may go to an online store directly to search for coupon codes. Go to Google and type in the keyword ‘coupon code’ and will get a list of websites that lists coupons. Coupondunia.com, Coupons.com, Dealnews.in, Retailmenot.com, etc. are some of the sites that list coupons.
7. Haggle
Yes, it is possible to haggle online too. For better deals and offers you should haggle online too. And in most cases it works. Use the chat box to contact the customer care and negotiate. You may call the customer care too. Be polite but don’t miss the opportunity to hagge because it works. The top 10 online shops will do their best to offer you a better deal.
8. Simply Walk Away And Wait
A classic haggling technique that works even in online stores. Just look for the product, add it to the shopping cart, but don’t place the order. Sign out and wait. The fact is that online stores don’t want to see abandoned carts. Many online retailers will contact you via email with discount coupons within 48 hours. All you need to do is abandon the cart and wait.
9. Follow Social Media Influencers and Vloggers
To best discount coupons and the best deals always follow the influencers and vloggers on social media. They are the people who are contacted by the online stores to promote a certain product or service.
Also Read: Pay with Google
10. Use Your Credit Cards To Shop Online
Most of the time the top 10 ecommerce websites offer huge discounts to shoppers who buy using their credit cards. You may get EMI options, discount coupons and best deals when you buy using credit cards of some reputed banks.
And here is the list of the top 10 websites for online shopping out there in India. We have ranked them based on our own research on competitive pricing, customer service and high-quality products. So, whether you’re looking for the latest smartphones, or planning to decorate your home, visit these top 10 online shopping sites and you will love them.
1. Amazon – This website is the No. 1 among the top 10 ecommerce stores in India and the world.
2. Flipkart – This portal is one of the 10 best shopping sites that offers good discounts and offers.
3. Snapdeal – One of the top ten best online shopping sites that offer good deals and secure shopping experience.
4. eBay – This is one of the world top ten online shopping sites where you get all the best deals on the commodity you want.
5. Myntra – Really the best. Myntra is the best among the top 10 online fashion shopping sites in India.
6. ShopClues – Shopclues, for its outstanding customer service and good deals deserves to be among the top 10 shopping sites in India.
7. AliExpress – This Chinese site is definitely one of the top 10 chinese e commerce websites in the world.
8. Biba – undoubtedly Biba is one of the top 10 online cloth shopping sites in India.
9. Flo Mattress – The best website for home decor.
10. Yebhi – Cool collection makes them one of the top ten online clothes shopping sites in India.
