As a modern-day shopper in the digital age, one could say we are the generation that is the luckiest. Everything we want or need is available quickly and at the click of a button. It’s something that many of us have taken full advantage of especially during the last two years of lockdowns when hitting the high street simply wasn’t an option for Christmas shopping and whilst in-person shopping is still attractive statistics show that sadly it’s not quite as popular as it once was.

Digital shopping now makes up the majority of our consumer activity with convenience being the major player. However it’s not all plain sailing. We’ve all been there when you’ve seen a product advertised on the shopping page, you click through and suddenly you can no longer find it….it’s frustrating to say the least especially when there’s much needed Christmas presents at stake and so we’ve put together a simple guide to making your online shopping experience as stress free as possible this festive season.

Look for websites with online chat services

Firstly, be on the lookout for websites that have web live chat software in place. When browsing online, it follows a similar experience when in-store. You head in to look at all the wonderful products available to buy and then you’re met with an employee who will ask if you need any help.

That same service though isn’t quite the same when you’re online. However, there have been more businesses nowadays introducing live chat services that help get the customer as close to the real thing as possible.

With online chat services, they can be managed by real people or a robot. A mix of the two is helpful for a business to really maximize shopper potential. During the typical working day hours of the business, real customer agents can help answer questions, and then during out-of-office hours, the robot can kick in.

These robots typically feed from a knowledge base of information that helps answer as many questions that the customer may typically have, as possible.

Check reviews for helpful guidance

When browsing for new sites to shop on, it’s always advisable to check out reviews online. This can be helpful because not all businesses are going to be recognizable online. There are a lot of small startups and businesses that exist only online, making it difficult to navigate which ones are actually useful and which ones may be a waste of money.

It’s a great benefit for businesses starting up in the digital age to be able to create a retail shop online, however that does leave them relying on customer impressions.

As a customer, be sure to take a look at the reviews that customers have left on the site itself but also on sites that are unbiased. Platforms like TrustPilot, for example, are useful to have available because they’ve become a universal place for anyone and everyone to write their honest review of the place. This includes both online and offline companies.

Test the website’s loading speeds

Customer experience is something that many of these online businesses should be prioritizing when it comes to attracting more sales. However, that’s sadly not what every company has a focus on and it often shows in the site’s performance.

As a shopper, test the webpage loading speed. How quickly does the webpage load? Three seconds? Five? Ten? If it’s anything more than a couple of seconds, it’s going to do some serious damage to your own experience on the site. It’ll likely cause a lot of frustration and take you that much longer to get to the end result which is picking products to check out with.

Be sure to take a look at the website’s loading speed when first going on the site and if it’s any longer than ten seconds, consider browsing elsewhere.

Look for video how-tos and presentations

The main pinch point of shopping online is that it’s not the same as a real in-person experience. That, however, can be resolved through the right digital media added to the site.

In the case of retail sites, there are plenty of online businesses and retailer websites that are offering more than just a static image. There are now videos on how-tos to presentations of the product being worn or used.

It can be a little disheartening to do window shopping online and not find anything that you like enough to buy. That can certainly be influenced moreso by this visual and more insightful digital content. It’s been proven that our brains are wired for visual content and it’s probably why video content does well in this day and age.

Pick sites that are easy to navigate

Sites that are easier to navigate, are like the web page loading speed - stress-free! As a shopper, everything should be easy to find and laid out in a way that guides you effortlessly from start to finish. From the moment you hit the homepage or the landing page in question, it shouldn’t be difficult to find your way around the site.

Some sites might look easy enough to navigate but the back end of the site has resulted in a lot of technical issues. From 404 broken links to unclickable buttons that should be clickable, it can all contribute to a negative navigating experience.

Make sure the site has a green lock in the URL bar

When it comes to security, all shoppers online are now super conscious of where they shop and making sure it’s secure. For customers, it’s important that their most personal data is safe, including payment information.

Any URL that has a green lock within the URL bar is going to be a green tick for security. This means the site is encrypted so that any transaction of data isn’t going to be compromised.

Look for an FAQs page

An FAQs page can often be a lifeline for a fellow shopper who is struggling to get a question answered. It’s typically found on most sites online nowadays and is a basic source of information in comparison to the techy live chats that many companies now have online.

Take a look for an FAQs page to ensure they have one. This shows they’ve got some semblance of customer care. Make sure to also look at the page itself to see how detailed it is. If you’re still left with questions after looking at this page, the brand hasn’t done its job properly. That’s a fairly good warning sign to indicate that you should be looking elsewhere.

Sign up for email newsletters for discounts and freebies

When shopping online, there are some benefits that offline shoppers can’t get when browsing in-store. This is mainly when it comes to email newsletters. A person shopping online can sign up for an email newsletter in the hopes that there might be future discounts and freebies offered to attract them back to the site.

It might be that you go on a site for the first time and see an offer of 10% or 20% off your purchase when signing up for the newsletter. As a customer, this costs nothing to do, so why not try signing up for a few? Who knows what deals you’ll get as a result of it?

Add on a discount code add-on to your browser

Talking of discounts, have you got a discount code add-on? Those browser add-ons helpfully search the internet to find any trace of discount codes and offer on the web. It saves shoppers from having to trawl through discount code websites in order to find something that matches what they’re looking for.

Honey is a great example of these browser add-ons and they can be worthwhile in helping save some money while shopping. It’s certainly something worth doing where budgeting is important.

Check out the shipping and returns page

One of the best things to do when it comes to browsing a new site for the first time is to check its shipping page and returns policy. For some companies, they can be quick with packaging up your orders and shipping them out. Then there are some…that aren’t as good. They may, in fact, take weeks to get the product out to you.

The same goes for returns policies because these too can also vary. For some, they can be quick in offering free returns and collections. Others might not have the finance to do that and as a result, you need to return the product at your own expense.

Making sure to find a good website to shop on is one thing when it comes to navigating and user experience. However, actually receiving the product in a timely manner and being able t return it is one problem that customers can often find themselves running into.

Be sure to check this page and if there’s anything that’s not been clarified, ask that question to the live chat or various communication options available.

Improving your shopping experience as a customer is something that you have control over. As the customer, you have the power to pick and choose where you shop. Don’t lower your expectations when there are so many online stores providing exceptional experiences and quality in their retail services.

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