In South Africa, online shopping is still in its infancy, meaning that there’s still quite a lot of room for growth. The Covid-19 lockdown has exposed the potential for growth that the industry has, with 37% of South Africans saying they’re using online shopping channels more.
Guzzle is a great resource for online shopping. With a multitude of catalogues containing variety of deals and special you can find just about everything you need while saving some cash.
Here are some 5 essential tips that you should keep in mind to make your online shopping experience seamless:
1. Safety first!
When shopping online, it is important to put safety above all else.
According to Accenture, South Africa is a prime target for hackers on the dark web, which which experiences about 577 cyber-attacks occurring every hour.
This is why it is important to ensure that your information is safe and secure. If you’re shopping on your desktop, make sure you’ve installed a good antivirus software. Updating your antivirus frequently is also important, so that your desktop remains protected.
Always double check that you’re on the correct site by verifying the spelling of the domain name. Sometimes hackers create duplicate sites in order to collect personal information such as email addresses, credit and debit card numbers and banking details.
Another way to protect yourself when shopping online is to avoid clicking on strange links. You know those messages that say “win R500?” Don’t click on those.
2. Plan ahead and do your research
The same way you’d plan for a trip to the mall is how you should plan your virtual shopping spree. What are you looking to buy and which store are you planning on buying it from?
Planning ahead means researching different e-commerce stores and different brands to find products that are value for money. Guzzle is very useful in this regard, because it has a range of online catalogues containing deals and specials with a wide range of appliances, electronics, essentials, smartphones and building materials. Having all of these items in one place makes planning your online shopping journey that much easier!
A great thing about online shopping is that people usually leave reviews on products they’ve bought, giving insight into the functionality and durability of the product.
3. Budget wisely
There’s something about shopping online that makes it easier for you to overspend. Because everything is virtual, you may feel like you’re playing a game, that is, until you receive a bank notification that your account is now a few hundred or thousand less.
To avoid the harsh reality of overspending and possibly getting into debt that you cannot afford, make sure you stick to a budget for your online shopping spree. Figure out how much you can afford to spend and stick to that figure.
If you find budgeting difficult, another way to prevent overspending is to have the exact amount needed for your purchase in your account, which prevents you from being tempted to go overboard.
4. Get bargains/coupons
Look out for any sales and coupons that stores may be giving out on their websites or social media pages. Getting discounts on items is a great way for you to save money which means that you may even be able to buy while spending less.
With Guzzle, it’s easy to stay in touch with the latest bargains and discounts as there are a selection of catalogues available for you to browse.
5. Use wish lists
Wish lists allows you to create a list with all your favourite items, so that you can purchase them at a later date. Not only is this a great way to organise items you want to purchase in the future, but provides an opportunity for your friends and family purchase items as gifts.
