Since I cannot remember the first thing that I bought online, might as well share the one I recently bought. My recent buy was from a group buying site, Ensogo. I bought a beauty product called NNO -- Nourishing Night Oil. I first knew about this product on Laureen Uy's blog. I might write a separate review for this soon. At that time, NNO was giving away free trial packs, but too bad I was too late to inquire about it. So when it was available on Ensogo, I bought two packs, one for me and one for my mom. Group buying sites offer goods and services at a discounted price. I got my purchase at 51% off. Recently, some of the brands they carry already offer a delivery option, free or with charge.
I'm pretty much sure you know the drill when it comes to these group buying sites. You purchase, print your voucher, then bring it when going to the shop to claim your item or service. So far, I think the negative thing about them is having misleading promo descriptions. Sometimes, I think it's also the misunderstanding of a customer. One perfect example is the percentage of discount. The ad says 50% OFF and they're selling a Gift Certificate worth P400 that you can use to purchase an item worth P550. Technically, the 50% OFF label is correct since you bought the GC for P200 instead of P400. But if you really think of it, you did not save 50% in purchasing the item since you still have to add P150 to complete your purchase.
See, sometimes it can be really confusing. As customers, we don't want to be fooled, but if it's really your fault because we didn't cared to know all the details, then admit that it's your fault. Just charge it to experience. That's why whether you are shopping online or not, you must be really careful and read the fine prints of whatever you are buying.
Here are some of the group buying sites I'm familiar with that you might want to visit:
Ensogo PH
CashCashPinoy
MetroDeal
OkayOkay
Deal Dozen
Groupon PH
Buyanihan
SMAC Deals
You can also look for good finds in some shops on Facebook and Multiply. You just have to be careful on some bogus sellers, as I have already experienced buying from one. As a seller, I also use ebay.ph and sulit.com.ph, but I haven't really tried buying from the other sellers there.
Another popular e-commerce site is ZALORA. I bought twice from them and I personally think that their service is great. They offer free shipping, 30 days return, and they have a COD payment option (my favorite!). I really like their COD payment option since I personally don't want to use my credit card for some unplanned purchases. This is also very convenient for those shoppers who do not have debit/credit cards and making it even more convenient for those opting for over the counter payments.
A lot of brands are starting to develop their own online shops as well. Well, since everything you need is on the internet nowadays, might as well put shopping there, too. The holiday season is fast approaching and I hope these online shops will live up to the expectations of their customers, even during this elbow-rubbing season.
Here's a quick list of the pros and cons of online shopping. If you have anything in mind, let me know, too.
Pros
saves time - no lines, no traffic
saves parking fee / fare
you can do it 24/7
delivery - you can do shopping for a friend or a relative
easier to exchange item
more discount coupons
Cons
limited choices (in some online shops not everything is available)
physical presence - not able to fit the item
time - you have to wait for the item to be delivered
billing errors -
no return, no exchange - in most of the online shops
This is all about shopping, so it's Merry Me ❤
No comments:
Post a Comment