a. Shopping Cart
There are online shopping carts and there are bad
online shopping carts. When using a good one you should be able to add and
remove products from it, review your total purchase price at any time, and
see any service, shipping and handling fees, for example.
b. Currency
This Online Mystery Shopper rating indicates the type of
currency accepted at the online shopping website. Other currencies can be
used but will be converted into the currency indicated.
c. Account Creation
Some online shopping systems make it mandatory for you
to create an account even before seeing any products. This type of system
may be gathering as much personal information as it can and invading your
privacy. The good online shopping systems allow you to create your account
immediately before completing your purchase.
d. Shipping & Handling
A good online shopping catalogue ordering system
should offer various types of shipping options including ground, air, same
day, overnight, 3 day, international, etc. Also, there should not be an
excessive handling fee on products being shipped.
A clear and concise shipping and handling
policy describes shipping and handling costs and how many days it will take
for products to be delivered. Web sites should offer various forms of
shipping but the least expensive option should be the default option.
Shipping and handling fees should be reasonably priced. Shipping and
handling costs should be disclosed before the ordering process begins. Online Mystery Shopper even lets you know which shipping companies the online
shopping web site uses before shop. Our advise: stick with well known
shipping companies and be a Online Mystery Shopper.
Good web sites:
- Have relatively low shipping and handling costs.
- Have free shipping if an order is placed with a
value over a certain amount.
- Have no additional charge to ship back-ordered
items separately.
- Use well-known shipping companies.
e. Shipping Insurance
Another good aspect to a safe and reliable online
purchase that can bring peace-of-mind is shipping insurance. Online Mystery Shopper looks for offerings of shipping insurance, the cost involved, and
whether it is provided by the merchant or the shipping company.
f. Order Processing
Does the online shopping system process your order in
a safe and secure way to avoid credit card fraud? We find out and rate the
ordering processing system.
g. Credit Cards
There is nothing so frustrating than finally finding
exactly what you want, and at the last stage of the game finding out that
the online shopping system doesn't accept your type of credit card. Use the
Online Mystery Shopper rating system to find out before hand and save yourself
some time.
h. Other Payment Options
Don't have a credit card? Don't want to use your
credit card online? Want to pay Cash On Delivery (C.O.D.)? Read the Online Mystery Shopper ratings to find out about payment options before you shop.
i. International Orders
Some online shopping web sites only ship to the United
States. Some to Canada as well as the U.S.A. Others will ship almost
anywhere in the world. Find out before you shop, especially if you live in
an out-of-the-way country.
j. Order Cancelling
There should be a a clear and easy way to cancel the
order, both before and after placing it.
Good web sites:
- Offer an online shopping cart or other way to
collect and hold items while shopping, without a customer having to
register first. The shopping cart function should record product names,
numbers, price, and keep a running subtotal (including shipping and
handling costs).
- Indicate when an item is out of stock and delivery
times will increase.
- Make it easy to alter the quantity of items ordered
and easy to remove unwanted items.
- Have a simple and short order form.
- Make it clear what information on the order form is
required and which fields can be left blank.
- Identify inform the online shopper about any
missing information on the order form.
k. Order Tracking
Many of the better online shopping web sites have a
way for you to monitor the progress of your order as it is received, payment
is secured, and it is shipped. This very handy system can satisfy your
curiosity as to the status of your order without having to phone customer
support.
See also:
