With the advent of online shopping, going to outlets and discount shopping centers may become an activity as archaic as using a washboard to do laundry.

Savvy shoppers have learned that online shopping is a convenient, time-saving, frugal way to find the best deals being offered by merchants.

SAFE AND SECURE SHOPPING

It is vital that consumers, when first beginning to shop by computer, arm themselves with some important information about where to find the best bargains and how to ensure that their shopping experience will be secure and accurate.

Because shopping on the web was a bit risky during the early years, internet retailers have found ways to reassure their customers that all of their transactions and information will be protected.

Today, consumers can look for the following seals of trust on online retail sites that indicate this type of protection:

– BBB (Better Business Bureau)
– Hacker Safe
– McFee Safe
– SSL Certificates
– Trustguard
– ValidSafe
– ScanVerify

These seals are offered to give the consumer confidence that the website has been established by a reputable dealer who will follow their established policies and handle transactions and private information in a secure manner.

Shoppers at sites with these trust seals have no reason to fear because the site has a third party verification, and their transactions will be protected because of the guarantees offered against scams.

It is also important to check that the URI address of the shopping site starts with “https://” not “http://”.

COMPARISON SHOPPING

Once the safety on a website has been established, bargain and discount shopping becomes a matter of treasure hunting for many cheaply priced products waiting to be found. The secret is in discovering websites like RedFlagDeals.com, GottaDeal.com, and DealsOfAmerica.com.

Other great bargain and discount shopping sites help consumers compare prices across the web. These include

– PriceGrabber.com
– ShopZilla.com
– Shopping.com

By using these sites, consumers can save hundreds of dollars over time, and their purchases will be delivered right to the door.

Just think of the gas and time that can be saved with this method of shopping compared to the traditional way!

GO BARGAIN HUNTING

Another key to successful online shopping is the use of coupon codes and special promotional discounts.

Many people are unaware that by just typing into a search engine the name of a product or merchant and the words coupon, they are likely to receive several codes which can result in big savings.

These range from a certain percent off to free shipping and can add up in a hurry. The following websites have convenient listings of coupon codes and discounts:

– CurrentCodes.com
– CouponChief.com
– RetailMenot.com
– CouponCode.com
– CouponCodes4U.com
– CouponAlbum.com

Shopping from the comfort of home is as simple as shopping can get, but all of these sites make bargain and discount shopping even easier by providing promotional codes, printable coupons, and valuable sales information all in one place.

It never hurts to check several of these sites before clicking the purchase button, however, because some have discounts listed that are not on the other sites.

Some sites like 123Bargains.com even update the online discounts as they change periodically throughout the day.

Author Bio: DannaBananas.com – Unique gifts for everyone: party accessories, kitchenware, home decor, Christmas gifts and other items. Browsable by category, ships internationally.

Category: Marketing
Keywords: online shopping, shop online, safe and secure shopping, bargain shopping, comparison shopping