Steps to do online shopping in Nigeria

The internet has come with a lot of opportunities that have made life so easy compared to the era before its advent. Topping the list in terms of the popularity of such opportunities include online shopping, electronic money transfer, social media, decentralized entertainment channels, cloud computing, etc.

Today, with a plethora of online shops, some dedicated to specific brands and others such as Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, Ali Express, 1688, Jumia, Konga, etc, which operate as multi-merchant platforms, the consumer is more than ever spoilt for choice which ultimately should provide him/her with the best bargains available.

We can therefore say that with the internet, the consumer has truly become king. But care must be taken to avoid falling into pitfalls associated with online shopping, after all, with a bit of hard luck even the king might trip ungracefully while walking in his royal robes. Information Guides Nigeria

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Basic Requirements For Shopping Online in Nigeria

Online customers must have access to the Internet and a valid method of payment in order to complete a transaction. Great effort must also be made by the online shopper to understand the interface of the online shop he/she is transacting on, this ensures that unnecessary mistakes are avoided while carting, this is even most worthy of mention as most products on display have variations in colour, size, texture, etc.

You definitely do not want the wrong option delivered to your doorstep. Another highly important requirement which the online shopper must have is the correctly spelled address of his/her online shop of interest. Take note to stay away from using links. Steps to do online shopping

Choosing The Right Online Store

With so many online stores competing for the attention of the online shopper, one quality a discerning online shopper must possess is the ability to identify the right one. You definitely do not want to buy a product without a warranty or worse still hand your money to unscrupulous persons without getting any products delivered to you. Surprised? Yes, just like the real world, the internet is also a world of dog-eat-dogs.

Read Also: Online Shopping in Nigeria – 10 tips to shop safely, avoid being scammed

Factors to Consider When Shopping Online

1. Use Only Online Shops You Are Familiar With

If you know the site, chances are it is less likely to be a rip-off. Avoid the temptation to test new water when such water has been less charted by the public or at least by people you know and trust.

In addition to using a familiar online store, it is important that you avoid stores that require too much of your personal information than necessary. You will definitely need to provide some method of payment, shipping address, telephone number, and email address. However, in the event that the shipper demands more data than necessary, leave. You never need to give them your financial balance data, government-backed retirement data, or driver’s permit number. A few organizations pose inquiries about your inclinations, however, these ought to consistently be discretionary and you ought to be mindful about giving the data. Does the vendor exchange or share your data? Check the site’s privacy policy to see how exposed your data may become. Numerous stores unmistakably express that they do not share, sell or lease purchaser’s data, others say they own your information and can utilize it (or misuse it) as they desire. Adhere to the organizations that regard your protection.

2. Look For The Lock Icon

Avoid making payments over the internet to an online shop that does not have SSL (secure attachments layer) encryption. The URL for the sites with SSL encryption will begin with HTTPS — rather than just HTTP. A symbol of a bolted lock will show up, normally to one side of the URL in the address bar or the status bar down underneath, although this will depend on the browser you are using.

3. Do Your Due Diligence

If you are wary of a site, perform your due diligence. A Better Business Bureau has an online directory and a scam tracker. Scamadviser.com can also come in handy in x-raying websites for authenticity. You can also make use of WHOIS lookup services to find out when the online store was created, the older the safer. These services are available to you for free. Carry out a strict check before you put down your credit card number or any other personal information required for payment.

That said, be absolutely sure you have got a concrete address and a working phone number for the online shop. If things go bad, you have a place to take your complaint. In fact, call them before you order so you can clarify a return policy and where to go with any issues after the online shopping transaction. JAMB Result

4. Safest Online Payment Methods

There are numerous online payment methods accepted by online stores with each having thorough security layers in place to protect the online shopper. However, this article is aimed at helping you know the safest of the pack because even when you do everything right to shop safely online there is always an infinitesimal chance of data breach and the methods outlined below are your best bet when the chips are down.

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5. Debit/ATM Card

Likely, the most widely recognised approach to pay both on the web and in an actual store, your ATM card is a helpful method to move cash straightforwardly from your bank. This immediate connection is however a likely disadvantage because, in a situation of card breach, there would be no buffer between the fraudster and the bank. Nonetheless, except you are utilizing a trustworthy bank, security is probably going to be best in class. Banks have very tight anti-fraud monitoring and are quick to flag up and block any suspicious-looking transactions. Top 10 Fast Loan in Nigeria, their requirements how to apply, interest rates

6. Credit Card

Utilizing a credit card is a much more secure approach to pay, as you are not giving direct admittance to your genuine ledger, and no cash is taken until you audit and settle the credit card bill. Given that credit card companies, by and large, have similar anti-fraud systems like banks, this may just be the best method to pay.

Tip: Consider using dedicated credit or debit/ATM cards for your online shopping transactions. This measure will provide the twin benefits of easier monitoring and lesser loss in the event of a breach.

7. Third-Party Payment Services

Third-party payment services likewise are a decent alternative for online shopping. PayPal is unarguably perhaps the most popular of these. However, others such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, Venmo, Payoneer, amongst many more are fast beginning to pull their own weight. These services can give an additional layer of security. Rather than giving your personal payment details to each site where you shop, you give it just to the third-party payment company which you use for online transactions.

How to Do Online Shopping in Nigeria

Each online store may have slightly different methods for shopping on their platform, however, this difference lies generally in the site’s interface with the basic procedure staying the same for every online store. We will illustrate the step-by-step procedure with Jumia Nigeria’s online store as a case study.

Steps:

1. Log into the home page of Jumia by typing and entering ‘www.jumia.com.ng’ in the address bar of your browser.
2. Create your Jumia account by clicking the ‘Sign Up’ button and providing the requested details.
3. To find the products or items of your interest, you can either search directly by typing its name in the search bar or you can find it through the list of product categories.
4. Once you are on the product page, provide the specifications of the product in terms of colour, texture, size, etc. This is only applicable to products that have different variations or options available.
5. To place an order on a product, click on the ‘Buy Now’ button which should be a large orange button at the bottom of the product page. After this, the product will be added to the cart. NB: The cart icon is at the top of the page. You can click it to see all the items you have selected already.
6. When you must have added all your items of interest to the cart, click on the ‘Check Out’ button which takes you to a page where you provide or confirm your payment method and details along with your preferred delivery address which could be your own address or a Julia designated pick-up station of your choice.
7. An order number will thereafter be generated and sent to you via SMS or email, or both, for you to track your order in transit. Access bank transfer code 2021 – How to Transfer Money via USSD Code

Read Also: 15 Tips for Safe Online Shopping in Nigeria

Signs  Of Online Shopping Scams To Watch Out Stor

• Solicitations To Pay With Wire Transfers

Sound the alert if a retailer asks you for a wire transfer, a cash request, or a gift voucher as an installment for your request. The most likely outcome is that your cash will fall straight into the pocket of a con artist and you will not get anything for the cash you paid. In the event that you need to insure yourself, consistently pay with a credit card or other secure types of payment, as per the Better Business Bureau.

• Counterfeit Websites or Domains

Even though numerous online retailers are real, numerous others are not. In the event that you shop on a phony site, you may get a knockoff item, something totally not quite the same as the thing that was publicized or nothing by any stretch of the imagination.

One approach to determine whether you are using a phony site is to take a closer look at the domain address. As a dependable guideline, most genuine URLs won’t have incidental characters or incorrect spellings. Retailer sites are simple and ordinarily match their brand name, as indicated by CNBC. For instance, the domain name for design brand Michael Kors is MichaelKors.com. Similarly, that of the luxury fashioner Gucci is Gucci.com.

You can likewise check if the site has a widespread seal of endorsement, for example, the Norton Secured Seal. Such a seal for the most part demonstrates that the site is dependable, as per Consumer Reports. You can likewise verify when the site was made utilizing Whois. Npower recruitment

• Links Sent by means of Text Messages

On the off chance that you get an irregular instant message advising you to tap on a link that advertises a great bargain or prompts you to activate or deactivate a specific service, this is in all probability a smishing trick. A smishing trick is an essential route for crooks to get you to give out your own data by making you click on a fraudulent link in an instant message.

• Phishing Emails

Shopping phishing messages can occur whenever during the year, however, they will be more prevalent during festive periods of the year. An email that has features resembling one from a legitimate online store with a link for you to tap on so you can get a promoted discounted deal or fix the issue with your request. Clicking on such a link will however likely download malware on your device.

To authenticate the sender’s identity, double-check the email address and keep watch for messages with wrong spellings and grammar. dollar to naira rate

• Ridiculous Discounts

Let us assume you run over an advertisement for 95% off the #1 item on your wishlist. You click on the advertisement and are taken to a site where you can search for bargains. You, along these lines, put in your personal data to jump on the bargain and purchase the item. By then, the trickster has your data and will leave you helpless.

In case you are distrustful of an advertisement, see what the product is selling for at different retailers, both mortar and brick stores as well as online stores. Undertaking a price comparison can help you spot if the arrangement is genuinely authentic or simply an endeavor to mislead you into tossing cash at an item or company that does not exist.  WAEC result

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Conclusion

Online shopping like every great invention also has its downsides, even sugar at some point poses a threat to healthy living. As a consumer-king, it is necessary to hold all the aces, after all, a king is not truly great until he can defend his kingdom. As long as you stick to safety precautions you will be just fine. JAMB form

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