Shopping, you either love it or hate it… For some it’s an addiction and for others it’s a get in and get out. That’s why online shopping in South Africa is slowly on the rise.
Companies like; Superbalist, Takealot and Pricecheck are some of the most renowned retail companies in the country. These raise awareness and the trust of online shopping locally.
While shopping online is more convenient and sometimes less expensive, there are still dangers which exist, ones which don’t exist in a physical store.
Still not so keen on shopping online? We have five tips that will help keep you and your information safe, so you can have a better online shopping experience:
Look for additional credit card security: Most major credit card issuers have created a secure system called OTP (one time pin). This is a pin that is sent to your phone when you’re about to make an online transaction. Also look out for ‘Verified by Visa’ (if you use a Visa card) and ‘SecureCode’ (if you use a Mastercard. If these don’t appear, you may want to consider shopping elsewhere.
Look at whether the Checkout is Secure: Ensure that the website that you’re using has an encryption on your credit card transaction. How? By looking for a small lock either at the bottom of your screen or at the top of your screen by the URL browser.
Keep your personal information personal: By making a purchase online, be aware of what kind of information they ask you and remember, you only have to fill out the required fields at checkout.
Check the return policy: Any merchant will have detailed returns, refund or warranties available for you to read through before making your purchase. If you can’t find this information, consider looking elsewhere.
Be especially careful at Wi-Fi hotspots: By connecting to the internet at a café or somewhere you’re not familiar, limit the type of business you conduct. Logging on to important accounts (email or banking) are not always secure when using an open Wi-Fi hotspot.
