The Ultimate Guide to Shopping Online this Holiday Season
Shopping Online This Holiday Season
Whether you’re new to online shopping or a seasoned pro, this holiday season will likely have you browsing more windows on the web than window shopping at a mall.
This holiday season, consumer behavior must adjust to the times. Thankfully, shopping online is safer overall. Aside from the obvious, there are many other benefits to purchasing from online retailers. In fact, these benefits combined are like the holy grail of modern living. Once you get a taste, you may never go back to traditional shopping again.
Some of my favorite top benefits of online shopping are -
Convenience - Admit it, having something delivered to your front door without ever leaving your couch is one reason why it’s great to be living in this century. I mean, come on, I know you feel me on this one.
The ability to price compare - Sure there are apps to perform this function when you’re out in the wild of brick and mortar establishments, but the ease of a few clicks is hard to compete with. Never mind the second glass of wine you just poured while sitting comfortably on your couch instead of out in freezing temps and traffic.
User reviews - Have you ever bought something at Brookstone on a whim only to be disappointed with the performance after the gift is opened Christmas day? Reviews give you user-generated assurance so that you can feel good about your purchase immediately - a security blanket we all want.
Everything you could ever want is in one place - Forget the hassle of going from store to store to look for something specific. Instead, the internet has Google playing concierge service to help you find any item you’re looking for. Speaking of which, does anyone remember ‘Ask Jeeves’? - that’s taking it way back!
Shopping from home is way less crowded - For those of you who are natural recluses, this is a no-brainer. For the rest of us, adopting this behavior is a way to keep you and your family safe this holiday season. Surviving the holiday season has taken on a whole new meaning this year.
Ways to Shop Safely Online
To get things started, there are basic things you should know before embarking on your online shopping journey. Just some simple guidelines that will lessen your risk as an online consumer. Without sounding too much like my mom - these rules are for your own protection. There, I said it.
Make sure you use a secure connection while you shop - Hopping on a public hotspot or using your favorite coffee shops wi-fi could land your personal information into the wrong hands. Honestly, your couch is probably the most secure place to shop online. All home routers come with their own built-in firewall to give an extra layer of security you won’t find in public places. And isn’t staying at home the whole point of online shopping anyway?
Know the hallmarks of a trustworthy site - Obviously, if you’re shopping on the Nordstrom site the trust factor is already built-in. But there are plenty of smaller merchants who are just as trustworthy as big-box retailers. On Pinterest, they vet high-quality sellers and issue a blue checkmark on verified accounts. Looking at reviews on a site can also be helpful in identifying a trustworthy e-commerce vendor. Clear shipping and return policies are a must as well as an easy way to contact the seller.
If an offer seems “Too good to be true” it is - Absurdly low pricing on an item may seem tempting at first but buyer beware. Many sites who have offers like this likely procured that inventory illegally or are engaged in other suspicious activity. Such as selling you a cheap knockoff of the branded items you’re looking for or worse selling your financial info to a third party.
Gift card purchasing best practices - Take the time to read the terms and conditions first and foremost. Gift cards have a weird way of ending up in post-gifting purgatory. To ensure they get used make sure the recipient you have in mind actually frequents that store and that they are easily redeemable.
Red flags to avoid at all costs - It’s just good practice to read the site’s terms and conditions about how they treat your personal info. Anything other than ‘we respect your privacy’ should be avoided. As a rule, there are only four pieces of required information that you need to provide at checkout - your method of payment, your mailing/billing address, your email, and phone number. If a site asks for anything beyond these items close the tab immediately and never look back.
Opt to check out as a guest - Unless you think you will be a frequently returning customer it’s best to check out without creating an account. Fewer opportunities to have your information exposed on sites you can’t control is simply a good idea. Even if they are a trustworthy seller they can still be hacked by outsiders. If you do choose to create an account with a password make sure it is strong and unique.
Ensure the site’s secure - Encrypted sites that can safely process and protect sensitive info such as credit card numbers are identified by a web address that begins with "https:", not "http:" - the ‘s’ lets you know that the site is secure.
Use payment with security protections - Just stick to credit cards instead of debit cards and other secure options such as PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. All of these have security protections in place in the case of an unauthorized charge.
As a bonus to this post, I created The Ultimate Holiday Online Shopping Survival Guide. It’s free to download below.
Plan Your Holiday Online Purchasing to Take Advantage of Seasonal Discounts
The holidays traditionally kick off a season of deals that only comes around once a year. This is how you can plan your online shopping to maximize the benefits of these discounts. Who doesn’t love to save money?
The most important dates to mark on your calendar -
Black Friday - The name ‘Black Friday’ refers to the day after Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday shopping season in America since 1952. Normally the biggest deals would only be released on this day however many bigger retailers this year are extending access to Black Friday deals for the entire month. To ensure that you don’t miss out on any deals from your favorite vendors be sure to sign up to receive their newsletters to get any holiday promotions they may run. (shameless plug here - like mine 😉)
Small Business Saturday - This is relatively a new day that is observed as a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, occurring between the two days. Originally coined in 2010 by American Express to encourage consumers in supporting small businesses. The intent was to counterbalance the focus of big-box retailers that are heavily featured during both Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions.
Cyber Monday - This day was first recognized in 2005. It occurs the Monday after Black Friday and four days after Thanksgiving. This is the day that you will likely score the biggest deals from exclusively online retailers.
Super Saturday - This one is made with procrastinators in mind. It’s the Saturday before Christmas and offers last-minute deals. You can probably anticipate many vendors offering tempting pricing on the days leading up to and the days after. Keep in mind that shipping to get your items in time for Christmas day is not favorable. Expedited shipping costs may not make the money you save worth it.
Boxing Day Deals - If you’re a die-hard deal chaser this one is for you. After Christmas and New Year’s Eve sales typically run from December 26 through January 1st. Expect clearance pricing and closeouts with the end of the year and holiday season.
Free shipping day - Many retailers will offer items on December 14th that should arrive by Christmas Eve.
Planning Tips to Ensure Your Packages Arrive By Christmas
Don’t get trapped into the thinking that you can procrastinate longer this year just because you don’t need to leave your house to get your shopping done. Everything has its limitations regardless of the convenience factor. Even Amazon. That is until they figure out how to teleport your order right to you.
Also, it’s important to keep in mind that many retailers are expecting higher volumes of orders due to the unique circumstances of this holiday season. To be safe you should anticipate slight delays and give a little buffer to the standard shipping time frames.
Here are some important benchmarks to be aware of and plan accordingly when you’re shopping online so you’re not caught with your pants down -
Dec. 16: Last day to get your order shipped via FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery to arrive on Christmas Eve.
Dec. 13: Last day to get your order shipped UPS Ground for delivery Tuesday, Dec. 24.
Dec. 14: Last day to order for free standard shipping on Amazon. Note: On qualified orders over $25 only.
Dec. 14: Deadline for USPS Retail Ground shipping to arrive on Christmas Eve.
If this holiday season still manages to sneak up on you and you find yourself scrambling with last-minute shopping, here is a list of the shipping deadlines from the most popular delivery services. This also includes the top big-box retailers and their shipping deadlines to deliver your packages before Christmas.
* I thought I should quickly mention to be aware that many companies using Instagram or Facebook ads are often overseas even if it’s not obvious with their site and products. It’s been my experience that these companies can take up to 3 months or longer to get what you ordered.
Easily Share Your Wish Lists with Family and Friends
Whew! Now that you are equipped with the ‘how’ it’s time for the ‘who’. More specifically those who are on your “nice list” this year. So, you’re finally ready to get this online shopping party started. If only there was a way to organize and easily access everyone’s wish list to help streamline your shopping process.
Thank goodness there are tools for that also. Here’s a list of apps to do just that. Most of the functionality remains the same throughout each app. Each one typically provides similar features such as -
Easily create wish lists
Sharing capabilities
Browse products from any site and add them with ease
Reminder notifications
Messaging and chat functions with family and friends
Prevention of duplicate gifts being purchased
Take a look at some of these apps and put your shopping on auto-pilot this year….almost. This is the next best thing to having an AI do all of your holiday shopping for you.
Recreating the Store Experience Online
For you who are more tactile shoppers, there will never be an adequate sensory replacement for the traditional mall. Somehow the enticing merchandising of window displays, the twinkling of festive lighting, even the familiar notes of Christmas classics just put you into the spirit of the season. Reimagining these familiar experiences and translating them online is something that retailers will be keenly aware of this holiday season.
Aside from ushering in holiday cheer, traditional window shopping allowed you to browse for gift ideas that you hadn’t thought of before. Sometimes you don’t exactly know what you have in mind but you’ll know it when you see it. You can still replicate that experience online. One of my favorite platforms for gift inspiration is Pinterest. Think of it as one giant marketplace with millions of vendors and a wide variety of products. If you see something you like simply click on the pin and get instant access to it.
Many e-commerce sites are going the extra mile to recreate a window browsing shopping experience this holiday season. Here’s a list of some online retailers whose sites come close with their beautifully merchandised selection of curated products.
If you notice that there’s a familiar thread of ‘small-batch’ and ‘independent’ with the selections below you’re not wrong. That’s completely intentional because ‘makers-gonna-make’ and our stage (yup myself included) to be discovered and stand out is much smaller than mainstream retail. That’s why I’m highlighting a few below.
Fancy - Discover and buy quirky and amazing products curated by their global community. This is one of my personal favs.
One Kings Lane - This site is a haven for homebodies who have a taste for the finer things in life.
Etsy - Similar marketplace vibe as Pinterest but more artisan focused with access to millions of makers.
Uncommon Goods - As the name would imply they have an amazing selection of out-of-the-ordinary gifts that have wide appeal.
Minted - For the art lover in your life. This site offers a gorgeous selection of fine art and wedding stationery by independent artists. Easily get lost browsing through their galleries.
Ahalife - Discover thoughtful, sustainable gifts, home goods, and accessories from independent brands and designers. A perfect place to find that ‘you’ll-know-it-when-you-see-it’ gift.
The Grommet - This site has gadgets for your gadgets. Find a perfectly balanced potpourri of unique products created by independent makers.
FOOD52 - For the foodie on your list plus everything you don’t need but want. Complete with an all-star collection of the best original recipes from their FOOD52 community.
Ready to Tackle the Holidays Online
Hopefully, you feel more equipped to tackle this holiday season, even with the unique adjustments required by this year. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the ease and convenience of online shopping if you aren’t already.
As a bonus to this post, I created The Ultimate Holiday Online Shopping Survival Guide. It’s free to download below. You’ll find calendar planning sheets marked with all the important dates for discounts and shipping. As well as linked lists of resources and checklists to help keep you organized this holiday season. Cheers!