It was just 25 years ago that Amazon began selling books online. At that time, the predictions were that online sales would represent only a fraction of total retail sales for the foreseeable future.
Fast forward to today, and thousands of retailers big and small have closed physical locations and moved to an online presence instead. In this year of the pandemic, even the consumers who were previously most reluctant to shop online have found it to be easier, faster, and safer than they had imagined.
Per Digital Commerce 360, “Consumers spent $861.12 billion online with U.S. merchants in 2020, up an incredible 44.0% year over year. That’s the highest annual U.S. ecommerce growth in at least two decades. It’s also nearly triple the 15.1% jump in 2019.”
Seniors are embracing ecommerce as a useful tool to help them age in place. It allows them access to services and products from the comfort of home, and in the days of the pandemic also allows them to reduce exposure to the novel virus. However, there are still those who worry that shopping online as a senior automatically means falling victim to fraud.
Data proves otherwise. Per the FTC, it turns out that older adults were the least likely age group to report losing money to scams in a 2012 review. It was also the group of over 60s who spotted fraud and reported it more often before losing any money (at twice the rate of people between 20 and 59). A pretty wise group, we’d have to admit!
So, it turns out that an informed senior can be an online-shopping savvy one. Seniors are able to use the internet to shop and engage with the world safely so long as they remain informed. So, by staying current about online safety and using these 8 tips, you can shop online with more confidence.
1: Research retailers before you buy
Amazon is the biggest ecommerce retailer on the internet, and there are advantages to shopping there. A consumer can search the portal and instantly compare prices and products from a variety of sellers in one place. Reviews for each merchant and product are easy to find, which empowers buyers to make informed decisions.
With a bit of homework you can also enjoy other ecommerce shops that offer even greater variety, specialized expertise, and unique items you can’t find on Amazon. With a bit of research into reviews for those shops, too, you can feel confident shopping elsewhere if you look for the following:
- An address and phone number listed on the website
- Reviews from other customers
- Robust product information for the items you wish to purchase
2: Know the return policy
Per Small Business Trends, 52% of shoppers don’t buy online because they’re concerned about ecommerce shops return policy. As a consumer, be sure to read a shop’s return policy to see if you can send things back within a minimum of 30 days or longer, and also to see whether the retailer will pay for shipping with no questions asked for the return. Serious retailers know they are better off providing fair return policies to help shoppers feel more confident.
3: Look for signs of website security before you shop
Glance at the URL found at the top of the page for the ecommerce shop and be sure it has the HTTPS format. This means the website is secure to protect any sensitive information that you key in for a purchase.
Also review the shop’s privacy policy to confirm they have one and that they guarantee your information won’t be sold or shared with another entity. A privacy policy should protect your credit card information and other personal information you share.
And have you ever wondered what’s going on when you see a window pop up asking if you wish to “accept cookies” on a website? The question is asking if you’re okay with the website gathering bits of data about your behavior on the page. By saying yes, you’re giving the merchant permission to use the information about your shopping and viewing experience to tailor their offerings to your interests. Just remember, this permission ONLY applies to the website you’re on.
4: Shop with a credit card
4: Shop with a credit cardYou can never be totally confident your information is safe online, but a credit card offers the most secure option. If your account is compromised, you’re not liable for unauthorized charges, and can dispute transactions with your bank to have them reversed. While a charge is in dispute, it remains frozen and doesn’t impact your credit limit.
The same protections exist with a debit card as well. However, if a thief gains access to a debit card, they can drain the account attached to it. You can dispute unauthorized charges from your debit card as well, however you’ll have to wait to have your account credited until the dispute is resolved.
5: Stay clear of spam in your email
There are those who think emails are less relevant today thanks to texting and messaging apps. However, marketers know that email is still a powerful channel to build relationships with customers.
Merchants gain your information when you sign up for an account to shop on their site. Your role as an informed consumer is to pay attention to your email inbox to separate those you want from those that have come along as spam.
If you don’t recognize the sender of an email, don’t click on the link or attachment they provide. Check your junk folder filter options and be sure to unsubscribe to newsletters that you don’t want or no longer use.
6: Be selective with your social media communication
Facebook is increasingly becoming a favored space for seniors to communicate. Per Pew Research, the share of older Americans over 65 who use the platform has more than doubled since 2012. However, more than half of all users don’t understand how the personal information the social network collects is used.
Recent news stories have shed light how these social platforms operate, specifically by commoditizing our data in exchange for advertising dollars. On the face it might seem like a reasonable swap, except that users signed up to share, like, and tweet without fully understanding the deal they made.
Use social media with your eyes wide open. When it comes to the information and sales tactics on social media, stay clear of gimmicky games and surveys which are often designed as “click bait” meant to capture more information about you.
Per Safe Streets, there are numerous ways you can protect your information and still enjoy some of the benefits of social media. Learn and use the privacy settings, be selective about the friends you have on your list, and review friend invitations before accepting additional friendships to your feed.
7: Monitor your online accounts and your credit reports
One of the wonderful benefits of online banking is the instant access you have to your transactions. Be sure to regularly review your checking, savings, and credit card activity daily.
The same holds true for monitoring your credit report annually. Be certain that the accounts on your report are yours and that the credit report inquiries are ones you’ve initiated. You can obtain one free copy of each of your three credit bureaus every twelve months by going to annual credit report.
8: Keep your passwords protected
Finally, take a moment to assess the security and organization of your passwords. In order for passwords to be effective, they must be personal to you and arbitrary in format. This makes keeping and tracking passwords more of a burden because they are meant to be different from one account to another, and are notoriously difficult to remember.
Using your address, or birthdate of your dog, or favorite word repeatedly as passwords across multiple accounts will put you at risk. Passwords are supposed to be random, often a series of letters, symbols, and numbers.
Keep passwords handy and up-to-date in an analogue system you can reference easily—but where no one else will see them. Don’t let bits of papers, sticky notes, and frayed bits of notebook pages here and there be your solution. Maintain a tidy book, perhaps alphabetically ordered, where you can easily go to refresh your memory on your assortment of sign-ins.
Your Online Defense is Knowledge
The internet is a remarkable place to gather information, interact with others, and conveniently shop for the things you need and want. It’s also a vast landscape for bad players to take advantage of those who are poorly informed.
Even though you’re older, you weren’t born yesterday when it comes to seeing that knowledge is power. By understanding that there are risks and doing your homework as an online consumer, you won’t fall prey to hackers online.
These 8 steps are a good beginning to taking care of yourself as you travel the internet. But make it a point as a person of the twenty-first century to stay informed. You can enjoy the many benefits available to you on the web where age is only a number.
Bibliography
https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/article/us-ecommerce-sales/
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/10/scams-and-older-consumers-looking-data
https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/01/easy-return-policy.html
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/16/facts-about-americans-and-facebook/
https://www.safestreets.com/facebook-foibles-10-social-media-safety-tips-for-seniors/
https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/get-my-free-credit-report