I am a semi-frequent shopper, both in store and online, but mostly online in recent years. However, it definitely seems like I see a new, cheap online retailer every other day, especially for clothing, accessories, small gadgets, etc. These retailers usually have nothing of major use or importance just stuff that people find interesting.
The problem with most of these newer strictly online retailers, is that a lot of the products are extremely misleading. A customer believes they are getting what is pictured, but it usually turns out to be made from cheap fabric, way smaller than the promised size, faded/unattractive colors, or just overall bad quality. Reliable companies will visit sites like https://www.jonble.com/pre-shipment-inspection/ and ensure that their products are up to a good enough quality for their consumers but cheap online retailers just want to make their products as cheap as possible and send them off without a second thought. Not to mention, it could take more than a month to receive just a necklace the waiting times on shipping can be truly awful.
For this reason, most shoppers often stick to retailers they are familiar with, such as Amazon or eBay. They have reasonable shipping times, which is probably thanks to their fleet management systems and many well-qualified drivers. There’s no doubt they have some sort of tracking system to ensure their drivers are delivering safely and within the right time-frame, like what’s shown on https://www.lytx.com/en-us/fleet-management/fleet-tracking-service. Smaller online retailers need to ensure that they can meet these standards that Amazon and eBay have for themselves. They also give a variety of payment methods to their customers. For instance, they can pay with either their credit card or digital currencies such as Bitcoin. These methods mean that transactions are straightforward and easier for consumers. Consumers are more likely to return and buy from online retailers who have these conveniences. Online retailers, accepting cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins, give them a wider reach for their customer base and promote digital currency use on their platforms. To learn more about Bitcoins and online retailers you can click here.
But.. The Prices Are Unbeatable?
This is mostly the case with retailers based out of China, where products can be manufactured much cheaper. A popular example would be Wish ” Shopping Made Fun.” Wish is a direct from China app and website that offers unbranded women and men’s clothing, accessories, and lots of other stuff at bargain prices.
Again, the problem is that most of these products are extremely misleading. The products are shown in high quality photos, and look like like high quality items. However, many of the products have horrible reviews explaining that what they received was not even the same item that was pictured. Several other reviews are statements like “not the best quality, but you can’t beat the price.”
Is There a Problem Here?
Some other examples of cheap online retailers are AliExpress, Alibaba, Zaful, and Geekall of which make and ship items from China. What’s interesting is that people either love or loathe these stores. How you feel all depends on what you are expecting to receive from them. If you are looking for high quality, long lasting products or quick shipping, then they are not for you. If you are just looking for something interesting, cheap, and temporary, then go for it – they are only a problem if you make them one. As the saying goes: “you get what you pay for!”
I believe that these stores could only potentially become a problem for other (more trustworthy) online retailers. Some people could be so disappointed by these cheap products and long wait times that they are completely turned away from the whole online shopping experience in general. This could result in some shoppers sticking to brick-and-mortar stores only. However, there will always be people that prefer physical stores, and always people that prefer online shopping – they
coexist.
This blog post was written by Stephanie Trudell, our Brand Ambassador Intern here at Retailbound. You can reach Stephanie at StephanieTrudell.Retailbound@gmail.com
