Shopping online has never been as popular as it has been in the last two years.
In the first months of 2021, each online consumer made an average of three purchases and spent an average of R$1,340, according to a consultancy report Neotrust.
Therefore, understand more about the safety of online purchases, what their benefits are, how to carry them out and what the rights of online consumers are.
Is shopping online safe?
Shopping online is safe, but some care must be taken. First, let's check if the website where the purchase is being made is trustworthy.
Furthermore, always use well-known e-commerce sites. Avoid clicking on suspicious links. Instead, type the website name into your browser.
Look for information about the physical address, company name, CNPJ number, telephone numbers, contact email and social networks, such as Instagram and Facebook.
Finally, another tip is to always read the comments of other users on the shopping website, or do a search for the online store on the website Complain here.
Benefits of online shopping
The benefits of online shopping are numerous, from the convenience of purchasing without having to go to stores and malls, to the practicality of searching for prices in different locations.
Promotions, discount coupons, subscription clubs and reviews from other users on websites, for example, are also advantages of shopping online.
How does online shopping work?
Online shopping is simple and hassle-free. Although online store websites are different from each other, the processes, in general, are very similar.
Therefore, most people follow a step-by-step process that consists of searching for the product, placing it in the cart and proceeding to checkout.
Once payment has been made and approved, a code is generated. This way, you will send the invoice to your email or follow it with the product when it is delivered.
Internet shopping statistics
The year 2021 was a year of high revenue for Brazilian e-commerce, which raised R$150.8 billion, according to lifting of the Brazilian Electronic Commerce Association (ABComm).
This growth in online sales represented 35% more than in 2020, according to Brazilian Chamber of Digital Economy.
The prospects are the best for the e-commerce sector.
The total number of people shopping online is expected to rise from R$79.1 million in 2021 to R$83.7 million in 2022, according to ABComm.
And in the wake of the increase in online consumers comes the growth in the average ticket, which is expected to increase from R$450 in 2021, to R$460 in 2022.
Online shopping: how do you know if a website is trustworthy?
Secure websites use cryptography digital in their transactions and have pages protected with the letters http or https – hypertexts transfer protocol secure, in addition to the image of a padlock.
The privacy policies of trusted websites are clear and should be easy for consumers to access. In them, the company informs how to use customer data and what it does with it.
Safe shopping sites have a Security Seal, a feature that indicates that the site is trustworthy for sharing personal and payment data.
How to shop online?
In this case, it is necessary to register with personal data and create a login with a password on the website. Once this is done, the website directs the user to the payment section.
In general, payment options are credit card, debit card, virtual card, pix, bank slip and, in some cases, bank transfer.
Online shopping: what are the consumer’s rights?
Shopping online is already part of the routine of millions of Brazilians. From the food we order through iFood, to new clothes, practically anything can be purchased online.
But do you know what your consumer rights are?
See below what consumer rights are when shopping online:
Have information about products and services
Their characteristics, health and safety risks to consumers must be included in the description of products and services.
The cash price of the product or service, the total price in installments with the number of installments, interest, if any, periodicity and value of the installments must be very clear.
It is also necessary to contain additional or accessory expenses, such as delivery and insurance, and financial charges for the purchase.
All conditions of the offer must be very explicit, such as payment method, availability, form and deadline for performing the service or delivery.
Withdrawal deadline
According to article 49 of the Consumer Protection Code, The consumer may withdraw from the purchase contract within 7 days of signing or receiving the product or service.
This applies to the contracting of services or supply of goods that takes place outside the commercial establishment, that is, via the internet, telephone or at home.
Called the “right to repentance”, it determines that the consumer must be reimbursed and cannot be charged for the return, with shipping costs being borne by the store.
Return and exchange
The consumer has the right to return or exchange free of charge any product that presents damage, imperfection or defect even if 7 days have passed since purchase.
The right is provided for in the article of the Consumer Protection Code.
Fulfillment of the offer
The company has the duty to fulfill any offer advertised on the website, email marketing or banners. The consumer can appeal if the company refuses to maintain offers.
The three ways to appeal an advertised offer are:
- Demand that the announced offer be fulfilled;
- Accept another product or service equivalent to the one purchased;
- Terminate the contract with the right to return the payment made and possible losses and damages.
Secure payment and data processing
Consumer rights include access to secure payment methods and transparent processing of personal data.
iFood protects payment data via debit and credit cards with tokenization, a mechanism for transforming a real asset into a digital asset through cryptography.
A General Data Protection Law establishes that online stores have explicit Privacy and Data Protection Policies that are accessible to consumers.
Consumer data must be secure and protected from fraud, loss, leakage and unauthorized access.
iFood payment methods: find out what they are and how they are protected
