We always love to shop – it is
pretty common to any local consumers here in the Philippines. I think it all
roots to how our parents showed us that online shopping is fun to do with the
family. However, we don’t necessarily like the process along the way like
spending time in traffic going to the location of the mall. It is also
consumers a lot of our time and energy as we pick which items to buy for us. We
don’t even realizing we even spend some of our money in gas expense and even
for dining inside the mall restaurants. This is a clear picture that it is not
so bad to have an alternative option to address our needs in shopping. With the penetration of technology and
Internet usage, it became apparent for some business owners to put their
business online, one of which is online mall. However, since this is something
out of the norm, people tend to ask if this “online shopping” is the real deal.
Of course, if we are going to try something that we have never done before, it
is only natural for us to think of the pros and cons of doing online shopping
instead.
Over time, online mall's
credibility always is one key factor that matters to customers if ever they
would consider online shopping. Actually, a lot of us are not at ease when it
comes to online shopping since we are all aware of the evident online scams and
frauds that are happening around the globe. Another factor is that the majority
of the population doesn't have their own credit cards, online shopping is even
hard for most people. Moreover, it makes first time online shopping prospects
more doubtful in proceed with their online shopping. Actually, there are
certain measures that customers conduct like if the online stores have a safe
and secure line for credit card transactions. These are actually factors that
customers usually refer to when deciding where to shop. This drastically
changed when Lazada was launched in the Philippines a year ago. Upon Lazada's
arrival in the country, they brought in an Ecommerce solution in the local
online market. They introduced a unique payment method that will help solve
both of the major issues in Ecommerce. They named it Cash on Delivery or C.O.D.
as many refers to it. This payment method makes customers feel that they are
secured when shopping on their website.
The local online customers can
actually try their service since they won't risk too much on their end such as
giving away their credit card details and paying in advance. So how will this
help customers make their shopping easier? The local online consumers can visit
their website and check their huge selections. Customers who already know what
to buy on the website won't need to pay it right away. For customers who opted
for Cash on Delivery as their payment method, they will only need to fill a few
details before their orders are processed without spending a single dime
upfront. Customers can relax as soon as they provide their shipment details and
wait for its arrival which is around two to five days upon order date. It is
only when local customers received their order as it is handed over to them
upon delivery that they are required to pay in cash. Free delivery is only
available once order exceeds one thousand pesos. Customers can keep their money
up until their orders arrived which is good thing from a customer’s angle.