The discount events of this year’s Black Friday and, much more, of Cyber Monday, which follows immediately, are expected to boost consumers’ e-shopping again in the midst of a pandemic. For the best information and preparation, but also for the best possible use of the opportunities offered by this “celebration of trade and market”, the Independent Authority “Consumer Ombudsman” and the European Consumer Center of Greece recommend to consumers the following:
1. To be careful during their electronic registration in newsletters, with which they are called to declare in time their preferences in specific products and to be informed, thus, in advance about the discounts that will be made in them. In particular, be wary of the personal information they provide through these newsletters, as they are, in essence, a form of e-marketing and are widely used by suppliers to create personalized customer profiles and to carry out personalized promotions that follow them everywhere. while browsing the internet.
2. To separate the real from the fictitious offers, doing their own market research long enough for the products they are interested in, in combination with the use of special tools available from electronic platforms for product comparison and shopping, which represent the timeless price fluctuation.
3. When placing their orders, pay particular attention and importance, in addition to price, to other critical information related to the speed of delivery of their products and in particular: (a) availability, taking into account in particular obstacles and constraints which, at international level, affect the production and distribution of goods, as well as (b) the expected delivery time of products through postal providers. The goal is for consumers not to experience later dissatisfaction and frustration from any excessive and / or indefinite waiting times.
4. Avoid buying products, even if they are sold at very attractive prices, from online stores that have websites of dubious legitimacy (eg do not include complete headquarters and contact details, contain “dead” links [links] or connections to terms of use or privacy policy with incoherent provision, channel communication with consumers exclusively through social media applications, such as viber, messenger, etc.).
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