Shopping is All about Making Informed Buying Decisions

“Buy what you don’t have yet, or what you really want, which can be mixed with what you already own. Buy only because something excites you, not just for the simple act of shopping.”
― Karl Lagerfeld

Shopping is an integral part of our daily lives. It’s something that we are trained to do at a very early age and we get better at it as we go along.

Or do we?

Some people live their lives without really trying to become better shoppers. They aren’t very concerned if they pay more for a particular product that they could have easily got for less. Many a times, they don’t even know they’ve paid more money than they should have.

Their inability to appreciate the importance of making informed decisions while buying a product is also showcased by their purchase of low quality products that don’t entirely meet their needs and requirements. This happens because these people see shopping an activity they want to get over with as soon as possible.

What they do not realize is there are tremendous benefits to be had if they make informed decisions.

Let’s take a look at some of them:

1. Price Benefit

If you invest some effort in your shopping activity, you have a chance of finding sellers offering the products you are looking for, at a discount. But this requires some research. You need to make the rounds of price comparison sites to get an idea of how various online sellers have priced the products you want to buy. This allows you to buy from a seller who has priced the product the cheapest. What this does is it helps you save money, which can be better used elsewhere (some more shopping perhaps).

2. Get your hands on the best products

The word ‘best’ signifies products of very high quality and those that perfectly satisfy your requirements. Think about it for a second. When you go out to a restaurant, why do you take all the time in the world to order a dish of choice? You take the help of the maître d’ to understand more about the dishes on offer and zero in on a dish that will perfectly suit your taste buds. You do this because you want to make the most of your visit to the restaurant and the dining experience.

Why not think along the same lines about your shopping experience? Think very carefully about what you are buying, the benefits the product will bring to the table, whether it meets acceptable standards of quality and whether the price charged is commensurate with its deliverables. Irrespective of whether you are out shopping for groceries, clothes, mobile phones or a T.V., thinking along these lines will help you buy the best products that bring immense value to the table.

3. Satisfaction

If you’ve never really been very serious about shopping, then you probably haven’t experienced the satisfaction of having got the best deals while you shopped. There is a difference between making a purchase and making a great purchase. The latter bring with it a kind of situation that is borne out of knowing you’ve achieved what you set out to do with flying colors. This isn’t a small thing. This is also proof that you’ve become more responsible, accountable and mature. It will improve your mood (a job well done is always a cause for happiness) and this ‘shopping satisfaction’ has the potential to rub off positively on other activities as well.

I know you may find this a bit of a stretch. But, that’s how it is. You do something right and it has a domino like effect on many other things.

The ‘How’ of Informed Buying Decisions

It is all very well to tell someone – Make informed buying decisions’ but what does this involve? How do you make such decisions? Here’s a brief overview on how you can go about making these decisions:

1. Get Information

Focus on the word ‘informed’ in the phrase ‘informed buying decisions’ and you’ll have the whole process covered. Make sure you’ve all the information about the product before you actually go ahead and buy it. This includes knowing about the features of the product, its functionality and getting an idea about the product’s reviews. If you are planning to buy a particular product you can also tap into your social media network to get an idea of how good the product really is straight from the horse’s mouth (people you know, who’ve actually used the products).

2. Use this Information

Alright, you’ve got all the information about this product, so how do you go about using this information. No, you don’t immediately go ahead and buy the product. You analyze this information to make sure the product suits your specific needs. There might be other products out there that might be even a better fit. So, make a list of such products, compare them and only then identify the product that you believe you should purchase.

3. Shop for It

Whether you are buying a product offline or online, you need to buy it from a reputed seller. Don’t just buy it from anybody. Yes, we’ve talked about price benefit earlier in the article and that is important but equally important is the intention of the seller. Some sellers are willing to pass a second grade product on to buyers at a discount. So, making sure the sellers are reputed and will only pass on a high quality product to you is an absolute must.

When you shop, you are spending your hard-earned money, so it makes sense that you are able to make the most of it. This is why informed decision making is a must.

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