How much do you love online shopping? If you are a woman, you are probably looking to do some online shopping today and not just go window shopping to the nearby malls.

Online shopping has gained popularity in the recent years. It is all because of online shopping feature it offers; shop from anywhere, get discounts, home delivery, and cash on delivery. As the popularity is increasing, so does the rate of scams. You probably know how difficult it is to shop on a new website. Unless you have heard about the products in the news, you probably want to first test out one product by buying a cheaper priced item first. This allows for better understanding of the reliability of the site and the products on the site.

Do you think your online shopping is safe and secured? Secure online shopping portals make sure that the information sent by the customer reaches the merchant only and is not leaked to anyone in the process. Sometimes, when you pay online, unsafe websites may leak the information of your credit/debit card to a third-party thus causing trouble for you. There are two distinct features of a secured website. Firstly, the address bar will have 'https'. In case you find the’s’ missing while making the payment, stop the process. Secondly, the payment page will have a padlock at the address bar. If it is not there, then the website is not safe.

It is a must for every online shopping portal to give the information about their privacy and security policy to their customers. Before you share any kind of details on the website, make it a point to go to their privacy policy. In case you find it inappropriate, don't move ahead with shopping.

What's the mode of payment that you prefer? Today, almost every website offers different modes of payment. You can pay by credit card, debit card, net banking, or cash on delivery. On many occasions, you might want to pay online but that may not be the safest option. It is always better and wise to opt for cash on delivery option so that you don't have to share your bank details on the internet.

How trusted is the site? Do they always deliver the products on time? What do other users have to tell about the site? Do not buy from a site that has a number of negative reviews. A quick search will also tell you if there is any fraudulent activity on the site. Refrain from buying any product if you see user reviews claiming that the product delivered was counterfeit. Checking the reviews help you to buy the right products at the right price and not worry about buying counterfeit products at a price that you would later regret.

You might get tons of advertisements claiming you can save more if you download the shopping app of the company. However, have a look about how much information the app really needs to run. Access to apps requesting too much personal information is best avoided. This is why it is important to ponder whether you really need that extra discount by downloading the app.