Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Should You Buy Electricals in Store Or Online?

These days you assume that if you're going to get a good deal then it'll be an online purchase but is that always the case or are we missing great deals on the high street because we're blindly focussed online? When it comes to white goods and home appliances it's rare to find someone that has gone out and bought something from the high street without at least looking to see if they can get it cheaper online but that's assuming they're of the internet generation and have little interest in face to face customer service.

Whether to buy online or in store comes down to three major factors, choice, price and after care. The first of these is something we've been spoilt for since technology ramped up and new versions of everything started coming out at least every 12 months. There is undoubtedly a wider choice online for the simple fact that one example of each product doesn't take up valuable physical space but on the other side of the coin is the fact that with this huge choice comes a certain lack of quality control.

Price is something that we've come to bargain over, rarely will you buy the first version you see of something even if you think it might be a great deal as there's always a chance that someone else will be selling it for less. Shopping used to be simple, a loaf of bread was the same price wherever you went and you knew how much you needed to save up to buy a new pair of jeans, a sofa or a new washing machine. Nowadays there's no such thing as a fixed or even an average price and the invention of the price match in high street stores means very little as they tend to exclude online prices and that's where most consumers go for price comparison.

Finally, after care or customer service, a big deal in the UK where stiff upper lip reigns and demand for a high level of customer service is desired more than ever but delivered on less and less. If an online company can prove that it can offer as good customer service remotely as any shop can face to face then it stands a chance of standing out from the crowd and monopolising whichever marketplace it is in. Companies that should find this easy are the ones which are already trusted and reputable electrical retailers on the high street, ones that you would have no problem buying a fridge freezer or tumble dryer if only they offered cheaper deals online.




If you're looking for a cheap Beko fridge freezer or a Miele washing machine, look online and in stores across the UK.

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