For anyone remotely tech-savvy, the internet allows you to shop remotely for all sorts of amazing things. The online shopping experience is very different from brick-and-mortar store shopping. It’s chocful of wonderful, inspiring elements. You can reel in a serious load of awesomeness online, whatever your interests.
As someone fond of travelling & quirky little things with a story to them, I have definitely found some gems from shopping online. Here are 5 perks I can share about online shopping.
1. Specific Styles: Shop Where the Whole Collection Really Suits Your Style
Many blogshops or online-only stores are carefully curated by individuals who have a distinct style & personality. Once you have found that awesome soul whose voice just speaks to you or whose style emulates everything you like, shopping their collection will make you feel like a kid on a candy high. It’s like milking that feeling of “She’s so cool, I want everything she has!”
Blogs are also perfect for people with niche interests or needs. So if you want something a little more specific, you can probably find a blogger aficionado to help you get what you seek.
Having a hard time finding clothes to fit a curvier figure? Follow plus-size bloggers for tips on where to shop and how to dress.
More into cameras than fashion? A fan of the old school? Check out The Toy Camera Shop for lomography and polaroid cameras.
2. (Re) Connect with Foreign Labels
When I was in New Zealand, I loved a particular art shop down the street from where I stayed. Long after the trip was over and I was back home in Singapore, I jumped online and ordered a gift from that shop specially for my grandfather’s birthday.
Shopping online allows you to shop the latest collection from that local brand of clothing you fell in love with while you were on exchange in a foreign land. I can think of plenty of friends on a post-travel whine about how they can never get jeans/hair mousse/coffee beans as perfect as they did from Store ABC in Country YXZ. With the internet, you can connect to goodness far far away. So why not use it?
3. Support Small Brands, Young Talents & Local Labels
Find local designers or small quirky labels online with the help of Google. When you find something interesting from the little guys, buy it! And spread the word. They’ll love you for it.
Or shop on larger stores that stock items from these smaller labels. ZALORA Singapore is Singapore’s largest online retailer and carries among its wide range of fashion & footwear, several local brands you might not otherwise have heard of. Among the men’s clothing range here, you can find pretty cool men’s casual wear from local labels like Headline and Hooked. There’s a good selection for ladies as well, all the way up to Daniel Yam gowns.
Use the search function, sitemap or brands listing to check out labels you’ve never heard of. Even the foreign ones. I became a fan of Australia’s Urge footwear when I discovered them among the shoe collections on Zalora (easily it’s best part). You can also connect to labels in Thailand, Malaysia, Spain, New York and more all from one online fashion store. But again, it doesn’t have to be just fashion.
Find labels from Singapore & other countries on the ‘Brands’ tab of Zalora Singapore’s website
4. Zoom in: Seek & You Shall Find
Glory, glory, search engines. With the far-reaching hands of the World Wide Web, you can type in a few words and find out where to get just what you are looking for.
Been to Morocco and discovered the wonders of Moroccan hair oil? Been to Switzerland and loved sitting around a fondue pot with friends? Level Asian typing + Google + Fast-speed ISPs and you’ve found out where to buy it in a matter of seconds. Perhaps you’ve been nowhere at all except the movies. Jump online and you can order a replica of Thor’s hammer or Arwen’s Evenstar from overseas sans jetplane. A few clicks and boom! Official LOTR Jewelry on it’s way to you.
Sometimes, if you’re really lucky, you may even find foreign goodies on a Singapore-based store. Fondue pots for example, are available on the new home & decor section of the same site I mentioned earlier: http://www.zalora.sg/home-and-decor/ So search Singapore first before you go global.
5. Inspiration Nation: Shop for Nothing Specific At All + The World is Your Oyster
Don’t know what’s in? The internet is brimful of inspiration. Surf to find out what’s trending, tips & tricks, then search/shop those specific styles. Or just browse bigger online stores until you find something you like. Their collections are updated to reflect current trends.
Lookbook is a site where people around the world share their fashion to inspire others
The ability to search by gender, style, size etc. come in handy. Every year I shop with my brother to help him find new clothes for Christmas, but it always takes more time than we expect because most malls have more girly clothes than guys. It’s frustrating. Being able to just zoom in to the male collections in his budget online, from the comfort of home, allows a non-fashionista figure out what’s trendy and shop quickly.
Sometimes you find things randomly. Like this neat uber-Singaporean book I found, made by The Little Drom Store.
If you’re not buying now, bookmark it for later. Many stores have a Facebook page or blog. When shopping online, I prefer reading articles on the Zalora fashion blog and finding out what’s new, rather than attempting to do it myself on the main website where there are new products are added everyday.
But Pinterest is by far my favourite treasure trove to loop into the real-life inspiration. StumbleUpon is also pretty awesome.
Pinterest is like a pinboard full of cool stuff. Most pictures link back to a site with full details or a store where you can buy the item.
That’s Number 5.5 : The obvious perk of online shopping that is the ability to shop beyond Singapore’s borders without anything passport-chopping action. But you knew that already 🙂
There are lots more perks to online shopping but these are some of the solid reasons why it’s wonderful for all sorts of people, especially those who are already tech-savvy. So next time you need something, try the digital shopping cart & let the mailman do the heavy lifting.
Start Shopping Now!
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Author Bio:
Rebecca P. is a creative soul with a love for travel, the written word & visual arts. A believer in the power of interactive media, she works in digital communications & is currently involved with Singapore’s largest online fashion retailer.
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