Shopping made easy!

Once, I awed at the stories told by my friend about how convenient everything is when she was in Shanghai. She said that place is a totally internet-friendly piece of land. Shops are made online and you can place virtual orders any time you like - your purchases will arrive at your doorstep on the very next day.

I used to wonder if this shopping experience will come storming by Malaysia and I'm not saying those little virtual stores which you doubt on their authenticity; I really did when these stores came alive a year or two after that conversation with my friend.

As of recent, I notice that virtual shopping has slowly seeps into Malaysians' life and gradually gains credibility. Friends who have spent years living out of Malaysia trusted online shopping and they especially love eBay, Amazon and the likes. To them, these are equivalent to shopping malls and your purchases are safe with them. Of course, for those who are less exposed (like yours truly) to these experiences, do really doubt if these shops will deliver as promised in a timely manner.

Groupon was the first few that grabbed my attention. My colleague introduced it to me and with all the good deals that Groupon offers, I'm immediately attracted. There are a good few of these types of websites but by far, this is the one which I frequently use. It sells a wide variety of stuff ranging from food to home care items to travel packages- at a discounted price. I have yet to try their travel package though - still a little skeptical. Anyways, I always love their food stuff discounts - buying for 2 at the price of 1 :)p Now, who doesn't love that?

This site actually linked me up to Strawberry.net when Groupon was selling Strawberry's 50% discount voucher. Strawberry.net offers anything related to body care and cosmetics for both genders. The one thing I like about this site is the number of brands they hold. I didn't count but rest assured, you can find brands not sold in Malaysia. This is really cool especially when you are bored with the variety offered by stores in Malaysia and also when they don't offer better discounts, do come here. Also, they ship worldwide too. The drawback is probably the long delivery time; approximately a week to two weeks for your order to reach you.

Another drawback is that they do not offer the best price but hairdressing.com.my does. It is a local store located in Pudu. My friend recommended this page and she had even went to the store to check them out. According to her, the store is quite shabby looking but perhaps it was due to this (low rent, low maintenance) that they are able to beat the prices. As compared to the normal retail price and Strawberry.net, this store offers the best price for several items. Also, it provides speedy delivery - I've got my order 2 days after payment.

Lately, I came across zalora when I saw its poster in Starbucks. As a consumer, I will feel much comfortable with recommendations from a real store which I frequent. Zalora offers a wide range of products as well; mainly shoes, clothes and bags. Price wise, it is not very competitive but it does provide discounts every now and then. I made an order yesterday, an hour after 2pm and today, I received it at 12pm. It's pretty convenient, really.

Along with my purchase, zalora had given me some vouchers and one of them is foodpanda, which to my surprise, caters to different types of food and food stores - online. I have yet to try it but perhaps, one of these days. Then again, the search came up with 0 result to my area. Hmmph...glitches or it's not that established yet..

Anyways, seriously, buying things have been getting easier! Then again, I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I would with real life shopping. How can anything virtual beats real life senses of touching and trying on the things which you will soon buy?　To me, nothing beats that - the pleasure of real life shopping, ever.