Tips on buying online in a safe and secure way

Online shopping is big business these days, with more and more consumers across the world turning to the world wide web to purchase goods. This is especially the case in countries where ecommerce is really taking hold over the way people shop.

For example, according to the collaborative study published by the OC&C Strategy Consultants, PayPal and Google, the online retail markets in the US, UK, Germany and China will double to £645 billion by 2018.

Needless to say, this has caught the attention of cybercriminals who are keen to exploit individuals benefitting from the convenience, affordability and choice that makes the internet such a compelling place to be.

With that in mind and conscious that the Christmas season is about to get underway, we have put together five top tips on how to stay safe and secure when shopping online.

1. Stick with trusted brands that have a strong reputation

Sticking with popular brands is as good as any advice when shopping online. Not only do you know what you’re getting by way of quality and price, but you also feel more confident that these well-established names have in place robust security measures.

However, be careful, as fraudsters often create fake and professional looking websites to lure in unsuspecting victims. Their efforts can be quite remarkable, as researchers at Google and the University of San Diego found last year.

They observed how high-quality phishing sites are so effective that they have a 45 percent success rate at extracting data. For average-looking fakes, that figure drops down to 14 percent.

2. Use credit cards and secure payment services instead of debit cards

As a general rule, credit cards, in comparison to debit cards, offer consumers additional protection when shopping online. The main advantage of the latter is that a credit card account is in no way linked to whatever funds you actually own. And that’s not all – there are other benefits too.

“Unlike debit cards, credit cards may have a limit on the monetary amount you will be responsible for paying if your information is stolen and used by someone else,” explains Stay Safe Online, a National Cyber Security Initiative.

Likewise, using secure online payment services, like that offered by PayPal, are advisable. The advantage with these providers is that they act as a kind of middle man, whereby you deliver payment to them – i.e. PayPal – and they then pass this onto the retailer. Your bank details always remain unseen.

3. Look for the “https” URL and the padlock symbol

HTTPS, which was developed by Netscape, is an online safety protocol that encrypts information so that data can be kept private and protected. In most cases, the text in the URL is preceded by a padlock symbol (if this is missing, the website should be treated with caution).

The ‘S’ in HTTPS, incidentally, stands for secure. Websites that use HTTPS cause data sent between the site and your web browser to be encrypted through the use of TLS (Transport Layer Security). That means that any information, such as your credit card details, can’t be intercepted in plaintext form by an external attacker. Note that using HTTPS does not say anything about the reputability of the site receiving the data, however!

4. Be wary of dodgy offers that are too good to be true

We have all come across a legitimately unbelievable offer and jumped on it with enthusiasm, glad to have been afforded the opportunity to purchase something at a fraction of its true cost.

But that is rare. The old adage of “if it’s too good to be true, then it probably is” should inform how you shop online – caution is required because there are plenty of scams looking to hook you in with tempting offers. In some cases, the perpetrators are looking to simply infect your device.

It is advisable to be doubly vigilant during holiday seasons, like Christmas, where there does tend to be a lot of amazing and genuine offers. The more reliable the brand and the more secure the URL, the more likely it is that it’s authentic. If not, then walk away.

5. Opt for your mobile phone network over public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is unquestionably something we as consumers now expect. From shops to cafes to restaurants, being able to access the internet with little or no cost is in tune with our connected way of living.

However, when it comes to buying online, all the convenience that comes with public Wi-Fi can be overshadowed by the many risks that are associated with this service. You’d be surprised at how unsecure many hotspots actually are and how easy they are to attack.

There are ample solutions to resolving the vulnerabilities associated with public Wi-Fi, but, in general, when out and about, opt to use data provided by your network provider when going online.

New skills to learn

Aafra Karim,Asst Marketing Executive ,Selvice

Don’t isolate your brain

With over a month into social distancing, it may feel like you have been cooped up for years and years with nothing to do. Without any excuse to procrastinate, this is the perfect time for you to learn something new or add a new skill to your biodata  and become the ever efficient person you’ve always aspired to be. Here are a few sites where you can learn valuable skills to boost up your CV for free.

1. Coursera 
2. edX
3. Khan Academy 
4. Udemy 
5. iTunesU Free Courses
6. MIT OpenCourseWare
7. Stanford Online
8. Codecademy 
9. Open Culture Online Courses
10. HubSpot

Digital Marketing in Bangladesh: Prospects and Challenges

Shabab Junayed, External PR(intern)

A good number of people are now using the internet in Bangladesh. The urban people are very tech-conscious. According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory & Communication (BTRC), more than 90 million people are currently using the internet in the country. Realizing that a large number of people are surfing the web every day, various businesses have modified their marketing practices and turned their focus to digital marketing.

Digital marketing is the stage for all of us. The Digital Marketing industry is growing step by step. Top companies are moving closer to digital marketing trends. To understand what Digital Marketing exactly is let’s dive into deeper.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital marketing is the promotion of goods or services using digital technologies, primarily on the Internet, but also includes cell phones, advertisement displays and any other digital media. The growth of digital marketing since the 1990s and 2000s has changed the way brands and companies use marketing technologies. 

When you get down to it, digital marketing is just marketing. It’s how today’s companies are getting their message in front of their best prospects and clients.

The very first rule in marketing is to make the right offer at the right time and in the right place. Today, your customers are online: hanging out on social media, keeping up-to – date on news pages and blogs, and searching online when they need to.

Digital marketing places you on the same platforms, so that your best customers can see you, know more about you, and even ask questions to learn more about you and your products or services.

If you’re new to digital marketing, you may find it daunting to think about mastering all the online marketing techniques used in digital marketing. I found it overwhelming at first too. There are many tactics that you’ll need to learn. But they all work together to build a base for your business: attracting customers, maintaining relationships, and creating deals that your audience will appreciate and respond to.

Why Lean Towards Digital Marketing?

With advanced growth in marketing technology, businesses are seeking to sustain their revenue stream either by adding online components to their brick-and-mortar stores or by merging numerous digital marketing strategies to enter the lucrative online marketplace.

As most consumers now use smartphones and research products online before they make purchases, it has become crucial for these businesses to have digital marketing plans in place to reach their respective target audiences. However, smartphones and online analysis are not the only reasons why businesses across the globe have turned to digital marketing. They are using these strategies to more effectively target audiences online. Many are seeing a significant return on investment (ROI).

• Effective Audience Targeting

With digital marketing, marketers can use data more effectively to target consumers based on factors such as gender, age, place, interest and education, and can reach potential customers who are already familiar with their brand using different approaches and messages for each audience segment. Advanced online marketing certifications are available to help digital marketers master this craft.

• Small Investment, High Revenue

The cost per lead for digital or inbound marketing is 61% cheaper than conventional marketing. Businesses that advertise on social media, use paid searches and other marketing tactics spend significantly less on their promotions, largely because they use pay-per-click (PPC) strategies to keep costs down and keep their particular audiences up to date. Usually, their ROI is not only higher, but more immediate.

• Reaching Mobile Users

There are more than 10.01 Billion mobile connections worldwide, which is more than the world’s population. And at the end of April 2020, the number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh reached 162.920 million, according to the data provided by BTRC.

Because most of today’s smartphones have internet access, it is easier than ever for businesses to reach potential customers anywhere, anytime.

Scope of Digital Marketing in Bangladesh

Digital marketing has exploded over last few years. Currently, there are almost 81.66 million internet users and over 30 million users are currently active on social medias in Bangladesh. The rate of active social media users has been increased by 15% since 2017.

They are taking the leap into this brave new world through either Business-to-Business (B2B) or Business-to-Consumer (B2C) digital marketing:

• B2B: In order to generate leads, B2B marketers rely on web traffic but are also active on social media sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter. They also frequently rely on PPC promotions to meet target audiences cheaply.

• B2C: B2C marketers concentrate on increasing brand recognition and drawing consumers to their websites and products using social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

In addition to social media, businesses use paid search, email marketing, and other strategies to reach new audiences.

Digital Marketing Careers in Bangladesh

Digital Marketers are responsible for following trends. Trends that evolve every now and then as more companies enter the market and new technologies are born.

Digital Marketers follow these trends and integrate these patterns into their strategies. They rely on digital marketing as a credible, powerful, measurable and user-friendly medium –and as businesses begin to pursue the online market more broadly, more jobs than ever are available to meet these needs.

Digital marketing positions include social media marketing specialists, PPC specialists, digital marketing consultants and SEO specialists. Bloggers and YouTubers can also find themselves writing and vlogging professionally in the digital marketing field. 

Careers are available in the digital marketing sector, but a strong understanding of these strategies and tactics is necessary to become an expert in the field. Through dedicated online learning, marketers can learn social media, PPC, SEO, web analytics, email, and content and mobile marketing tactics to be able to launch effective campaigns and manage them.

Challenges of Digital Marketing in Bangladesh

Infrastructure is the biggest challenge of expanding digital marketing in Bangladesh. And the greatest challenge to expand digital marketing is to get all the key players in the ecosystem working together. The ideal situation is to put all stakeholders, including government, business, advertising agencies, media and technology players, under the same platform, to face all the challenges together in order to make the dream come true.

Digital transformation is in full swing, and businesses are doing their best either to stay one step ahead or at least maintain pace with the crowd. This change is also growing, even among industries that were historically reluctant or laggards in adoption. 

Consumers use multiple digital channels and a range of devices that use various protocols, configurations and interfaces – and communicate with them in different ways and for different purposes.

Bottom Line

Digital technology is slowly changing the fabric of our lives. Whether it’s how we interact, what information people ingest, or how they absorb information is constantly evolving. This pattern is only likely to continue and develop in the future. Product and service businesses are changing the way they use the online channel and are engaging directly with their customers. This is bound to grow.

In conclusion, there is no alternative to digital marketing in this pacy world. Different businesses, including in our country, are now offering high-quality customer care and establishing new frontiers in the field of digital marketing.