Shopping online has become a staple in our everyday lives. We no longer have to drive to the mall to get a new pair of jeans or carry heavy bags of groceries to our cars. Instead, we can place an order online and have everything delivered straight to our doors—with convenient discounts included!
But did you know that built-in browser extensions can make this experience even better? Thanks to them, you can protect your identity and funds, find incredible sales, and get the best deals when buying items online. Let’s unpack all the essential browser extensions you need as an online shopper.
Tracker Blockers
Almost all online stores and similar websites collect data about you to push personalized ads your way. This practice is completely legal and transparent for most sites in the majority of countries. However, those who want to protect their personal information would rather prevent it.
This can be done with tracker blocker browser extensions. Such software stops companies from collecting details about you, reducing the risk of data leak to the minimum. Additionally, some more advanced tracker blockers can even improve browsing speeds because they eliminate the unnecessary scripts running in the background that collect data about you.
Review Verifiers
Imagine you are shopping online on a new, unknown website and see a winter coat you’ve been searching for for a long time. It costs quite a lot, but the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. So, you make a purchase, but in the end, you receive a garment that rips a month later and doesn’t keep you warm at all. How did that even happen?
The answer is simple: fake reviews made you purchase the item. Indeed, fake reviews are becoming a huge problem that can influence regular shoppers into purchasing fraudulent or poor-quality items. If you don’t want this to happen, check out review verifier extensions. These can detect suspicious patterns in user feedback and let you know when ratings have been manipulated, protecting you from scams.
Autofillers
Once you’re ready to purchase items in your cart, you’ll always need to fill in personal information, like your home address or bank details. For frequent online shoppers, this can quickly get tedious. So, you can get an autofiller for maximum convenience. This browser extension can fill out your payment information every time you make a transaction, saving you a lot of time.
Or you can take a step further and get browser extensions like a Firefox password manager. This extension will not only fill out the credit card number but also create strong passwords for every online store account and fill them in whenever needed. Thanks to such an extension, you ultimately reduce the risk of phishing attempts coming your way and credential theft.
Coupons & Cashback
Nowadays, many brands and stores collaborate with celebrities and influencers. This allows the internet persona to share a special discount code with their audience. By using a coupon extension, you can find any relevant discount code for your store of choice, even if you do not follow that influencer! The software automatically checks all active codes and cashback positions and identifies possible saving opportunities.
Has Your Personal Information Been Exposed?
If you have been shopping on the Internet and realized that your identity has been stolen, money is being taken out of your bank account, or your login details are being used without your consent, do not panic. Take a couple of deep breaths and follow these steps:
- Change all your passwords. Start from the account you suspect to be the culprit and then move on to other personal accounts with similar credentials.
- Turn on two-factor authentication on all accounts, especially those related to banking.
- Inform your bank about the potential breach and block all your cards. Once the bad actors are stopped, you can reissue them.
- Monitor your financial accounts and take notice of any unauthorized transactions.
- If the financial risks persist, consider a credit freeze.
Now, if you’ve ever used “buy now, pay later” services on a sketchy website and had to enter your social security number, you might wonder, “How do I check to see if someone is using my Social Security Number?” In such cases, privacy-focused browser extensions and data removal services can be valuable. These services help you track whether and where your sensitive information was leaked and assist in getting it deleted from those locations.
Enjoy Shopping Online
Browser extensions can be of huge help if you prefer buying everything online. Extensions can block data trackers, verify reviews, autofill information, and even find coupons and cashback opportunities automatically. However, your data can still be exposed if you buy things from suspicious stores. In that case, make sure you change your passwords, set up a 2-FA authentication, and contact your bank right away. Only then can you truly enjoy shopping online.