5 Clever Ways To Save Money During Online Shopping

 

5 Clever Ways To Save Money During Online Shopping

Living in the age of digital advancement and technology has transformed how we function daily – and our shopping behaviors are no exception to this!

Gone are the days of people wondering whether online shopping was here to stay; the real question now is whether brick-and-mortar stores can keep up. The global online shopping market is expected to cross 4 trillion USD this year, with the United States alone having 300 million online shoppers.

With 91% of the total American population shopping online, this type of eCommerce has easily become the new norm. Not only it is convenient, easy, and offers a huge variety in the palm of your hand – it also encourages increased spending which is great for business owners everywhere.

If you’re like us and tend to get a little carried away when filling up those shopping carts in your favorite online stores, well here is some good news.

There are many ways you can actually save money during online shopping; even more so than going to a traditional store! By applying these nifty tips and tricks, get ready to save some major bucks on your next online spree.

1.   Cashbacks, Coupons and Promo Codes

Some of the best ways to save up money are through these. Let’s go over how to use them one by one.

Cash backs

These are reward systems that pay their members a percentage of the commission money earned when a customer makes their purchase through their affiliate links. Nowadays, you will find hundreds of websites like Rakuten (formerly Ebates) that offer these cashback deals which are easy to set up and can help you save a lot.

Also, look up your bank discounts as credit cards may offer you a certain percentage of cashback too!

Coupons and Promo Codes

Coupons and promo codes can be quite the handy tools if you’re looking to save up some extra cash. There are plenty of websites that compile these coupons and codes to get you the best deals in one place – no need to go about collecting coupon cut-outs anymore!

By combining these coupons, which usually offer a certain amount off like $20, with promo codes which get you a percentage off like 15%, you can easily shave off quite some money from the total amount.

For example, if your total shopping is for $100, using the 15% off gets you at $85 after which we can remove a further $20 – landing you at a total of just $65!

2.  Fill Your Cart and Wait

This is a rather sneaky trick, but it works like a charm!

The shopping cart trick will require you to be patient and show some restrain, but trust us it’ll be worth it when you get your favorite items at 30% or more discount!

Basically, you just load up your cart and then leave it on the site instead of checking out. Most business owners have people constantly monitoring their website to make sure the customer goes through the entire sales funnel and makes a purchase.

When you don’t do so, they are likely to send incentives and discounts to get you to un-abandon your beloved shopping cart and make the purchase. So, not only do you get everything you wanted to buy – you get it all for a lesser price!

Ah, the sweet rewards some patience can bring!

3.   Outwit the Algorithms

Did you know that business owners often show different prices to customers based on their previous shopping history and behavior? So, if you’ve been spending $10-$20 on a t-shirt, even a $5 t-shirt is likely to appear at a higher price range for you. This is the art of Dynamic Pricing and we think it's super annoying.

So, how do we prevent ourselves from becoming victims of this price surge? We have you covered! Just follow the following tips.

·         Clear all browsing history and cookies so the algorithm can’t study your online shopping behavior.

·         Log out of your Google account.

·         Use Incognito mode for anonymous shopping

·         Stop the websites from redirecting you to other location-based versions of the site.

·         Use a VPN to browse from a less developed country’s server to get the lowest prices (especially for airfare).

4.     Seasonal Shopping is Smart

We all love shopping during the Christmas season as everything seems to be on sale. And let’s not even talk about the Black Friday madness.

Well, did you know season sales never really end? They just stop being so flashy.

If you time your purchasing right, you can get practically everything at a discount. Instead of buying beach accessories at the start of summer, buy them at lower prices during the mid of winter. Similarly, plan out your vacation days beforehand to get plane tickets and hotel rooms at nearly half the cost.

Weekly Prices

Another great trip is to discover which days prices are lowest. Yes, you read it right – prices do vary on a weekly basis too!

Our research shows that Friday to Sunday is generally the most expensive time to shop. Most online retailers increase their prices over the weekend as this is when people have the most time to scroll through e-stores.

Mondays and Tuesdays are the best days to buy a variety of things like shoes, video games, suitcases and bags, and even lawnmowers!

5.     Compare Before Buying

Comparison shopping can get you a $50 dress for $35 if you’re smart about it.

Surprised? We’ll show you how.

Being able to compare items before buying is one of the biggest benefits of online shopping. You can easily compare retail store prices to bigger corporations like Amazon and figure out the cheaper options. Also, try out auction sites like eBay to get what you want at an even lower cost!

Before You Sign Out

Online shopping is one of the biggest digital blessings of our time, particularly for people with hectic schedules. Be it groceries, birthday gifts, or even furniture; you can easily get everything with just a few taps and even save money in the process!

To learn some more life hacks to manage your money better, let our financial experts guide you.