The explosion of online marketplaces is undeniable, and it makes sense, given how comfortable it is to shop from home in your pajamas! There’s no hunting for a parking space, standing in line, and potentially putting your health at risk in COVID-19 times. According to a global survey of 2,500 people, about 70% of the respondents do some online shopping for consumer goods. Given that you work so hard for your paycheck, you want deals. So, here are the top online shopping hacks to save money.
Why do businesses offer deals?
Companies around the world keep introducing cut-price deals for several reasons. They offer coupons, seasonal sales, stock clearance sales, and more.
But why do they want to save you, moolah? One reason is so to increase the traffic to their webpage. Another explanation is that they want to boost sales. Brands also might be looking to clear out old stock.
To get the full benefit of these deals, be aware of clever hacks and tips to help you find what you need for a cheaper than regular price. Here’s the inside scoop – Well, 11 scoops, really!
1. Follow your favorite brands on social media
Most brands announce their upcoming sales on their social media accounts. Which platforms they’re on will vary, but a few of the most popular ones are Twitter and Facebook.
Follow them to stay up to date on sales. This way, you wouldn’t miss an incredible discount and regret not following them sooner.
2. Buying out-of-season stock is a great online shopping hack
The leftover stock is always on sale. That is because brands must sell their old inventory to make way for new seasonal items.
Using this tip, you could save a few bucks and get to wear expensive chic clothes and accessories for a very low price. That’s great news when your goal is to be better with money this year.
3. Sleep on a full cart
Have you ever had the impulse to buy things you find online the moment you see them? That could impact your budget if it’s a big enough purchase, not to mention risking going into debt if you do it often enough.
The best thing to do instead is to wait a day or two before pressing the buy button. That means you fill your cart on Monday and leave the items in the virtual checkout until mid-week.
As time passes, you might realize you don’t want some of the items anymore. Simply remove them from the cart! There’s no buyer’s remorse later.
Also, you might get an incentive or a coupon from the brand if they notice that you have stepped away. That could also save you hard-earned cash.
4. Watch for coupons and seasonal deals
To get the full benefit from shopping, search for coupons and seasonal deals. The end of each season comes with a great variety of discount offers associated with that season. Therefore, it will be rather wise to patiently wait for those sales.
Another great hack to save some bucks is to look out for coupons. You will likely find coupons on sites such as coupons.com, Dealnews, Fatwallet, and DontPayFull. These websites give you access to digital coupons that you could use to get discounts on various products and services.
The coupons provided by DontPayFull are always valid and incorporate a wide range of categories. Some online stores also offer digital manufacturer coupons if you use their store app. Looking for coupons can lower your prices, so it’s definitely worth the effort and time.
5. Another clever hack when online shopping: Use comparison sites
Before buying what you think is a good deal, double-check that you’re getting the lowest price available. How do you do that?
Try using certain comparison sites that tell you the whole story, such as PriceGrabber or Yahoo Shopping. These are simple and easy to use.
All you have to do is enter the name of a product, and all the stores that carry it, along with the price tag, magically appear on the screen. You could easily compare where you would find the same item for the lowest price. Or you can visit Temu.com for more affordable items.
6. Shop in incognito mode
The prices of products fluctuate. If you browse a product often, its price tends to increase.
To control this surge in price, always clear your history or shop in incognito mode. That way, brands have no excuse to raise their prices.
This approach also prevents cookies from being saved. It’s a good idea too if you share a computer and want to search for gift ideas for the other person without them seeing ads related to what you’re searching for.
Here are five more online shopping hacks to save money:
7. Create price alerts for your favorite products
Many online stores allow you to create a price alert for the things you love. This way, you will receive a notification if there has been any decrease in price.
The notification is usually via email. You could keep an eye on the drop in rates for items that are currently too expensive. Scoop them up when the price is right for you. You’ll receive an alert when the price drops so you can see if it is now within your budget. That way you’ll always be up to date.
8. For new customers shopping, here’s a great online hack
Many online stores give discounts to new customers simply for signing up. They want you to create an online account so you’re one step closer to making a purchase.
When you first visit their site, you might see a popup window about new customer discounts. Consider using these newbie offers to save cash, especially if it’s something that you regularly would be buying anyway, such as underwear, face wash, trash bags, masks, and hand sanitizer.
9. Familiarize yourself with the store’s return policy
It is important to know about the terms and policies of online stores, especially in the case of returns. Some sites accept returns, but they charge you for them.
Therefore, familiarizing yourself with the store’s return policy is essential, especially for clothing, as you might get the wrong fit. Try to shop only at stores with an easy return policy to save yourself potential issues later.
10. Get discounted gift cards and treat yourself
There are websites that offer gift cards so that you could give out presents. You could also gift yourself and use these discount gift cards to get a certain percentage off your purchase. After all, you deserve it!
Gift cards are a great idea for the birthday of someone who has everything or if you’re unsure what they like. Put it in a cute envelope so they still have something to open on Christmas morning or on their birthday.
11. Get free shipping: The final online shopping hack to save money
Sometimes, the product’s price in the online store is low, but their shipping cost makes them too expensive. I’ve found this issue on eBay a few times.
To solve this problem, look for sellers or entire sites offering free or minimal shipping costs. Some even offer free shipping when you spend over a certain amount. Other sites don’t have a minimum, offering free shipping on holidays or other times of the year.
Therefore, it’s better to add a pair of socks to your cart than pay for shipping. Try to avoid paying shipping charges, though, whenever you can do so.
Over to you
Do you use any of these tricks to save cash? Also, do you tend to shop on your phone or computer? Happy shopping and saving!