Online shoppers spend hours online hunting tirelessly for the best deals at hundreds of local stores, online shops, and national chains without leaving the comforts of home. Smart shoppers know to research for discounts to lower the online price before buying. Here are some tricks perceptive shoppers use during the hunt.
Price Check
The obvious solution to saving finances is to shop around. Compare prices on the same product through thorough research on various websites. Factor in sales tax, shipping, and return prices to the initial price. Aim for free shipping and low to no sales tax. However, if the price is too good, ensure shipping is less than $5.00. Avoid price comparison websites. Their agenda is convicting buyers that merchants associated with the site has the lowest price so customers can go to the merchants’ website to purchase the item.
Shop at Stores with Free Returns
Why are free returns important? It’s too frustrating to pay additional funds to ship an item back to the retailer after buying it from said retailer. Clothing, shoes, underwear, gloves, and hats that don’t fit to broken electronics and dishes require hassle-free returns. A stressful return policy is a deal breaker regardless of affordability. No one should force himself or herself to keep an unwanted item.
Log Out and Tweak the Browser
Many shoppers are unaware of retailers using browser cookies to raise prices. The cookies signal to retailers you’re a returning customer and returning customers don’t save nearly as much as new customers. Stop online stores’ access to cookies by clearing browser cookies. Find the browser’s help menu for instructions. Besides clearing browser cookies, log out of store accounts. In addition, use the browser private window or incognito page to shop online. It doesn’t save anything during the session so there’s no worry.
Coupon Codes & Coupon Code Browser Extensions
Online coupons, or coupon codes, are the main gateway to savings. RetailMeNot, Coupon Cabin, Groupon, and Coupon Chief offer a letter-number code to type in coupon boxes in the shopping cart or checkout for instant deduction. Furthermore, install a coupon code extension on major web browsers like Chrome and Opera. The extension automatically scans and incorporate coupon codes for items purchased during checkout.
Grab Email Deals
Online stores ask for email addresses to get customers sneak peeks into the latest news, upcoming sales, and exclusive coupons. Sign up. Get a temporary email address, an email address dedicated to junk mail, or organize junk mail in a separate folder. Several stores offer a discount for signing up. Many tailor offers based on shopping history so that’s even better.
Follow Stores on Social Media
There’s no harm in friending the store on Facebook or following the store on Instagram and Twitter. Those three sites reward followers with early access to upcoming sales or exclusive coupons. Some stores offer deals on Pinterest, Snapchat, and LinkedIn too, so don’t ignore those sites. Alternatively, search the store name and ‘discounts’ on the YouTube and Vimeo search engine for deals.
Shop During Annual or Semi-Annual Sales
Retailers offer sales during holidays throughout the year. Smart shoppers know discounts don’t stop at holidays. Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Old Navy have semi-annual sales while Nordstrom and Amazon have a yearly sale. Email messages and social media will mention the shopping event. Determined shoppers will find out sooner than later. Be a determined shopper.
Abandon the Shopping Cart
Log in, shop, and add desired items in the shopping cart. Then, leave the cart and the website. Don’t log out. Abandoned shopping carts tell retailers they don’t want the merchandise, so retailers may make an offer to convince you to push the checkout button a few days later. Take the savings given and bundle the shopping purchase with price comparisons, email offers, and coupon codes.
Good deals are hard to find, and these tips highlight the necessary effort it takes to succeed at discounts. Therefore, don’t wait for the store to offer discounts. It’s too easy to overspend online. Shoppers must resist temptation and fight to keep more funds in the bank. These tips are the proactive steps toward great products at discounted prices.
