More and more shoppers are turning to the internet to do their shopping. Not only is the internet a great way to surf for a greater selection of what you’re looking for, but there’s also plenty of additional opportunities to help save you that little extra. Here are our top ten tips for making your money go further online.
- Patience is key
While our first tip may seem trivial, take a moment to think about it. How often have you either rushed into a purchase under the pretense that you needed the item or have bought it without looking about for either better offers, cheaper alternatives, or second-hand versions?
With the internet at our fingertips 24 hours a day, we have far more time to consider our purchase and do research before committing to paying for it. That said, as websites like Cable Gallagher have suggested, goods and services are currently in short supply. Therefore, if you see something you want to buy and the price is right – go ahead! If it’s too expensive – wait it out!
- Shipping Costs
If you know, you need to make a purchase online, place the order as soon as possible and take advantage of the cheaper delivery options available to you.
While your purchase may take a little longer to be delivered, over the course of a year, with this kind of purchasing mentality, the amount you can save on delivery costs quickly adds up.
- Brand name tunnel vision
Try not to get too hung up on brand names. A lot of shoppers tend to pay too much attention to brand names and let it influence their purchasing decisions. So before making your final purchase, do your research and see if there are wholesale suppliers who offer the same item at a reduced rate or if there are any cheaper alternatives to the branded option. Such wholesalers might not yet be popular as other brands. Maybe, they have not been able to understand the online game properly, but that does not mean that they do not sell affordable and good quality products. Perhaps, they need to build a more user-friendly website and get more online visibility by contacting someone from an ecommerce SEO agency like Victorious, who can help amplify their online results and outperform the competition.
- Take advantage of price comparison sites
Even some of the most veteran online shoppers often make the mistake of missing this point. If you know what it is, you’re looking at buying then make it your mission to check out some of the price comparison sites available to you.
- Look for voucher and discount codes before making your purchase
Voucher code websites are an excellent way to save money when buying online and have indeed exploded in popularity over the past few years. So before making your purchase, be sure to take a look around for voucher codes for the store you’re buying from beforehand. John Lewis have voucher codes and sports directs allow discounts meaning you can save a lot when shopping online.
- Save On Tiered Discounts
You know the deal; “spend $100 and save 10%. Spend $200 and save 15%. Spend $300 and save 20%…” and so on. If you’re coming up slightly short of the next level, don’t feel bad about throwing another item into your cart. It can end up paying for itself with the extra savings, plus you get another item.
- Shop Strategically
Retailers run sales and specials around the same time each year. Getting ready to buy the perfect New Years dress? Wait until the day after Christmas when almost everything drastically drops down in price. Since you know you’ll need a new bikini this summer, buy it in November. You can get the same suit you couldn’t afford over the summer for half the price. Check out About for lists of when top retailers have their sales, plus lists regarding just about anything.
- Get Armed with Alerts
The savvy shopper may wait to purchase once an item goes on sale, but there’s no need to check the site in anticipation constantly. Sign up for email alerts from your favorite stores, and they will notify you when they’re having a sale. Some stores send out way too many alerts, but they will usually give you the option to limit a number of emails you receive before you unsubscribe from their list.
- Find sites that offer daily deals for huge savings
Many stores are now offering Daily Deals to their online customers. They typically offer 20-50% savings, which can add up to hundreds of dollars depending on the purchase. Run a Google search for the name of a product you’ve been eyeing followed by daily deal or deal of the day. If any site happens to be offering a deal that day, it should show up in the search results. This trick takes about 30 seconds and can potentially add to hundreds in savings.
- Free Delivery
Many online shops have found that providing Free Delivery makes people more likely to buy from them. This idea works in two different ways. The delivery cost is included in the price already, so what you see is what you pay. The other way is by offering Free Delivery when you spend over a certain amount of money with them. Some websites are now up and running which will list all the online shops that offer a free Delivery service – once again saving you time, effort and money.
