What Online Shopping Deals You Can Crack
1. Join the Loyalty Program
It seems every retailer in every industry has a loyalty program. If you know, you’re going to make a purchase from a retailer that has one, and you’re not yet a member, sign up immediately even if you don’t ever plan on buying from them again. Sometimes you’ll receive a discount coupon just because you’ve signed up. Or they might let you know of an upcoming sale before you buy something at full price.
2. Sign Up to Company Email Lists
This goes along with joining the loyalty program as you’ll usually end up on their email list as a result anyway. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as their mass emails can let you know when a sale is coming up, supply you with discount coupons or help you with other savings. If you don’t see any positive results feel free to unsubscribe.
3. Delay Your Purchase
Sometimes if you go through the purchasing process by placing items in your virtual shopping cart and abandon it, the company will contact you to find out what went wrong. This may also result in a discount to entice you to complete the transaction. Although not a sure thing, it doesn’t hurt to try. And it will also allow you time to reflect on the purchase and if it’s necessary in the first place.
4. Clear Your Cookies
If you continually return to look at that holiday package or those homeware deals you might notice the price start to creep upwards. This is because the website has installed cookies on your browser that allows them to track your movements on their site. By slowly bumping up the price they’re hoping to influence you to make the purchase sooner rather than later. Clear your cache to get rid of the cookies that are giving the retailer this information.
5. Use A Private Browser
Similar to clearing your cookies, you can use the private or incognito version of your favourite browser to hide your location and web surfing patterns. Most web browsers feature this option, so do a bit of research on how to activate the private mode. This is an especially good idea when searching for products with fluctuating prices such as flights or holiday packages.
6. Use A Price Tracker
There are many websites available that are designed to keep track of price changes on the products of your choice. Simply sign up, enter the product you’re thinking about buying and wait for the pricing updates to roll into your inbox.
7. Use the Chat Function
A lot of online retailers employ a chat function to help answer questions about products or the purchasing process. Using the chat help to get more information on what you’re buying can sometimes result in getting a discount code to steer you towards a purchase. If your favourite eCommerce deals site features a chat function, definitely send them a note.
