Gone are the days of driving through traffic, standing in line, and dealing with rude store clerks. With online shopping, you can buy the things you need from the comfort of home.
The best news is, you’ll save money… not once but every time you online shop.
That’s because there are money-saving deals behind every online corner. All you have to do is know where to look.
To help you find the best deals online, let’s look at 10 strategies to keep money in your pocket.
1. Take Advantage of Social Media
Social media has become a powerful tool for retailers to connect with customers. Along with promoting their business, social media is a perfect place to feature sales and promotions you may not find anywhere else.
To make this strategy work in your favor, follow your favorite stores and brands online. Watch your social feed for sale announcements, coupon codes, or special offers.
It’s a great way to stay up to date on promotions without having to go search for it.
2. Go Incognito
A little-known trick many online retailers use is dynamic pricing. It basically uses your location and search history to hike up prices of items you’re searching for. To find the best deals, outsmart them by going incognito.
What you need to do is first clear your cookies and browser search history. Then, sign out of all your social media accounts. Once that’s done, open a new private or incognito browser window to stay under the radar.
3. Abandon Your Online Cart – for Now
If you don’t need to buy an item right away, time may be on your wallet’s side.
Go to your favorite store’s site and add items you like to your cart. When you’re done shopping, instead of checking out, leave your cart as-is and close out of the browser.
Leaving items in your cart shows retailers you’re thinking about buying them. In two to three days, you may receive an email with a special offer on one or more of those cart items. Retailers do this to entice you to finish out the buying process, saving you money.
4. Use a Rebate Site
Even if you don’t find a great sale, you can still add money to your pocket. Using a rebate site while shopping online is the perfect way to earn money on items you were going to buy anyway.
All you have to do is sign into a rebate site such as Rakuten.com. Shop the available online stores and you’ll get a percentage back on everything you buy.
While it doesn’t affect the price you pay, you’ll get a check back for the amount you earn which saves money in the long run.
5. Become a Rewards Member
Retailers love to award loyal customers. To find the best deals, join a rewards program with your favorite stores and brands. You’ll receive email alerts on special deals that non-members won’t.
These deals include savings such as 5% off every purchase, members-only coupons, or exclusive sales prices.
Many programs also let you rack up points with each purchase. Once you have a certain amount of points saved up, you can use it to apply towards future discounted purchases.
6. Let Someone Else Find the Deals for You
A lot of times retailers have sales that go unannounced. To make sure you don’t miss out on any good deals, let someone else find them for you.
There are several online sites that comb through sales and promotions daily, such as Offers.com or Groupon.com. They bring you coupon codes, the internet’s best deals, and special offers you won’t find anywhere else.
7. Bookmark Favorite Brands
If you’re a brand loyalist, many times online savings will come straight from the source. To find the best deals on your favorite brands, bookmark the corporate websites for easy access.
To help drive traffic, many brands will post print at home coupons on their corporate site. These coupons will either have a code to use online or bar code for store use.
It’s a great way to find savings on all the brands you love.
8. Download Shopping Apps
When you can’t get to a computer, put online savings at your fingertips. Downloading shopping apps will keep access to money-saving programs and sites no matter where you are.
Apps such as LivingSocial compare prices and feature limited-time deals. Many apps also have coupons you can load and scan at in-store checkout.
Another helpful feature is getting notifications on sales. If you want to stay in the loop, these alerts will pop up on your phone ensuring you’ll never miss another great deal.
9. Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store
Maybe you’ve come across an online-only sale price on something you want, but by the time you add shipping costs, the sale price no longer saves you money. Jump this hurdle by buying the item online and choosing to pick it up at a local store.
Retailers that offer in-store pick-up will send you a confirmation once they receive your order. Then, when it’s ready to pick-up, you’ll get another alert to let you know.
It’s the perfect way to avoid overpriced shipping while cashing in on online-only deals.
10. Ask the Chat Box
Live chat boxes have become a very popular resource for customer service online. While it may be annoying to have it pop up on your screen, it can also be the money-saving feature you’ve been looking for.
Next time a live chat box pops up on a retailer’s screen, ask it if there are special offers on items you’re looking at. Or ask it if there are any promotions in general! You might get a promo code you can’t find anywhere else – all you have to do is ask!
Stay in Your Comfy Pants and Find the Best Deals Online
Stress-free shopping and saving money are big perks when shopping online. By using these tips, you’ll be able to find the best deals while keeping your budget intact.
Want to make sure you’re getting the most from your money? Check out our Product Reviews to find the best items to shop for.
