Online shopping is gaining momentum in such a way that it started to impact the sales of conventional big retail ingbusinesses like Walmart. Online shoppers can shop the goods they want from the comfort of their homes. Another major draw for online shopping is of course the cheaper prices at which goods are offered by online retailing firms. Below are some of the tips to save money while shopping online:
Search Thoroughly
Just like the conventional brick and mortar stores, the prices at which goods are sold varies between one retailer and the other. Electronic goods like smartphones and tablets are sold for a better discount by some retailers when compared with the other retailers. A thorough search of all the leading online stores is the only way to identify the retailer who is offering the good at the cheapest price. There were instances where I have seen a price difference of hundreds of dollars between two different online stores. Think of searching for cheaper prices online as similar to your weekend shopping trips. You need to ‘visit’ multiple online stores just like you ‘visit’ multiple phycial shops to get the best price.
Use Price Comparison Sites
Price comparison sites like ShopAtHome, SlickDeals, and Junglee (India) collate prices charged by multiple online retailers and present them at a single location. Price comparison sites also give other details on each of the online retailer like shipping charges, reviews and ratings by other consumers, and the time taken for shipping by each of the retailer. Clicking on the links to various online retailers will take you to the online stores of the retailers where the sale can be completed. Price comparison sites make money through commissions paid by online retailers on the sales that are routed thorugh them. Using price comparison websites can save lot of time in visiting sites of multiple online retailers. But an important thing to be remembered is that all online retailers don’ t partner themselves with price comparison sites. You need to visit the websites of online retailers who don’t partner with price comparison sites separately to complete a proper search.
Check the Websites of Original Manufacturers
Many major producers now have their own online shopping portals. They are just like the brick and mortar stores that are maintained at key locations by the producers. Some producers offer goods at a much cheaper price on their own portals when compared with third party online retailers. This is possible as the profit margins of retailers are saved. A major problem with buying from the websites of original producers is visiting the websites of each of the producers in a product segment and comparing the prices. Some online shopping of portals of producers may also not offer facilities like free and express shipping services. But sometimes, it can still be worth it. Try it and see for yourself.
Use Discount Coupons
Major online retailers offer discount coupons on the goods sold by them. These are displayed on the home pages of the respective online retailers and can also be collected from coupon sites. Coupon sites collect the discount coupons offered by multiple retailers and display them at one point. Online retailers also send special discount coupons for customers who have opted to receive regular business mails from them. Strange it may seem, discount coupons of online retailers are also published in newspapers, magazines, and even billboards. Keeping a track of them can save you precious dollars.
Look out for Special Offers
Online retailer too offer special discounts and offers during certain periods of the year. These special offers include christmas offers, new year offers, and stock clearance offers. Some online portals also have special tie-ups with some producers so that they sell the goods produced by them at a special discounted price. A good way to keep track of these special offers is opting to receive regular mails from online retailers and following the updates on social networking websites. Special offers can save you a lot more money than the regular discounts that are offered by these online portals.
Following the above tips can save you lot of money while shopping online. Lastly, I would also suggest you to check for the prices at which goods are offered at the regular brick and mortar stores. There are cases where conventional brick and stores sell some goods for a cheaper price than online retailers.
