This Coronavirus pandemic is forcing people to stay at home and buy online. Some stores even implemented a strict rule allowing only 20 to 30 percent of their customer capacity.
Many people thought they already know the best ways and strategies on how to successfully bargain online even without the pandemic. Different consumers have different tricks but unknown to many, there are effective buying tricks that are applicable to everyone when followed correctly.
In this article, we are going to give you tips, strategies, techniques, and secrets on how to purchase online successfully. Whether you are shopping on big E-commerce websites like Amazon and eBay, or through classified ad websites like Craigslist, Shoppok, or Gumtree, the following techniques can be very useful.
Observe Selling Periods and Sale Dates
Sales and bargain periods are normal and you may hear a lot about these. Stores and business owners have lots of strategies to implement these types of marketing techniques but as shoppers, we also have our own strategies to take these scheduled sales for granted. By closely monitoring the seller’s website, you can track these sales as these do not always last long. Sometimes a sale can only be offered in just 30 minutes to a couple of hours. Sometimes only specific merchandise is offered at specific times with specific quantities. These types of sales are a big saver if you take note of the time and dates. You can track these sales by monitoring the seller/store’s website and social media accounts like Twitter and Facebook.
Clearance Sale
Clearance sales are supersavers. Sometimes, you can see an item sold half or even ⅓ of its price, especially those old models or phased-out items. Many online stores will offer clearance sales where you can buy last season’s or out of date goods for a fraction of the price. If there is not a separate clearance sale section to browse on the website, you can find clearance goods by looking for prices that end in 7, 8, or 1, as these usually signify that a product has been drastically reduced. You can also find clearance products by purchasing outside of the brand’s main website and by checking on third party clearance and outlet websites which may list your desired product at a reduced price even if it is out of stock on the brand’s website.
Do you know that many people selling on auction sites and classified sites like eBay, Shoppok, Craigslist, and Gumtree buy most of their products from clearance sales? Yes. You can even build your own buy-and-sell business if you are great at monitoring clearance sales.
Abandoned Shopping Carts
Although deliberately abandoning an online cart may seem unethical and counterproductive, some stores are working to reduce the impact of abandoned carts on their revenue by offering some kind of discount so you can check-out. These may not be the best idea but there have been some known cases wherein customers enjoy big discounts after abandoning their carts. Of course, you have to be a trusted member of the eCommerce website and must have a good rating. The only negative impact of this strategy is that it is not advisable to do it frequently. This sounds like a desperate move but it is effective anyway.
Newsletter Subscriptions
No one loves to receive promotional emails every now and then but sometimes we also have to consider the benefit of the newsletter subscription. Discounts and other offers are sent through newsletters so you better have a separate and dedicated email to use to receive these promotional emails. Not only this but as an incentive to continue your subscription, many retailers offer significant discounts for their subscribers or on the products that they advertise in their newsletter if you purchase the product through the email’s links. Another advantage of newsletter subscriptions is that you can remain aware of the latest deals effortlessly, with information about these being delivered straight to your inbox. If these are being delivered into your spam folder, you should add the business as a contact to ensure that you receive these emails immediately. No wonder why most people who always get the newest products are always subscribers. In most cases, new products have lower costs before they will be known to the public, and having the first hand on these products is always an advantage. And of course, you can only do this if you are a subscriber.
Loyalty and Membership Cards
Loyalty and/or membership cards world not only in e-commerce shopping but also in brick and mortar shopping. Most loyalty schemes are completely free to join and relatively easy to sign up to both online or when you make a purchase in-store. Loyalty cards make a great option to save on your purchases from brands that you frequent as this allows you to save if you are a regular customer of certain retailers. Loyalty cards often operate on a points-based scheme, where each purchase that you make online or in-store equates to a certain number of points which can give you a discount or a free item after they accumulate. Other benefits range from receiving information about exclusive discounts or events for loyalty cardholders, and many schemes offer a birthday promotion that offers you money off or a free item during your birthday month. Some companies offer a gift check in return for accumulated points while others allow you to use the points as cash to purchase another product from the store.
Compare Prices
Price comparison websites are a big help to shoppers and comparing prices is the very basic thing a shopper must know. Prices on eBay, Amazon, Walmart, and other big online shopping platforms differ so you really need to check the prices before making any purchase. Cheapest is not always the thing to consider when comparing prices. You should also consider the shipping charges, freebies, and other discounts.
When buying from classified platforms like Shoppok, you may also compare the product prices within the site by comparing the prices from different sellers.
You see, buying online is not that really complicated if you follow the above strategies. You can have a successful online shopping this Christmas or in every other holiday season and never forget about safety. You can find a complete guide to online shopping safety here.
