Who says that we have to stop shopping to save for a rainy day? Excessive shopping may be a vice, but online shopping is a great place to scout for deals at a glance! It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned online shopper or someone who is just beginning to buy stuff online – Here are some 5 ways to help you with getting great deals online. From apparel to groceries to even stationery, there are ways to help cut costs.
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Spam Mail? Probably Not.
The first step to significant savings through online shopping is to sign up for some EDMs firstly. EDMs do not stand for Electronic Dance Music here, but Electronic Direct Mailers that we sometimes treat as “spam” or “junk” mail. Filter these emails and be selective – Most of us probably dislike going through hundreds of EDMs a day, so choose brands that you are keen on. Many brands send out EDMs for 2-day sales such as Cotton On (where you can get both apparel and stationery) or even Uniqlo! If you miss these EDMs, you probably won’t get to know the discounts be it a 20% off or a clearance sale!
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These EDMs sometimes also lead you to interactive games or lucky draws that you can try your luck to get some prizes. Win-Win!
Apart from signing up for different EDMs of brands that you follow, download the applications that come along with the brand. Not only do you get notifications (that can be customised through its alert settings, so they don’t bother you the whole day), you can find out about promotions that can be found only on the app. For example, Zalora gives $15 off for first-time application users. Even Agoda sends notifications for different discounts telling you whether the hotel you wanted to book has a price rise or drop. Just turn off the alerts if you’re not keen anymore – useful!
Related: 8 Affordable Hotel Choices From S$160/night To Welcome 2018
Look Out for Significant Dates
Of course, everyone knows about the 11.11 cyber sale or even 12.12 popularised by Tao Bao where there are crazy discounts. For those who are not familiar, these are dates that we all need to remember – 11 November and 12 December every year where people go nuts buying their whole years’ worth of items! However, since we just missed these dates, another trick will be to look out for Public Holidays and end of season sales. Public holidays are more ‘trustworthy’ though since the marketing team builds their campaigns around significant dates. New Year sale, Pre-Chinese New Year specials, look out for them!
It also depends on where you’re shipping your items from. If the website is an American one, the likelihood of it having a campaign during American holidays is much higher. One main shopping date that you have to remember is 23 November 2018 – the next Black Friday date, and in USA time!
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Google discount codes
Can’t wait to buy your item? The third trick is to google for discount codes that you input during checkout. Do you know that sometimes these discount codes can be found just by searching keywords such as the brand, “promo code” and the date? Otherwise, make a note when you see these promo codes – sometimes even on television. We all do our stuff like checking our phones during commercial breaks but do you know that sometimes there are discount codes such as a 15% Zalora promo code after a Zalora sponsored event? Very cool to use them for your next check out!
Apart from the usual promo codes that are given, remember to always use your ‘first time user’ promo code – a significant discount for first-time users. If you are using this platform for the first time, do find out if you qualify for a discount. Once you have set up an account and purchased an item, you don’t qualify for the discount anymore so make sure you use it in the first instance!
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Compare and Contrast
Now, we are all impatient and online shopping probably saves us the time but comparing the contrasting is vital in getting a good deal. On many sites such as Qoo10 and Lazada, different sellers may list their items at different prices. We have also seen a case where a ridiculous seller lists an ordinary item on Qoo10 asking for an exorbitant amount.
Apart from comparing the two (or more) values side-by-side, do remember to find out if there are promo codes available, and if there are any ‘site specials’ that you can use to decrease the price. On Qoo10 for example, you can spin the wheel to get Q-points. 100 Q-points is a dollar off the item. Sometimes, the seller shop also has exclusive coupons where you get a discount or a few bucks off if you follow their store. Added together, the price from the Qoo10 shop may be even lower!
Related: Veteran Carousell Singapore Seller Spills The Beans (Cheap Goods)
Last, but not least, Shopback!
Image Source: Kentex Cargo
We all have to thank the founder of Shopback who started the platform for rebates on purchases. Do you know you can get rebates for almost any kind of item that can be found online? Our personal favourites are for food and travel. Even food delivery services such as Deliveroo and Food Panda are on this platform where you get a small percentage rebate for your purchase. The cashback differs from platform to platform. We saw a 10% cashback for Expedia recently as well as a 9% one for Cathay Cineplex. If you’re a regular user of the Groupon-turned-Fave or even ASOS or Book Depository, you get cashback too!
We were pretty wary of Shopback at first since the rebates seem to be insignificant but it all adds up. First-time users also get a $5 deposit, and you can cash out after you earn more than $10 in rebates. Pretty cool right? Rebates also vary according to holidays or significant dates, so it’s good to check out the page.
5 different ways to save money on online shopping – which method do you like best?
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