It’s hard to beat the convenience of online shopping. You can be on your couch in the comfort of your own home and have everything from fast food to electronics delivered right to your door. But you may not realize that as you’re online shopping there are many factors involved in the price you pay, some of which you can actually influence to keep prices low!
This article is filled with actionable tips that you can use to save money while online shopping. Follow this advice and you’ll be amazed at the money you save!
Shop with coupon codes
One of the easiest ways that you can save money while shopping online is to shop with a coupon code. Online coupons are simply a sequence of numbers or letters that are used to unlock major discounts during checkout.
Using coupon codes to save money has never been easier thanks to online websites dedicated to providing these coupons, free of charge. Just make sure you use an online savings website that hand verifies all their coupons to avoid wasting time with expired deals!
Sign up for newsletters
The best brands will send coupons for discounts right to your inbox. All you need to do is sign up for their free newsletters to receive them. Keep an eye out for first-time customer coupons - most brands will offer these types of coupons right away after signing up for the newsletter.
Sign up for rewards programs
Many brands allow you to sign up for rewards programs and allow you to earn free perks in exchange for your accumulated points. Not all rewards programs are created equal, however, and the best programs allow you to exchange your points for real cash discounts.
You can usually find information about these programs on the company website, on their footer or on a pop-up page as you enter the site. Make sure you read the terms carefully before signing up for any rewards programs!
Abandon your shopping cart
Have you ever thought about purchasing something online, placed it in your shopping cart… and then forgotten all about it? This is called ‘shopping cart abandonment’ and experts say it’s on the rise. In fact, since 2020 shopping experts say it’s increased a whopping 70%!
The good news is that online retailers know that this is a real issue and they might just send you coupons to help you complete your purchases. You can try it by signing up for a free account with your favorite brands, filling your shopping cart and then leaving the page without purchasing anything.
Keep your eyes peeled on your inbox - you might just receive some coupons enticing you to finish your shopping! Buy discounted gift cards
If you regularly shop from the same brands, consider purchasing some discounted gift cards. Discounted gift cards are working gift cards that users sell for less than face value, usually because they don’t have any interest in purchasing anything from the store.
This means you can score a $100 for round $80, at no extra cost to you. If you regularly shop at the same brand, all those savings can add up over time.
Browse incognito
When you visit a website, that website will collect information about your shopping habits through something called cookies. Online retailers can use this information about you to keep prices high when they know you’re already thinking about purchasing an item. For instance, if you regularly browse for a certain flight, airlines won’t show you discounted airfares for those routes.
The easiest way to combat this is by browsing in incognito mode. This prevents websites from gathering information about your shopping habits and by using that info to raise prices on you.
This article was written in cooperation with Hannah Madison