More than two billion people worldwide are online shoppers – that’s almost a third of the world’s population. Every second we spend online is flooded with targeted ads presenting us with products that would effortlessly elevate our lifestyles.
Perfectly engineered to tempt and tantalize, it’s hard to resist the pull. If you’ve had packages arriving on your doorstep and can’t quite remember what you bought or when you’re not alone.
Online shopping is convenient and pleasurable, but if not well managed, can easily lead to impulse buying and overspending. Changing your mindset is key to keeping track of your finances. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you save while spending online.
Set a budget.
We all know that responsible spending starts with a budget. Online shopping has escaped this sensible tactic by being structured to trigger impulse buys when people are bored or alone, and looking for a distraction.
Try to categorize tempting items as ‘want’ and ‘need’. If they’re assigned to the ‘want’ category, leave them in your shopping cart for 24 hours. If you’re still thinking about them a day or two later, review your budget and make the decision based on whether you can afford them.
Compare prices and visit deals websites
More than 80% of online shoppers compare prices or visit websites known for aggregating products and offering deals. If you’re not one of them, it’s time to jump on board.
There are plenty of apps and websites tailored to this exact money-saving method available in the UAE, and they’ll do the heavy lifting for you by serving up price comparisons on products and alerting you to discounts and offers in your area.
Look for discount codes.
Discount codes are the modern-day equivalent to coupon clipping. A golden combination of numbers and letters entered at the checkout will knock a chunk off your sales total, so it’s worth seeking out. Signing up to a retailer’s newsletter might land you with a discount code, and there are sites in the UAE sharing codes for free.
Sign up for discounts and rewards
Airlines, hotels and credit card providers are known for their super-successful loyalty programs, and e-retailers are catching on to this effective sales strategy. That’s good news for savvy shoppers, as signing up for a loyalty program or newsletter often comes with a reward in the form of a discount code, or a points program that will pay off when future purchases are made.
Load up your cart and leave.
According to Shopify, approximately 88% of shopping carts are abandoned by online shoppers before a sale is made. In a bid to get customers over the line, retailers routinely follow up with a series of tempting emails to entice the shopper into buying what they left behind.
The trick is holding out for the final attempt to land in your inbox: the email offering a discount on your items. You’ll get exactly what you wanted at a lower price, and usually within 24 hours of abandoning your cart.
