When it comes to online shopping, the virtual marketplace offers a world of possibilities for snagging great deals. However, navigating this vast landscape can be overwhelming without the right strategies. That’s why we’ve gathered eight exclusive tips from Nick Drewe, Retail Expert at online discounts platform, Wethrift.
Join us as we unveil expert insights on how to save money when shopping online. From hidden gems to clever techniques, this article will empower you to make the most of your online shopping experience while maximising your savings.
1. Leave items in your basket for a day or two
If you find something you know you definitely want but aren’t in a huge rush to receive, try adding the item(s) to your online basket. Then leave it lying dormant for a day or two without making the transaction.
In most cases, for larger retailers, this will trigger an abandoned basket promotional email. The retailer will want to incentivise you to follow through to the next step of the purchasing journey. Therefore, they will likely email you with a prompt to purchase. More often than not, this will include a discount code for the product in your basket.
2. Browse in incognito mode to get a better price
If a retailer is implementing a dynamic pricing strategy, you may find that the price of a product increases when you repeatedly browse it online.
Fortunately, there is a way to avoid this and save money while shopping online. By taking the simple steps of browsing for your desired items in incognito mode, or by clearing the cache on your browser, you can beat the sneaky dynamic pricing strategies and secure the best possible online deal.
Related: 10 ecommerce psychology tricks that make you spend more
3. Track the pricing history of products to avoid any misleading 'deals'
Online shoppers can also benefit from using price tracker tools to check out the legitimacy of a discount. When it comes to promoting deals and discounts, retailers can sometimes purposely mislead customers. This is done by temporarily increasing the price of their products and then repricing them at their original cost, whilst sneakily advertising it as a price drop.
Tools such as PriceSpy are an ideal method for shoppers to identify a fake ‘deal’ like this as it lets you to see the product’s online pricing history.
4. Beat the additional delivery fees to keep costs down
Delivery charges can often begin to add up as a significant extra cost when online shopping. For that reason, take the time to assess if you can get free or cheaper delivery for a larger value order.
If so, add one or two low value items to your cart to meet the minimum spend requirement. This can often work out less expensive than paying larger delivery fees. However, be mindful when it comes to your spending and resist the temptation to overspend due to enticing free delivery offers. In short, this doesn’t mean you should buy things you don’t need.
5. Sign up for subscriptions for free delivery
If you are shopping regularly on a particular website, take the time to assess whether signing up for a premium subscription – like those offered by the likes of ASOS or Amazon Prime – will work out more cost effective than paying delivery charges each time you order.
6. Utilise online discount codes before making your purchase
Brand discount codes offer one of the most effective ways to save money when shopping online, as long as they are used strategically. Take the time to assess which codes will maximise your savings, as often multiple codes can not be used in conjunction with each other.
There are many different ways in which you can access online discount codes. For example, a quick Google search for {brand name} discount code will often bring up a plethora of results. However, you should be wary that sometimes these codes may be old and have expired, depending on where you’re sourcing them from.
Fortunately, online discount platforms such as Wethrift, offer online shoppers the chance to find thousands of current and up-to-date discount codes across a vast range of their favourite brands. Discount and cashback browser extensions are also a great way to access discounts directly. These save you the hassle of manually trawling through Google search results.
7. Use social media to get access to exclusive deals
Another savvy way to locate online discount codes and exclusive deals is to connect with your favourite brands and retailers on social media. Many of them will promote exclusive deals and discounts to their customers on social media, as well as early access to online sales.
Alongside the brands’ social media accounts, their influencer partners frequently use their platforms to share exclusive discount codes. But while social media is great for finding discount codes, make sure you don’t get caught up in impulse buying fueled by social media hype.
8. Subscribe to mailing lists to receive discount codes
If you are looking to save both time and money when shopping online, then let the brands do the work by bringing the discount codes to you. Signing up to mailing lists is a great way to do this, as many of your favourite brands and retailers will promote discount codes within their promotional email activity, sending the discount codes direct to your inbox.
The team at Wethrift have crunched the numbers to analyse which brands are most frequently promoting discount codes within their email activity:
Brand | % of Discount Emails |
Shein | 100% |
Boots | 86% |
Pets at Home | 80% |
Asos | 75% |
Currys | 75% |
Game | 75% |
Wilko | 59% |
PrettyLittleThing | 52% |
Adidas | 50% |
B&Q | 44% |
