It’s that time of year again; Black Friday and Cyber Monday have approached us. Where retailers and online stores like Amazon and Ebay give us the quality discounts that we need, especially with Christmas just around the corner.
The choice between Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping may be simple; do you want to experience the annual in-store chaos or would you rather be cosy at home clicking through the sales? If you like the idea of good deals but not the idea of standing outside in never-ending queues waiting for the shop doors to open for the Black Friday savings then Cyber Monday, held on December 2nd, is for you. What a better time of year to be writing about it.
Tips on how to take advantage of Cyber Monday:
Plan your shopping early
Make sure you plan a shopping list before Cyber Monday to give yourself time to research and compare prices online. A shopping list also means you’ll be more focused and less tempted to go off track on deals that you don’t need.
Search for promotions
Be careful. Cyber Monday has become a large enough phenomenon which means there are lots of places that are offering incentives and promotions to get shoppers to shop with them so find that place and then make your purchase.
You can also download web extensions like Honey which is a coupon company that automatically finds the best and tests available coupon codes.
Follow your favourite retailers on social media
The best way to stay up to date on retail promotions at any time of the year is to follow them on their socials. It’s important to pay attention because this is where retailers reward their most loyal fans. Especially around Cyber Monday, there are promotions that offer additional discounts through doorbuster codes, for example, you’ll receive 25% off if you shop between the hours of 7 am and 9 am.
When it comes to Instagram, e-commerce businesses recommend the platform as it has over 500M of daily active users. From a businesses point of view, if a customer sees something they like on the platform but there is no way to buy it as there is no link to the product or the website, there is a risk of losing out on a sale. This is why Instagram is great for the visual shoppers out there who want to see certain types of products in context before they buy.
Sign up for retail newsletters
Even though nobody likes to get thousands of emails a day, you could be sitting on a treasure trove of sale-related information weeks before Cyber Monday. It literally costs nothing and only takes up 5 seconds of your day to sign up for an email newsletter that could save you a lot of money.
Factor in shipping costs
Most stores offer free shipping on Cyber Monday, but there are some that don’t, and that extra cost could blow a deal. Be careful when determining which store has the best deal!
Preload your shopping cart
A few days before Cyber Monday, head to some of your favourite e-commerce sites to fill up your virtual shopping trolley. I guarantee there are saved items on your ASOS account, simply add them to your cart before you buy to save valuable shopping time before the sale starts. Be careful though, not all stores allow you to do this, some allow different times but some do not allow it at all. Make sure to double-check.
Check and get to know the student discounts
Student discounts like UNiDAYS and StudentBeans offer students the best insight into the best deals on Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Things like this make me thankful for being a student, there’s something I never thought I would have said. Also, keep an eye out for websites that accept student discount on top of the sale price. 60% off at NastyGal and up to 50% at American Apparel! Won’t mind if I do.
Be realistic
It’s true that you can expect to grab some great bargains around Black Friday, but be realistic. As much as we would love to see 50% off signs in the Apple Store, its never going to happen. A product that usually costs £500 reduced to £50 is a scam, don’t be fooled. Scammers are famous for disappearing off the face of the earth once you’ve made a purchase so be careful. It’s probably best to resist the temptation.