Nick Drewe, from Online Coupon Provider, Wethrift, offers his money-saving tips to help consumers secure the best deals this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
1. Find products before you shop
Savvy Black Friday shoppers know that the best way to secure deals is by finding the highest quality products before the big day. It’s important to do some research before the sale starts, taking into account which products and brands have the best reviews on your wishlist items.
Many brands will add their best deals well before the Black Friday event, making grabbing a bargain even easier. For that reason, you’ll want to start your shopping as early as the start of November. It’s easy to get carried away and buy things that you don’t really need, so create a list ahead of the sale event, to avoid any temptation on Black Friday bargains.
2. Price match on rival sites
Always scope out offers in advance, to ensure you’re getting the best deal. Many retailers will be offering Black Friday deals, so check the store website in advance to see which is providing the biggest discount on your selected items.
To save yourself the largest sum, download a product price tracker that monitors the price of different items in your wishlist. This notifies you which brands, including Amazon, Groupon, Very and more have the most significant discounts and when the prices drop.
3. Load your basket before the day
Products are likely to sell out quickly this Black Friday, as more people hunt for Christmas bargains. To avoid disappointment, place all your items on your wish list ahead of the big day, ready to go directly into your basket as soon as the sale hits.
Have a backup plan at the ready. If your product is likely to sell out this Black Friday, have your items saved in a wish list on multiple sites and leave the tabs open. Don’t leave it till the day of the sale to find other sites that list your wishlist products.
4. Sign up for newsletters
Ahead of the big day, follow retailers on social media and sign up for their email newsletters to be among the first to find out about their big deals. Some brands even provide members with early access to the sale and show exclusive deals that you’d otherwise miss out on.
Check before you purchase any items ahead of the big sale event, as some retailers provide price adjustment guarantees on products. They will also refund the difference if the price reduces further on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
5. Use Alexa to find Amazon deals
If you have an Amazon Alexa you’ll be able to bag yourself some exclusive Black Friday deals this November. Alexa will notify Amazon Prime members when products in their wish list shopping cart go on sale. You need to enable deal recommendations in your settings and add your wishlist products to your shopping cart.
Once you are all set up, ask Alexa “What are my deals” and the bot will bring up Amazon’s hottest savings on all your products.
6. Find extra coupon codes
Once you’ve found the biggest savings, have a look to see if you can find any additional vouchers that will give you an extra discount.
Also, if you sign up for newsletters and become a store member of brands in advance, you are likely to receive introduction offers on your first purchase.
7. Make sure you’re getting a deal
To make sure you’re getting a great deal this Black Friday, it’s important to track the price of products to see how much you’ll be saving.
Price history tools like PriceSpy, Alertr and CamelCamelCamel lets you check to see how the cost of the product has changed. This will help you decide if it’s a good Black Friday deal or just made to look like one.
Read the latest edition of PCR’s monthly magazine below:
Like this content? Sign up for the free PCR Daily Digest email service to get the latest tech news straight to your inbox. You can also follow PCR on Twitter and Facebook.