The idea behind "cyber" weeks is simple math. It means you're able to save money through discounts on gifts at your favorite retailers after Black Friday. This year because of the coronavirus pandemic, interest in Cyber Monday has decreased. According to Accenture, nearly 60% of shoppers aren't interested this time around compared to last season, where people were looking forward to it every year.
10 Tips To Find The Best Deals During Cyber Monday
1. Bonus Incentives
You'll find plenty of promotions and reward programs on Cyber Monday. Incentives! Many retailers will give you gift cards or coupons as an incentive when purchasing certain items online. Restaurants also offer discounts on their menu to purchase multiple food items. Target is notorious for giving out $5 and $10 in rewards bucks just by shopping at three different registers if they have a promotion going on that day.
2. Make a List
Before you start picking and clicking, get out a pen and write down the names of the people on your list. That's right, everyone! Add their gifts in one place with the app Santa's Bag that allows for easy shopping via favorite merchants as well. You won't ever have to jump from site to site or have trouble remembering who got what when it comes time for Christmas morning. Santa's Bag makes your gift list so streamlined you might enjoy sticking to the budget this year!
3. Rewards Credit Card
You don't want to miss out on the Cyber Monday savings! So to maximize your purchases and enroll in a rewards credit card before November 26th. There are plenty of reasons for doing so, including increased fraud protection and building good habits by using cash instead of plastic when shopping online. But what might make you decide now? The most significant incentives come from signing up with cards that offer sign-up bonuses during these busy days surrounding the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales period. Some even give extra points or money off anything you buy after applying at first login (not just airline tickets).
4. Checking Prices
The days where you had to wait for the Thanksgiving Day newspaper to check for Black Friday deals are over. Those sales are now coming out early. On Cyber Monday, there are still last-minute deals happening, so don't be surprised! If you want to get ahead of other shoppers, make sure your compare last year's promotions and see if there is any difference between them or not when it comes time for shopping.
5. Know The Return, Shipping, and Price Protection Policies
Shipping and return policies are a deciding factor regarding how much you pay for an item. For example, Walmart offers free 2-day shipping if your order is at least $35. At the same time, Amazon can often deliver items for free as long as they exceed the value of $25.
6. Price Alerts
Signing up for price alerts is a good way of staying informed without going old-school with real-life notifications. You also don't have to wait or fret over whether this new deal will come around before next week. SlickDeals is fast at sending alerts when prices come down.
7. Follow Your Favorite Stores and Brands on Social Media
What's better than a deal? A personalized, one-of-a-kind experience. Brands and stores offer you special discounts on social media that are tailored just for you. These discounts are based on what you share about yourself or preferences you've shown through your past actions online! For example, suppose someone likes shopping at Target but has never mentioned it in their timeline before. In that case, chances are this individual won't see any promotions offered by the company until after posting an update.
8. Use Price Comparison Apps
Shopping for the best price on products has never been easier. Download a comparison app or browser extension like PriceBlink that will find you the lowest rate available, including shipping and handling charges, with just one click of your mouse! You can save some serious cash by using these coupon apps. PriceBlink will give you the coupons that are available at the stores you're shopping. If your browser is Internet Explorer or Safari, Shoptimate will work perfectly fine in those browsers as well.
9. Email Newsletters
Stores are releasing their best deals to email subscribers first, so if you know a store with good Cyber Monday sales, sign up before it sells out. You might get some extra coupons for use during or after the holiday season, of course.
10. Find Additional Discounts
There is a ton of money to be saved on Black Friday and Cyber Monday if you know where to look. One easy way is by stocking up with discounted gift cards from resellers like Raise or Gift Card Granny, who can offer 3-5% off retail prices for thousands of retailers! And because these are physical gifts (and usually there isn't an expiration date), they're perfectly combined with other discounts as well. When you use the Rakuten app, they'll be able to send notifications when a site is eligible for cashback on purchases. So click that button to activate it or visit their website and shop there instead! Other companies offering similar services include Swagbucks and Ibotta, among others.
Cyber Monday is the day of deals and discounts. It's a time for people to get all their holiday shopping done in one place, with significant savings on electronics, clothes, home goods, and more! So here are some tips to help you find those best deals.
First off, make sure you read through the store policies before buying anything (especially if it's an online-only deal). And also, keep your eyes peeled for "today only offers. Some stores like Amazon will put items up on sale at midnight, which means they'll be gone by morning unless you buy them now. Just make sure that they can still deliver whatever product or service you're looking at on Christmas Eve, so it arrives when promised.