When you’re trying to run a business and keep your expenses in check, every dollar counts.
Many business owners try to cut expenses by reducing the number of items they buy. The real solution, however, is to look at how much you’re paying for each purchase.
Shopping and researching your purchases online is a great way to find out if you’re overpaying. To do a favor for your balance sheet, learn how to find the best deals online.
How to Find the Best Deals Online
If you’re trying to get the best prices for all your business’ purchases, try these money-saving tips:
1. Use a Price Comparison Website
If you’re spending hours comparison-shopping, you could put in valuable time without finding a better deal. Did you know there are sites dedicated to doing this for you?
A website like https://priceithere.com/ sends you the best deals on whatever it is you need to buy. It even gives you quotes for services: a shopping process that can be particularly time-consuming.
>2. Shop in Advance
In many cases, there’s a better deal available, but the shipping is longer than you’re able to wait. To avoid passing up deals for the sake of time, shop for items months in advance if possible.
3. Always Search Online for Discount Codes Before You Buy
You’d be surprised how often there’s an easy discount code for your online purchase. These codes aren’t always advertised on the shopping site, and some are only published in select places.
As a rule, never make a purchase online without searching for coupons first. A simple search on your favorite search engine can bring up sites that keep track of discount codes.
4. Sign Up for Email Lists
Most online stores and companies have email lists for their customers. If you sign up for these lists, you’re like to get exclusive discounts delivered straight to your inbox. In many cases, companies send better deals to their email list than the ones they advertise publicly.
It’s worthwhile to sign up for emails from any online shop you visit. The only problem is that this could fill your inbox quickly. If you don’t want to see the flood of emails, you can set up filters to automatically organize your inbox. The emails will be there, but they’ll be in a separate folder.
5. Choose Your Inexpensive Items Wisely
As much as you want to save money, going for the lowest price is only a good strategy in select situations. It could work for most products and services you need. However, it’s not a good strategy for any item that affects health and safety for your employees or customers.
If you go for the least expensive option for these purchases, it could backfire in the form of a very expensive lawsuit.
6. Consider Used and Refurbished Products
Some companies scoff at the idea of used products, but they can offer massive savings without sacrificing quality. Used technology is often nearly new or refurbished to be back in tip-top shape.
The only issue with buying used items is that you usually have little if any warranty. Be sure to find out the warranty information before you buy.
7. Get a Rewards Credit Card
Sometimes getting a good deal depends on the payment method you use rather than the price you get. If you aren’t using a credit card that gives you rewards for every purchase, it’s time to look for one.
Some cards offer rewards in the form of cash back, some in the form of airline miles, and some have other incentives. Take your time to shop around and compare the cards your business qualifies for.
8. Take Advantage of Re-targeting
Retargeting is a strategy that companies use to contact customers who are interested in a product. They use specialized software to contact customers who have taken certain actions on their site. It’s meant to give them more sales, but you can use it to your advantage as a customer.
As you’re shopping, put the item you want into your cart and then close your browser. Many companies will send you an email within 24 hours (or within a few minutes) to offer you a special discount if you complete your purchase.
9. Don’t Forget About Shipping
As you’re comparison-shopping, it’s easy to get swept up in a low purchase price. But when you put the item in your cart and click through the checkout process, you find out that the shipping fee is more than you’ve bargained for.
Before you decide which site has the best deal, look for affordable shipping prices. Find out the total amount you’ll actually pay.
10. Ask About Price Matching
Price matching used to be a common practice, though it was more focused on brick and mortar stores than online ones. Still, it’s always worth a try.
Let’s say you’re shopping and you find that while Site A looks more reliable and has faster shipping, Site B offers your item for a lower price. Take a screenshot of Site B’s listing and reach out to Site A to see if they’ll match the price.
11. Don’t Believe Original List Prices
There’s a common trap many online shoppers fall for. They see that an item is advertised at a certain sale price, and based on the “original list price” the site lists, it looks like a huge deal.
The shopper gets excited by the sale and assumes they won’t find a better price elsewhere, so they stop looking.
In many cases, the store has never actually sold the item for that “list price.” They put it there to make you think you’re getting a better deal than you are. It’s always worth your time to do more comparison shopping before you buy.
Finding Great Deals Online
The internet has opened huge doors for shoppers who are no longer limited to retailers in their city. The tips above about how to find the best deals online can help you take full advantage of that benefit.
For more great tips about purchasing and other aspects of today’s technology, check out our tech blog.
