All the Online Shopping Hacks You Need to Know

Online shopping is becoming more and more prevalent, especially as companies and websites make it more convenient than ever to buy products with the simple click of a button. And everyone knows the first rule of online shopping is that you should never pay full price. If you’re looking for online shopping tips and tricks, you’ve come to the right place. 

There are so many sales, membership programs, price trackers, and discount websites out there for saving money online, meaning there’s no reason you should ever pay full price for any products you buy. During this guide, we will discuss everything you need to know about online shopping, money saving hacks, tips for buying online, and more. 

Types of Online Shopping Hacks

Online shopping is more than adding to your cart and completing the transaction — there’s an exact science behind finding the right product for the right price. So what exactly are the different types of online shopping hacks? 

There are countless types of shopping hacks out there (we’ll go more in-depth on these in the next section), but here are some of the most common categories: 

• Finding sales. One of the most common shopping tips and tricks is simply finding sales. Companies and stores have online sales all the time, especially during holiday weekends like President’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Black Friday, and more. Simply keep an eye out for these sales and you can end up saving big.
• Strategic shopping on low-traffic times. While you can shop whenever you want, there are prime times for online shopping and extra savings. When you’re browsing, always keep in mind that promotions and sales usually drop between Wednesday and Friday. When shopping online, buying products during these low-traffic times can score the best deals.
• Discount websites. Try shopping on discount websites like Price.com to find coupons, get cash back, get price alerts, do comparison shopping, and more.
• Browser Extensions. Extensions like those offered by Price.com fit neatly into your browser to support your shopping experience. They can apply coupons, notify you of stores where the same product is cheaper, and ensure you take advantage of any cashback offers to save money online shopping.

Most Effective Shopping Hacks for 2022

With so much of the world turning to eCommerce and online shopping, there has never been a better time to take advantage of shopping hacks. Remember, companies want you to complete transactions — and many are willing to provide you with discounts in order to close the sale. 

To help you enjoy the greatest savings possible, we’ve put together this comprehensive list of online shopping secrets. Ready to save? Here are some of the most effective shopping tricks for 2022 and beyond: 

• Consolidate your deal emails – You probably already know that you should sign up for deal sites and newsletters in order to find savings, but you are much more likely to ignore these emails if they’re cluttering up your inbox. We recommend consolidating your deal emails by unsubscribing from any you’re no longer interested in and bundling the rest into one, simple-to-read inbox.
• Speak to customer service – Calling a customer service number can be difficult and time-consuming. Instead, use a website to figure out which phone number will take you to a real customer service rep rather than an automated robot. When you get to speak to a real customer service representative, you’re much more likely to gain access to savings and deals.
• Sleep on your purchases – When shopping online, it can be all too easy to make impulse purchases. That’s why we suggest taking a beat and stepping away from your screen after filling up your cart. When you take a day or two to step away, many websites will send you a coupon or deal as an incentive to buy. Oftentimes, it’s worth the wait.
• Track deals or sales for products you want – Email newsletters often inform you when one of your favorite brands is having a huge sale. But if you sign up for alerts or tracking with a discount website, you can track sales for specific products, styles, and sizes so you know exactly when to buy.
• Keep all of your passwords in one place – If you sign up for a lot of different discount and brand sites, chances are you have lots of different usernames and passwords to remember. There are password managing sites out there to help keep your passwords safe and secure, so you don’t have to reset your passwords every time you forget them.
• Pay attention to the day – Most companies and brands have discount codes and sales between Wednesday and Friday, so these are the best days to browse your favorite online shopping sites – especially if you don’t know exactly what you want. So avoid shopping online Saturday through Tuesday and stick to Wednesday through Friday in order to get the best bang for your buck.
• Automate your comparison shopping – If you’re considering buying a product that’s available at multiple different stores, it’s best to use a website like Price.com that offers comparison shopping before you make the purchase. This tool will help you considerably by comparing prices for the same products at multiple stores and informing you of any discount codes or coupons you can take advantage of.
• Learn the price history – It’s smart to learn the price history of a product, as the changes will show you whether it’s best to buy now or wait until you can get a better deal. A product’s price history can also tell you whether you should wait for a deal during a holiday weekend or some other sale that brand offers throughout the year, like an end of season sale.
• Ask for a deal – Many online shopping websites have a chat feature where you can talk to a real customer service representative rather than a robot. If you’re considering whether or not you want to purchase a product, strike up a conversation with a representative with your questions and concerns. They may be able to give you a promo code you can’t find elsewhere to save you money on your purchase and close the sale. 
• Sign up for all the emails – You can often get 10 to 25 percent off your purchase just for signing up for emails from a brand. Once you start receiving emails from the company, you can also get up-to-date information about sales and deals. This can help you save more money over the long term, especially if you time your shopping well. You should also create a separate email account just for promo emails to keep your own inbox from getting overwhelmed with deal emails.
• Sign up for all the loyalty programs too – In addition to promo emails, you can also sign up for loyalty programs to hack online shopping. With loyalty programs, you typically earn rewards points for every dollar you spend which can be used on future deals, discounts, and perks. At the very least, you’ll likely receive a birthday gift or free shipping as a reward for your loyalty.
• Use discount gift cards – You can buy discounted gift cards on online gift card marketplaces. These websites have big selections of online and physical gift cards for various companies, brands, and retailers. You can often buy these gift cards for as much as 20 to 30 percent off and use those gift cards on top of promo codes. Talk about saving as much money as possible!
• Follow your favorite brands on social media – Most brands and companies today announce their sales, deals, and product launches on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Social media influencers often post promos or referral codes for whatever product or brand they’re promoting. You can follow these companies and influencers for updates and deals and even message them directly to ask about upcoming deals.
• Earn cash back or points – Most credit cards have rewards programs that allow you to save points to pay for large purchases or earn cashback. Discount websites also offer cash back for product purchases. Some credit cards have flat rates for rotating categories each quarter, while others have flat rates for specific categories.
• Get free shipping every time you shop – There are some discount websites out there that give you free shipping every time you shop, no matter where you’re shopping online. You can either get the products shipped right to your home or have them shipped to a specific store location for pick-up. Store pick-up can be helpful if you’re purchasing accessories, shoes, or clothing that you need to try on first.
• Buy out of season – You can also save money on clothing, seasonal decor, and furniture if you buy them when they are out of season. For example, buy winter coats, seasonal decor like Christmas decorations, or furniture like barbecue grills during the post-holiday or after-season sales.
• Use Store Mechanisms – Some stores will give you the tools you need to extract discounts from them. For example, purposely adding an item to your cart and leaving will usually result in you receiving an email the next day offering you a discount. You can also sign up to the store’s newsletter for exclusive discounts.
• Set Up a Price Drop Alert – Can you afford to wait for that product you really want? Don’t allow retailers to take advantage of you by encouraging impulse buys. Be patient and use Price.com to set a price drop alert. The moment the price decreases, you will be immediately notified so you can snag your purchase.
• Use a Comparison Shopping Platform – Not everyone has the time to use manual shopping hacks. Moreover, if you’re just comparing your favorite retailers, you are potentially missing out on the retailers you don’t know about. Use Price.com’s comparison shopping platform to automatically scour thousands of online retailers and compare prices online.
• Download a Smart Shopping Assistant – Smart shopping assistants offer a more intelligent way to shop. These extensions do all the hard work of finding and applying valid coupons, alerting you when there’s a cash back option available, and comparison shop all in one. They often run in the background, so you can simply shop and put your discount shopping on autopilot.

Price.com is the Ultimate Online Shopping Hack

Discount website Price.com allows you to use all these shopping hacks in one place – take advantage of comparison shopping, see price alerts and the price history for products and brands, get cash back, find online coupons, and more.

For the smartest way to shop, install the Price Comparison extension. Comparison shop with ease, find those limited-time only discounts, and get notified of major price drops. All you need to do is install our extension and you’re good to go! 

If you want to learn more about online shopping hacks and where to find the best deals online, Price.com has you covered. Contact us to learn more about our services and online shopping tips.

About Price.com

Price.com, the all-in-one money savings platform, provides a free cross-platform experience for consumers that combines advanced comparison shopping, cashback, coupons, price history, and price drop alerts. The Company’s patented, AI-powered matching algorithm enables real-time discovery of new, white-label, used, local, refurbished, and rental products – taking comparison shopping to new heights. Price.com is available as a desktop and mobile website, browser extension, native app, and chatbot.