Shop Smart: 5 Ways to Get the Best Value Online

A penny saved is supposed to be a penny earned, or in the United Arab Emirates, a dirham saved is a dirham earned. If you agree, read on. This article will provide you practical tips that will let you maximize your savings when shopping online.

1. Time your purchase to coincide with special sales and promotional events.

It’s no secret. Shop during a sales event to save a significant amount on your online shopping bill. In the UAE, plan your shopping around major milestones and occasions, including:

● Dubai Shopping Festival

● Ramadan and Eid

● UAE National Day

● Back to School

● Black Friday

● Cyber Monday

Aside from these primary sales seasons, stores may also hold minor monthly or quarterly promotions, including hotel discounts. You can monitor your favorite stores to track how often they hold clearance sales and how much savings shopping then can generate.

Tip: If you want to take this one step further, plan and prepare in advance of the sales season. Identify the items you might buy during a sale and log their prices before the sale. On the day of the sale, you can see if the item prices decrease and by how much. This will allow you to decide which purchases to proceed with and which ones to defer to another date.

2. Create an account and shop while signed in.

Indeed, you can check out as a guest at online shopping stores. This is highly convenient. You need something? Find it, add it to your cart or basket, add your shipping address, pay, and you’re done.

However, to achieve maximum savings, it may be better to register for membership and then shop while logged in. You see, some e-commerce sites and online stores provide welcome coupons to new users. They may send it to your email just after sign-up or account creation, or add it to a voucher wallet or a similar section in your account dashboard.

First-time-shopper or new-account discounts can vary. Maybe it’s AED 50 for a minimum of AED 300 spend or a 25% discount on a minimum AED 1,000 bill. Whatever it is, it’s savings you should never leave at the table if you can help it.

Tip: Wait a bit after signing up before making a purchase. Give an online store time to send you its welcome discount.

Shops and stores award this first-time-purchase or new-account discounts for a couple of reasons. First, they can actually induce a purchase. Specifically, it may trigger the fear of missing out, which can prompt you to buy something, anything, so you won’t lose the potential savings. For a store, getting a new person to sign up for an account and make their first purchase is a significant accomplishment in customer acquisition.

Second, it can give them more information that stores can use to formulate more personalized and targeted (and, thus, more enticing) promotions. This, in turn, is an excellent strategy stores use for customer retention.

3. Take advantage of payment method deals.

Online shops offer various payment options. Instead of using your default payment method, check if the retailer has a payment method deal. Maybe the store is offering a discount if you use a credit card from a particular bank. If you already have that credit card, use it to pay for your purchases and enjoy the savings.

Do you need a credit card? Perhaps your favorite e-commerce website is giving away an AED 1,000 gift card plus a chance to earn up to AED 1,000 in cashback if you apply for a credit card using the site’s credit card application affiliate link.

4. Collect and use discount vouchers.

Try to use a discount coupon whenever you need to make an online purchase. Scour your favorite e-commerce sites and online stores for active and valid discount vouchers.

Better yet, find a service that collects discount vouchers. There are sites online that actively compile discount codes that you can use on:

● Max

● Noon

● Namshi

● iHerb

● Asos

● Farfetch

● Mumzworld

● Nahdi

● Manshi

● Asos

● Temu

● Trendyol

● Calo

Discount vouchers typically take one of the following forms:

● A fixed-amount discount, e.g., AED 30 for a minimum spend of AED 299

● A capped percentage discount, e.g., 20% discount for a minimum purchase of AED 300, with a maximum discount of AED 150

● Free shipping

5. Stack coupons.

Discount codes may also be stackable. This depends on the retailer or online store, but if a store allows coupon stacking, be sure to take advantage by planning your purchases accordingly.

Tip: This is an example of how you may stack your discount coupons (if stacking is allowed). Wait until the item you like is on sale. Look for a store discount voucher (you can use a code collecting service and do a search for the store or brand there). Add a payment method voucher, if any, and apply a free shipping voucher, too. If you’re a new user with a welcome discount, add it as well, if allowed.

Maximum Savings in Online Shopping

Online shopping can enable great savings. Some strategies to maximize value from online retailers include timing your shopping to coincide with seasonal sales, registering for an account, taking advantage of payment method deals, collecting discount vouchers, and stacking coupons whenever possible.