Black Friday Sale and Cyber Monday Sale, two of the most important retail days of 2023, begin next week.
Americans are anticipated to spend up to $1,300 on the holidays this year. While retailers are planning some excellent deals and promotions for the weekend after Thanksgiving, shopping over these days may be hectic and taxing. Furthermore, the costs of all those gifts can quickly add up.
Sara Skirboll, a shopping and trends specialist at RetailMeNot, says, "Planning and preparation are the crucial ingredients to a successful shopping season." To assist you in your preparation, here are seven expert recommendations for saving time and money while shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
1. Don’t limit yourself to just shopping online or in-store
"One fallacy concerning retail shopping holidays is that the best prices can only be found in-store on Black Friday and online on Cyber Monday," Skirboll tells CNBC Make It.
Traditionally, Black Friday has been caused by having to be at the store at 6:00 a.m. for doorbuster sales. "That clearly isn't the case any longer," she explains. Instead, you might be able to get great deals from the comfort of your own home.
According to a Capital One Walmart poll of 1,000 U.S. adults done by Wakefield Research, roughly seven out of ten consumers plan to shop in-store for Christmas gifts, with the average person visiting about six locations in total.
2. Don’t buy full price
The prime holiday season is shorter this year, with only 26 days between Thanksgiving 2023 and Christmas, compared to 32 days in previous years.
This indicates that retailers are vying for your business. “They require us to go shopping with them every day,” Skirboll explains. That's excellent news for shoppers since it means retailers are more ready to provide discounts and special offers.
"There are numerous methods to save, and you should never pay full price during the holiday season," she advises. Free shipping codes, promo codes, discount codes, and cashback offers are all examples of this.
3. Do your research
The best way to avoid this is to do your research and compare the offered pricing and incentives in advance of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Brad's Discounts, a shopping deals website, has compiled a schedule of when all of the 2019 advertising will be released.
During Black Friday season, some retailers will even price match, so if you're deciding between many stores, it's worth looking into the policies.
There's also a Black Friday calculator where you may enter the promotion type, initial price, and discount. The calculator will then tell you whether the bargain is worth considering.
4. Strategically abandon your cart
When you're shopping online on Black Friday and can't locate any bargains, closing your browser without purchasing anything and waiting a few hours may assist. To put it another way, abandon your shopping basket.
You might get an email from the store in an hour, two hours, or even 24 hours with a subject line like "We noticed you left a few goods in your cart." To make it easier for you to check out, here's a 10% off coupon from us." This is a "sneaky" money-saving method, according to Skirboll, but it works best with retailers where you shop frequently. Keep in mind that this only works if you are logged in.
5. Follow your favorite brands on social media
Another Black Friday shopping tip for 2023 is to follow your favorite brands on social media.
"You'll find special offers and friends and family codes on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram," Skirboll explains. Doorbuster codes are also available from time to time, particularly around Black Friday Week. These are discounts that are offered if you shop between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m., for example, 30 percent off.
6. Download apps and browser extensions
Consider installing some apps for your smartphone and browser extensions that link into your internet browser and alert you to lesser pricing and discounts if you're looking to automate your Black Friday and Cyber Monday experience this year.
Flipp, for example, can help you save time when it comes to going through all of those paper Black Friday ads. You may peruse every American weekly ad and discount from your smartphone using this app. You can also compare the quoted costs to what you see in the store.
Shopsavvy is another app that can assist you in finding the greatest discounts by allowing you to scan product bar codes and then compare the pricing to that of other local stores and online retailers.
If you're going to a specific store, you should download their app because merchants like Target may provide app-specific discounts and promo coupons. You may check for savings by scanning goods bar codes. In addition, Target rewards members with 1% cash back on every transaction, and Target RedCard cards get a 5% discount on eligible products.
Browser extensions like Honey and Capital One's Wikibuy are also available. All available promo codes are automatically found and tested by the extensions. Wikibuy will also notify you when a better price is available at another retailer and when the price of a product you recently looked drops.
If you're shopping on Amazon, keep an eye out for Amazon Assistant, which shows shoppers relevant products on the site. Frequently, a similar product from a different brand will be on sale. Camelcamelcamel is yet another free Amazon price tracker that displays the cost of things over time, allowing you to determine whether or not discounts are genuinely good deals.
7. Shop after the sale days end
According to PwC's report, only around a third of Americans plan to buy on Black Friday. In fact, more than half believe they will finish their holiday shopping the week after Black Friday.
After Black Friday Deals and Cyber Monday, you might be able to discover greater bargains on specific things. Skirboll, for example, advises customers to wait until January to buy workout equipment or linens, as that is when those items are more likely to be on sale.
Those discounts may not be as broad or well-publicized as those offered on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and some may not be available until after Christmas Sale or after delivery deadlines. However, if you're looking for a unique gift, don't be scared to purchase after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Hopefully, these tips will be useful for you. You can save a lot of money on Black Friday this year. And don't forget to visit Couponupto.com to get the best promotions.
