The time around the Christmas holidays is massive for shopping. The average spent on Christmas gifts in the UK is estimated to have been £476 per person. While this is great news for retailers, many of whom rely upon this huge increase in seasonal trade to keep their businesses going, in these ever thrifty times, many of us are looking to save money on holiday gifts rather than drive that figure upwards.
It also means that many of us are being incredibly savvy about how we shop, shopping smartly to save money instead of flashing the cash on any product that we see. If you consider yourself a cost-conscious consumer too, then you’ll want to check out these helpful tips for holiday shopping.
Do Your Research
The problem with shopping around the holidays is that we often find ourselves buying products that we just don’t need. When the weather outside is frightful, those deals on cashmere jumpers and polka dot mittens may look delightful, but do we actually need to revamp our winter wardrobes? Likewise, is there anything actually wrong with your current TV or [insert your favourite gadget here] or do you just like the idea of owning the latest tech at a slightly lower price?
Becoming Minimalist says that there are a few questions you could ask before buying things, including whether or not it solves a problem, if you will use it regularly, and, if it’s something that’s a trend, whether it will last or if you will find yourself interested in the next fad too.
Understand Holiday Shopping Trends
Speaking of trends, another key to saving money while holiday shopping is to understand holiday shopping trends. According to recent holiday shopping trends plans to shop during times such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have plummeted. While 74.2 million people in the United States are estimated to have shopped during Black Friday 2015, this figure was the timeframe lowest since 2011 with more people choosing to shop on December 23rd instead.
What this means for shoppers is that you may no longer need to rush to the store in the days after Thanksgiving in order to get the best price. Retailers are now planning to offer deals for longer and many are offering more deals online too, in order to appeal to tech-savvy shoppers.
Start Tracking Prices
On the note of online shopping, it’s also worth highlighting the use of price tracker apps. If you’re expecting a much-wanted product of yours to be discounted during the holiday period or if multiple retailers are expected to sell it, it makes sense to use a tracker app to ensure that you get the right price.
Some of the most popular price trackers include BuyVia, ShopSavvy, and SkyScanner. By using these apps, it helps you to get the best deals, so that you don’t have to second guess an offer or kick yourself too hard when you buy the product before spotting another, better offer at another retailer.
For many people, managing the shopping budgets during the holidays is very difficult. But, using the tips above, you may put away at least a few extra dollars, perhaps even saving them for next year’s holiday shopping!
Markus lives in San Francisco, California and is the video game and audio expert on Good e-Reader! He has a huge interest in new e-readers and tablets, and gaming.
