Retail experts are revealing the best ways to save money on shopping as new research finds half of Brits (48%) enjoy it more when they know they’re getting a discount.
The study, commissioned by the UK’s favourite bingo site, Gala Bingo, as part of the launch of its Boss Benefits loyalty scheme, asked 2,000 women about their high-street habits to find out what they love most about shopping.
It found that more than one in five (22%) prefer shopping at stores that have a loyalty scheme and discounts in place.
To help those looking to save a few pennies, here are five shopping hacks to help bag the best deals:
1. Follow brands on social media for the latest sales
Most online retail brands are really active on social media. Sometimes they release information about special offers and promotions to their followers on social media first before they do it elsewhere. 1
2. Shop on the correct days
Online retailers roll out some of their best deals on Wednesday through Friday according to studies, so waiting to do your shopping during this period can be a great money saving hack. 2
3. Follow influencers and bloggers for discount codes
Sometimes brands give bloggers and influencers their own unique discount codes to share with their fans, which you wouldn’t usually find on websites, so it’s worth following their accounts to see if you can spot any saving opportunities. 3
4. Shop using incognito mode
Online sites often use cookies to track your online activity. They can then use this information to set up dynamic prices for you, meaning that you might be shown a higher price for the same item than a person visiting a retail site for the first time. To prevent this, do your online shopping in ‘incognito’ mode on your browser so they can’t track your browsing. Alternatively, clear your cache and cookies every time you search for an item online. 4
5. Note the free shipping threshold
Some online retailers will offer free shipping if you buy items above a certain threshold. If you realise that you are close to the free shipping threshold, spending a little more on products so that you just about qualify for the savings might end up reducing your overall bill. 5
Gala Bingo also spoke to retail expert, Deirdre McGettrick, Founder & CEO of ufurnish.com, for more money saving shopping hacks.
Deidre said: “If you’re looking to find the perfect items, outline your spending goals and stick to them! Product filtering implementations are the best way for consumers to switch products and find exactly what they want, at the best possible price.
“Enabling consumers to receive bespoke results as they apply unique filters based on their style and budget specifications will enable shoppers to search and compare the perfect products, within their minimum and maximum price range, without breaking the bank.”
It has also been revealed that more than a quarter of Brits (28%) mostly shop for their clothes on the high street and a further fifth (18%) do so exclusively. This is due to seeing and feeling the clothes before purchasing as well finding the perfect fit which can be hard to do online.6
Karina Adrian, Head of Brand Marketing at Gala Bingo, said: “It’s great to see so many people still love shopping on our high streets especially when they know they’re getting a good discount and bagging themselves a bargain.
“We want to encourage people to support our high streets, and the launch of our Boss Benefits loyalty scheme allows players to receive discounts across a variety of top UK retailers, such as ASDA, Argos, ASOS, Marks and Spencer and The Body Shop, to name a few.”
To find out more about Gala Bingo’s Boss Benefits, visit: www.galabingo.com/en/p/promotions/boss-benefits