By PAllen Brown

It is no news that the majority of us go online to shop for our gadgets, clothes, accessories, or toys from the comfort of our homes without having to deal with long queues at the malls or stores. The advent of the internet and the advancement in technology has made shopping more convenient, however, quite a lot of people have trouble understanding the intricacies of online marketing.

Have you ever wondered why you purchase an item worth $100 only to check back the next day or even the next hour and find out that the price has plummeted? Or why some products like your earphones are highly rated and costly but turn out to be poor in quality not to mention that they stop working after a few days? Making purchases online require skills that will help you make smart shopping decisions hence saving time, energy, and money. In addition, with these skill-sets, you get to help family, friends, and colleagues make informed decisions through the recommendations and valuable tips you give them.

There are different types of E-commerce marketplaces, so let’s briefly go through how they are categorized.

Business to Business Marketplace (B2B)

This is the transaction that occurs between two businesses where there is the exchange of goods, services, and information. In other words, it is the business relationship in which one company provides the raw materials while the other utilizes them to make the products.

Peer to Peer Marketplace (P2P)

This is a decentralized platform that connects customers to suppliers who are selling or renting temporarily for the exchange of goods and services.

Business to Consumers Marketplace(B2C)

With B2C marketing, direct transactions take place between a business and a consumer without the interference of a third party, middleman, retailer, or wholesalers.

How to Find Better Deals

COUPON CODES

There are some e-commerce websites that offer coupon codes to consumers in order to attract them to their website. Coupon codes, also known as promo codes or voucher codes are computer-generated codes entered into a promotional box, shopping cart, or checkout page to receive a discount or rebate on a purchase. Visit websites that provide details about the best coupon offers. If you visit DealDrop.com you’ll be able to get a better idea of what kinds of options are available and the variety of discounts as well. Using coupon codes is one of the best means of saving money while shopping online, however, it is surprising that people hardly exploit its benefits.

FREE SHIPPING

There are stores that offer free shipping for any products bought online and the good news is that these offers last all year round. It is often frustrating when you want to shop online and you find the products with the best deals but ridiculous shipping costs. Free shipping saves you a lot of trouble and money. It is also important to note that while some stores may offer free shipping, they may not offer the best deals. The best thing to do is to be patient and ensure that you get the best in both product deals and shipping.

MAKE USE OF THE ONLINE SHOPPING CART

Do you remember the last time you were shopping online for clothes and you leave a dress in the cart? I am certain the next time you go back to check that dress, the price has dropped or you receive a notification on your email from the store that the price has dropped. Leaving goods in a shopping cart is one of the best kept secrets of online shopping. It shows that you are interested in the product and the seller offers a discount to encourage you to purchase that product. Your patience will pay off and you have stopped yourself from buying goods impulsively.

BEAT DYNAMIC PRICING

You are probably wondering what the heck is dynamic pricing. To simply put, it is price discrimination in which the same products are sold to different people at different prices based on their demands, location or search history. You are right, it sucks as hell and it is totally unfair but the good news is, you can outsmart these business owners that engage in this. The following are the ways in which you beat price dynamics in its own game.

•    Clear your cookies

•    Use a different browser or phone or computer

•    Use a VPN

PURCHASE DISCOUNTED GIFT CARDS

Another means of saving money via online shopping is by buying discounted gift cards. To further illustrate this, when you know that you would be patronizing a store again probably for your grocery shopping, there are sites that allow customers to buy unwanted gift cards at a subsidized rate. This is sure to save you some cash.

BEST SALES DAYS

There are certain days of the week that prices drop from their normal rates so it is best to monitor and look out for these days so as to get the best deals out there. Most popular these days are Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Green Monday. Mark your calendar for these days and use them to your advantage.

To conclude, smart online shopping is not only about saving money, it is also the use of online resources to get the best output. The aforementioned tips and hacks are what online marketers don’t want you to know about. Do well to employ these tips in your next shopping and become an online shopping pro.

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