How To Get the Best Cyber Monday Deals

For ages now, “Black Friday” has been an important day in the sense that large retail stores discounted their prices significantly in an effort to bring their finances from the “red” into the “black”; hence the name “Black Friday.”  However, as society as a whole has drifted towards online shopping, many have neglected to engage in “Black Friday” promotions simply because they could get the same (if not better) deals online.  After all, who would want to subject themselves to crowds of people on a cold Friday morning when they could just as easily do their shopping from the comfort of their own homes, all whilst wearing PJ’s and slippers?

In recent years a new trend has emerged called “Cyber Monday.”  This is a day where many online retailers opt to lower their prices in order to get users to purchase goods from their sites.  Cyber Monday takes place on the Monday after Black Friday.  This year, it is November 29th.

If you’re looking for deals on holiday gifts, Cyber Monday is great in the sense that one can easily purchase their gifts at drastically discounted prices.  Moreover, Cyber Monday shoppers can opt to use a slower (thus less expensive) shopping method on their gifts and still receive them before many holiday festivities.

Many of the major online retailers such as Amazon, Target, and Best Buy have planned promotions for this coming Monday, meaning that you can easily come out a winner by purchasing your holiday gifts now.  While I have only named a few examples of online retailers that are offering Cyber Monday deals, it is important to consider that there are many other smaller online retailers who will be offering Cyber Monday specials as well.

In order to make your Cyber Monday experience as simple (and cost-efficient) as possible, I have prepared the following tips that you should keep in mind whilst shopping:

• Just because Cyber Monday is based online doesn’t mean that it’s not subject to some of the same negativities as Black Friday.  Even though goods are shipped from a warehouse instead of sold in a store, there is still going to be the factor of availability.  If a popular product goes on sale, it’s not a far-fetched idea that that product is going to sell out.  For this reason, you should consider making your purchases earlier in the day if possible.

• One of the biggest expenses that people incur during the holiday season is that of shipping.  If you are purchasing gifts for loved ones afar, you may consider using the online retailer’s gift service.  What this essentially allows you to do is have the package gift-wrapped and delivered to your recipient.  While this service does come with a price, it is often cheaper (not to mention more efficient) than having an item shipped to your home and re-shipping it from there.  There’s nothing wrong with sending gifts from the retailer and sending holiday cards separately.

• As I said before, Cyber Monday is timed perfectly so that you are able to buy gifts in advance without the need to purchase expedited shipping in order to receive it before the holidays.  This type of strategic purchasing can save you a significant amount of money.

• When comparing prices with different retailers, you need to consider more than simply be base price of an item.  Even if two retailers sell an item for the same price, chances are that the shipping costs will differ.  To get the best deal, always be sure to evaluate this factor.  The most simplistic way to do so is to get to the last process before finalizing an order, as this screen will show you the total costs with shipping and any taxes.

• Some deals are always going to be harder to find than others.  While some retailers don’t advertise them as much, you can look at websites like RetailMeNot and CouponCabin.  These community-driven sites allow users to share coupon and promotional codes that can be applied to your oder in order to get you a better deal.

With this in mind, you should be able to scout some pretty good deals for the holiday season and save significantly on your holiday shopping.  Do you have any Cyber Monday tips?  Let us know in the comments!