Using Coupons can Save People Huge Amounts every Month
The wisest thing to do on the internet, is to use a coupon while purchasing anything that will get you a discount. For example, to get online coupons for Ebay, that is most in demand, you will need to scour the web for it, and this is completely different than checking other eCommerce websites for better deals. Because once you get those coupons, you can get a better deal on any website that you wish.
And while most people think that only selected people to get access to those coupons, it is certainly not true. You don’t need to be a highly technical guy to search for those coupons. All you need is these methods to make sure that you get the best deal available on the internet every time you purchase anything online. And once you’ve got those awesome coupons, you should know exactly how to use them. It doesn’t make any sense gathering those huge amounts of coupons if you just don’t know how to use them. So without any further due, let’s get into the nitty gritty of this.
Never Ignore Anything
I know a couple friends of mine who ignore those coupons and purchase everything in the mentioned price. This is what I say the “Ignorant” behaviour. I mean, if you are getting those discounts for just clicking on them, then why not take advantage of it?
So make sure that the next time you spot those free coupons anything on the web, grab it by its throat and whether you will be shopping or not, just make sure that you save them so that you can use them at a later date.
Now that the “Ignorance” thing is out of our way, let’s get into the How To Use A Coupon On The Internet Thing.
Coupon Code
This is the most common way to get those prices slashed on the internet. You are given a coupon code that is a combination of letters and numbers (or sometimes just letters and just numbers), that you can use while making the payment. Once you enter that code, the price will automatically be reduced by a certain percentage or amount. One thing you need to make sure is that you should copy and paste the coupon code exactly as it is mentioned, or else you might not be able to redeem it.
The Link Follow Discount
This is the emerging way to get a discount. Basically, this is another way to get popularity for a new store. In this method, you click a link that gets you to a particular online store where you get an already discounted price for the mentioned product or any product that you purchase. I prefer this way because here we don’t have to remember to enter the coupon codes while checking out, just make the payment.
Combining Coupons
Okay, this is the part where online shopping gets complex. I know there are savvy shoppers who want to use that coupon on the appropriate product, at the appropriate time to get the maximum discount on it. But there are some limits that are already set by the seller of that product, below which you cannot redeem any coupons.
But there are still other websites that allow you to use multiple coupons even after getting a discount coupon from them. These are the websites that I call the Heart because they almost always win my heart.
Ask For It
This is the simple best way to get those coupons. There are two ways you can get these. Either by calling the manufacturer (if you are purchasing directly from their website), or call the company that is selling the product. And don’t just ask for a discount, ask for any available coupons. More often than not, they will give you one to have a loyal customer.
Black Friday: The Shopping Bonanza gone global
Every year the fourth Thursday of November, this day today global consumers prep and psych themselves up to an almost frenzied state of mind as they prepare to unleash their ‘Hungry like a wolf ‘consumer hunger for material goods and go in for the kill at the stroke of midnight. The kill, in this case, is exclusively discounted goods at retail stores across the United States&now also in other parts of the world and most importantly online on the virtual highway of the world wide web where your geophysical coordinates are of no consequence provided the shipper has a tie-up with DHL or the local post to deliver it at your doorstep. These deals will be wolfed down in a frenzied deluge to be savored later, after the packages arrive at the doorstep over the coming days, all the way to Christmas.
According to US Consumer Reports, in 2013 approximately 141 million US consumers shopped during Black Friday spending a total of USD 57.4 billion of which $1.2 billion accounted for online sales.
So what is Black Friday?
The term was coined in Philadelphia, early beginning of the 1960s by the people and the media at the time to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving celebrated across the US. The term began to be used in a broader context and applied outside its origin area around mid – 1970s. For many years, retailers began trading at 6 am but by mid-2000s, it had been gradually creeping up to 5 am and 4 am. The ceiling finally broke in 2011 when several major chain retail outlets swung open their doors at midnight. In 2012, another major retail chain Walmart took it a step further by announcing they would open trading at 8 pm on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday) where permitted.
The advent and progressive growth of e-retail have transformed business models and service delivery like never before, allowing rural vendors to serve urban customers and corporate bigwigs target urban and rural consumers alike.
The two other places outside of the United States where Black Friday has increased in prominence and trade are Canada and Australia. The former’s rise can be attributed primarily to its geographical proximity to the US and the relative advantage of the strong Canadian dollar and the ease of slipping over the border for a shopping spree. This exodus of consumers to the other side prompted Canadian retailers in Lake Ontario to offer similar discounts with an aim to retain their interest and business and discourage cross-border shopping.
Besides the aforementioned countries, it is also a big event in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland in the European market; Mexico and Brazil in North America and even India with the major retailer like Apple extending their offer to the local market. This easy concept penetration and proliferation have been the result of e-retail convenience and social media dominance across the globe. In a way, it can be compared to the Boxing Day sales that are popular across many of the Commonwealth nations. But for now, prepare to indulge.
Just make sure that the shipper delivers to your address and that should be your only guideline in this one-click shopping experience in today’s tech-savvy world.
Generation ‘Y’ and Shopping
If your time is taken up with Facebook, WhatsApp, Amazon, the latest hit diet, Game of Thrones, your ambition and family then the chances are you belong to Generation Y.
Generation Y was born between the early 80s and the early 90s. Every generation is different and when you were born affects the types of things you will be interested in. When you’re born also influences your shopping behaviour in terms of what you will buy and how you will make that purchasing decision.
Gen Y is different than other generations in almost every facet of their lives. Those that belong to the generation were educated differently, they have had a different upbringing and experience different culture and customs to that of others. People who are part of Gen Y want to experience different things and they are more confident than previous generations. They want to leave the nest as soon as they can to experience the world.
The decade that you are born in, as mentioned, influences your purchasing behaviour because of the set of values and expectations you were raised with. It is worth noting that there are individual differences and not everyone is the same. Although people do make some purchasing decisions based on arbitrary factors like age and gender, others are made based on intellect, choices and personal character. The reality is that it’s wrong to stereotype.
It isn’t appropriate to assume that every member of Generation Y is the same. Just like everyone has different hair and different political views, everyone’s attitudes are different as well, and Generation Y members have different habits. They can’t all be lumped under the same umbrella.
Although the term, Generation Y originated in America, it has been adopted by many countries and traits have been observed in Australia, Asia and Europe as well.
Although we can determine some traits on time of birth it can be more valuable to consider the motivations and tendencies of each generation. When we do so, we can better understand how and what motivates people to make the purchasing decisions they do. Their motivations determine how they choose their fashion, how to shop and their career etc.
It has been said that Generation Y is the largest consumer group in the US, however, if we look further afield to Japan and Europe Generation Y makes up a smaller portion of their market. The important thing to note here is that people are used to being sold to rather than given the chance to make choices on their own.
In the United States, a quarter of the population lives in a single parent family, whereas 75% has a working mother and a third do not consider themselves to be Caucasian. The reason this is relevant is that how someone is raised, both the environment and their family, determine what their shopping behaviour will be. That includes how they make decisions, where they will shop, what they will buy and how much they will spend. This is only scratching at the surface and. Further research is needed.
Every generation has been shaped by the world events that occurred when they were growing up and some of the events that may have shaped Generation Y are the following:
- Gulf War 1991.
- The Attacks of September 11th, 2011
- Indian Ocean Tsunami on Boxing Day 2003
- Hurricane Katrina.
- The Bali bombings
- Watching The Simpsons.
- Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
- Pokemon.
- PlayStation and Nintendo becoming more popular. Even earlier than that would be the Sega Master System followed by the Sega Mega System.
- Listening to Hip-hop, house and RnB (the modern version!) on your MP3 or iPod.
- Using the internet as a social device and embracing social media.
- Creating and reading blogs, and more recently vlogs on YouTube.
- YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, online shopping, MSN Messenger.
Gen Y is ambitious, narcissistic and has a very short attention span. They don’t care much for the convention so companies need to be innovative to keep up with them. Generation Y likes to do things their own way and they like to determine their futures.
They love sharing on the internet and are conscious of the value of consumer goods. They enjoy snapping up a bargain and using coupons and discount codes to save money. It is essential that online retailers cater their products and services to match their consumer audience. Before they purchase they are more likely to share the item on Facebook or Instagram and seek the views of their friends. They don’t want to make decisions on their own like previous generations did.
Despite being confident and despite having strong views based on world knowledge, Generation Y is still like other generations. They will care what others think and want to be liked.