Do you live with an underlying fear of shopping online? I definitely do. No matter how Internet savvy I am, I can never succeed in taking advantage of the huge online discounts with which retailers entice us. But I do envy it when I compliment a friend on a nice dress and she says, “I grabbed it at 50 per cent discount in an online sale.” Some of us put away that feeling by saying, “She always gets lucky in finding bargains.”
But this Great Gruhini decided to face the feelings of fear and jealousy. I decided to ask my friends and their friends about how and what they shop for online. Two of them, Smita Vanam from Bangalore and Krutika Khadse from Mumbai, are eager to tell you that how they save few bucks with a click and how you can do that too.
Smita Vanam, an online shopper from Bangalore and a mother of two has looked out for deals even at 4 AM in the morning. You name a thing, and she will find you a deal.
What do I buy online? My weekly grocery and vegetable shopping is done online. I also shop online for clothes for all occasions, footwear, electronics and stationery. For furniture and big ticket items (or bulk items), I still prefer the conventional route.
Do I really save money through online shopping? Absolutely! I save money not only by buying at a discount, but also on travel to the mall, on refreshments (coffee, snacks is a must once you drag the cart and stand in the billing queue). I save myself from impulsive buying too. Not to forget the time and effort saved in not taking a toddler and a pre-schooler to a mall. The time I save by not going to a mall or a grocery store, I use to indulge in my hobbies!
I shop online only when there is at least 50 per cent discount. I sign up for mailers from my regular sites (Flipkart, Fashionara, Jabong, Snapdeal etc) and also regularly visit sites like indiandailydeals.com (http://www.indiandailydeals.com/) or desidime.com (http://www.desidime.com/) where I learn of the latest deals.
My best online buy till date: I bought an iPad Mini for Rs 19,000, a 13% discount to its actual price of Rs 21,900 during a midnight sale on indiatimes.com (http://www.indiatimes.com/)
My online shopping secrets for you…
1. Wait if you can: When you find something you like and if you can, wait for a while before you buy it. In my experience, even online sites are constantly adjusting the discounts they offer on a product.
I waited and bought a Remanika top for Rs.499 from fashionara.com and today the same top is selling on fashionara.com for Rs.840. The maximum retail price of the top is Rs.1200! For all you know it will again sell for Rs.499 in future or even lesser!
It is also a good idea to check the brand’s own website for the same product. They may have an even better discount going there!
2. Shop during online sales:
- Search multiple sites to check where the maximum discount is available on the product of your choice.
- Check sites like cheapestinindia.com to know where you will find you stuff cheapest. Sometimes if you use a particular bank’s credit card, you get more discounts. Look for coupon codes ON sites like indiancoupons.com or cuponation.in or coupondunia.in to get more discounts.
3. Sign up for newsletters: Sign up for the newsletters of online retailers. You won’t miss any good discounts.
4. Stock up during online sales: Stock up on bulk use items, during good sales. I shop for plenty of diapers and wipes when they are exceptionally cheap.
5. Always shop on trusted, popular sites: I regularly shop through Flipkart, Jabong, Big Basket, Babyoye, Firstcry and I haven’t really faced a problem yet.
***
Krutika Khadse, an Intern at a Social Media Agency
What do I buy online? Clothes, bags, accessories and hair appliances
Do I really save money through online shopping? Yes I definitely save money. I have purchased three dresses and a skirt for less than Rs.1000 each. Recently I purchased an Aztec printed skirt for Rs.600 whereas the offline price for Aztec print skirts or tops is somewhere around Rs.800 to Rs.1000.
I also purchased a Philips hair straightener from Flipkart for around Rs.1500. The offline price of the same is Rs.2000.
My best online buy till date: I purchased a Dressberry’s black dress from Myntra for Rs.1000 which was for Rs.1700.
My online shopping secrets for you…
1. Check out Instagram for online shopping: Not many people are familiar with online shopping accounts that are exclusively active on Instagram.
2. Keep a check: Before you buy anything online, check various retailers’ websites as each one of them will have a different scheme especially during the festive season.
3. Watch out for material and sizes: Be careful with the material of the apparels. Also the bag sizes are always smaller than what they look like on the site.
Image courtesy: © Thinkstock Photos/ Getty Images
More On >> Money
