If you take pride in always paying the lowest price for items, even if it requires you to hold out for an annual sale, then you’re probably the kind of person who knows exactly when to buy so you can snag the best deals — or are you? While you focus on promotions and exclusive sale days, you may be missing out on the real deals. There is a clever trick that is free, easy to use and doesn’t require you to install an app. Here’s the scoop.
The numbers game
Have you ever placed an item in an online cart but waited to make the purchase, only to come back a few hours later to find the price has either dropped or increased? Why did this happen? They’re pricing tactics used by online sellers. One such pricing strategy is personalized pricing. Often based on individual consumer data, like your spending habits, this practice allows retailers to charge different prices to different consumers for the same product. Speaking of data, is yours protected? Tap or click here to learn about the hidden costs of unsecured data. Chances are you have come across at least one form of this pricing approach. If you have ever left an item in an online cart, returned to it later and found a one-time discount offer as an incentive to complete the purchase, you have experienced personalized pricing.
Wait for it
When shopping online, place an item you want to buy in your shopping cart, sit back and watch how the price fluctuates daily (sometimes hourly) — it’s like watching the stock market! When the price drops, or you see a flash sale, make your purchase. The downside to this trick is you’ll have to keep a constant watch on your digital shopping cart. If you don’t have time to commit to this method, there are price tracking tools like CamelCamelCamel that alert you when the cost of an item drops. Tap or click here to learn more about CamelCamelCamel.
