Egg nog and Christmas trees are starting to appear in stores — yes, holiday season is getting underway, and that means you’ve got about three weeks to book your holiday travel.
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Gone are the days of physically clipping coupons every week. Now, websites and browser extensions like RetailMeNot, Honey and Simplycodes make it easy for shoppers to find discounts.
But, data shows many retailers are relying on emails to share their best discounts.
“There are 30% more coupon codes that have been issued this year by merchants compared to last year,” said Allison Mac, vice president of marketing at SimplyCodes.
How good a deal is depends on the day. According to SimplyCodes, which analyzed 30,000 marketing emails from merchants between March and July, Friday is the best day for consumers to save money while shopping online.
“People get paid on Fridays, so there's extra buying power that retailers know that consumers have on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays,” said Mac. “So that's really when they are pushing out the discounts and the deals to really hope to capitalize on all of that, the extra interest in making a purchase.”
Around 52% of coupon codes are released between Wednesday and Friday, with fewer discounts sent over the weekend.
SimplyCodes also found categories like women's clothing, skin care and alcoholic beverage stores released the most deals at the end of the work week.
And if you can’t find a discount to a specific store, speak up.
“If you don't have a code, a lot of times you can just ask the customer support team at the merchant at the store, and they will give you a code,” Mac said.
Consumers can make the most out of weekly online deals by doing some research early in the week. Compare prices across retailers and use price-tracking tools to lock in the best values. Also look for opportunities to stack coupons with ongoing sales. And don’t forget to use cash-back offers to maximize your savings.
And here’s another trick:
“If you actually load up your shopping cart with a couple of items, but then you decide to abandon it and just not make the purchase, you will get an email. They will offer a discount to really incentivize you to finish that purchase,” Mac explained.
She also recommends managing your email subscriptions, so you’re not overwhelmed by retailer emails in your inbox. Be strategic about which email lists you join and prioritize your favorite stores, so you don’t miss any major offers.
