For better or worse Christmas is coming. The place where you live probably has or is gearing up to turning on it’s Christmas lights, the first wave of Christmas cards that need replying to are landing on your doorstep and everywhere you look you are being bombarded with advertisements encouraging you to spend, spend, spend!
However, with the purse strings of many being tighter than ever, value for money is becoming a greater concern for many shoppers. With this in mind, the online environment perhaps offers the most attractive port of call for the Christmas bargain hunter.
Let the Retail Businesses do the Work for You
With just about every high street shop having an online presence, it’s never been easier to shop from the comfort of your own home. A by-product of this level of competition is that nearly every online outlet, depending on the size of the purchased item, offer free delivery. This means that no longer do you have to organize a special shopping day, spending money on petrol and travel to get to busy shopping centers and retail hot spots, giving you the chance to save time as well as money.
The Power of Information
Online technologies have empowered us all with the ability to access huge amounts of information at a touch of a button. This is something that is true of price comparison sites, such as Price Runner, that allow you to compare the price that different retailers are selling particular items at. No longer do you have to drag yourself from shop to shop in the fear that if you buy your camera from one shop, you will find it for half the price just down the road.
Variety is the Spice of Life
We have all had it happen: turning up for a night out or a social event wearing the same piece of clothing as someone else. Within our economic landscape difference has become associated with risk, something which has led to the nation’s high streets becoming ever more homogenous. With each shop stocking the same or strikingly similar products and styles it has become increasingly difficult to get something unique when shopping out.
This has led to an opening for many online retailers to offer something different and give you the chance to purchase a bespoke gift that you don’t have to pay through the roof for.
A Few Ideas of What to Shop For and Where
Vista Print
This is an online retailer that offers you the chance to create gifts such as calendars, cups and even Christmas cards using your own photographs to purchase a highly personal gift that you can guarantee won’t be available anywhere else. At the time of writing all types of customisable calendars, including the wall and desk varieties, are half price.
Etsy
Is an online crafts market that gives thousands of artists the platform to sell their handmade crafts ranging from jewellery, bags and a whole range of artistic items that are quite literally a one-off. The site is easy to use, with many of the products selling at very competitive prices.
Ebay
For the seasoned bargain hunter shopping has become akin to a game, with players adopting an array of tactics to search out the best deals. With auction sites such as Ebay, the parallels of shopping and the characteristic of a game are taken a step further, as players compete against each other to bid for branded products, sometimes bidder playing dirty and ‘watching’ an item right up until the last 30 seconds then making a very high bid on it to secure the win! Thrilling!
Online shopping offers an almost infinite number of opportunities to grab a bargain, what has been the best bargain you have grabbed during this festive shopping period?
License: Creative Commons image source: 1/2
Stevie
However, with the purse strings of many being tighter than ever, value for money is becoming a greater concern for many shoppers. With this in mind, the online environment perhaps offers the most attractive port of call for the Christmas bargain hunter.
Let the Retail Businesses do the Work for You
With just about every high street shop having an online presence, it’s never been easier to shop from the comfort of your own home. A by-product of this level of competition is that nearly every online outlet, depending on the size of the purchased item, offer free delivery. This means that no longer do you have to organize a special shopping day, spending money on petrol and travel to get to busy shopping centers and retail hot spots, giving you the chance to save time as well as money.
The Power of Information Online technologies have empowered us all with the ability to access huge amounts of information at a touch of a button. This is something that is true of price comparison sites, such as Price Runner, that allow you to compare the price that different retailers are selling particular items at. No longer do you have to drag yourself from shop to shop in the fear that if you buy your camera from one shop, you will find it for half the price just down the road.
Variety is the Spice of Life
We have all had it happen: turning up for a night out or a social event wearing the same piece of clothing as someone else. Within our economic landscape difference has become associated with risk, something which has led to the nation’s high streets becoming ever more homogenous. With each shop stocking the same or strikingly similar products and styles it has become increasingly difficult to get something unique when shopping out.
This has led to an opening for many online retailers to offer something different and give you the chance to purchase a bespoke gift that you don’t have to pay through the roof for.
A Few Ideas of What to Shop For and Where
Vista Print
This is an online retailer that offers you the chance to create gifts such as calendars, cups and even Christmas cards using your own photographs to purchase a highly personal gift that you can guarantee won’t be available anywhere else. At the time of writing all types of customisable calendars, including the wall and desk varieties, are half price.
Etsy
Is an online crafts market that gives thousands of artists the platform to sell their handmade crafts ranging from jewellery, bags and a whole range of artistic items that are quite literally a one-off. The site is easy to use, with many of the products selling at very competitive prices.
Ebay
For the seasoned bargain hunter shopping has become akin to a game, with players adopting an array of tactics to search out the best deals. With auction sites such as Ebay, the parallels of shopping and the characteristic of a game are taken a step further, as players compete against each other to bid for branded products, sometimes bidder playing dirty and ‘watching’ an item right up until the last 30 seconds then making a very high bid on it to secure the win! Thrilling!
Online shopping offers an almost infinite number of opportunities to grab a bargain, what has been the best bargain you have grabbed during this festive shopping period?
License: Creative Commons image source: 1/2
Stevie
About the Author:
Here problem solving blogger extraordinaire, Stevie Carpenter, applies his talents to the dark art of Christmas shopping. He blogs for K3 Retail.
Here problem solving blogger extraordinaire, Stevie Carpenter, applies his talents to the dark art of Christmas shopping. He blogs for K3 Retail.
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