On Sale: Get the most out of the best deals

Online shopping - think Amazon, Jumia, Kilimall, MallforAfrica - is not a new phenomenon in Kenya but there is still so much to get acquainted to. The Cyber Five - the five-day span of shopping madness from Black Friday to Cyber Monday - are days where you can make big savings by getting great deals on all range of products.

But just because you didn’t make good of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Good Sunday and Cyber Monday (I assure you, these are actual days) does not mean you have to miss out on upcoming online deals. However, if your idea of bagging the best deals means spending hours cooped up in a dark room alone with your laptop or phone, frantically scrolling through each of your favourite retailer’s deals section, vowing to not miss a thing, your salvation is here.

Make a list

Make a list of what you want, so you know exactly what you are looking for. Otherwise you run the risk of going beyond your budget or impulse buying. You don’t want to end up with 10 kilos of cat food while all you needed was a games console.

Do your homework

Most retail stores have sales at different times of the year. Follow them on their social media platforms, constantly check their website and pages, do some ethical stalking, perhaps even subscribe to their newsletters so you can be up to date with sales. Follow more than one store and weigh your options on the best deals.

Start early

Don’t wait till items are out of stock to start shopping. The best deals are usually for the early worms while the scraps are left for the late comers. Get organised to prevent delays till the last days.  

Vouchers! Vouchers! Vouchers!

Online shopping sites present vouchers which can only be used during sales. An example would be a Sh600 voucher for items above Sh3,000 in one order. Take advantage of this. It is worth remembering that most of these sitess have global merchants, making it possible to shop internationally with the same voucher.

Don’t rush off

You just saw these really cool tripod stands but the sale period is over. Don’t run off disappointed. Sometimes the shopping sites extend the sales by a few days. The close-up sale gives you an opportunity to take advantage on the deals you missed out on.

Discount codes

How does discounts on already discounted items sound? Get top promotions and coupons from discount code platforms like Pikodi. It’s free to use and when you subscribe, you get notifications on top offers from the store. That sounds like a deal.

Download apps

If you are on the website and wish to buy an item, do it with an account, it makes it easier. You get rewards or points for shopping, like you would if you shopped at a supermarket and got loyalty points, which are redeemable.