The retail trends that are saving customers time and money

When it comes to making purchases, more and more of us are choosing to do it online.

That’s why right now the majority of the trends we’re seeing incorporate e-commerce and online shopping in one form or another. One of the great things about that is that many of these trends are great for helping people to save time and money.

We’re going to take a closer look today at some of the ways in which consumers are able to cut their costs or make better and more relevant decisions when it comes to their spending habits. Read on now to find out more about all of this.

Discounts from newsletter signups

One of the things you’ll no doubt have noticed before now is the way in which many or even most websites now want you to sign up to their newsletter not long after you arrive on their website.

And sure, those popups can be a little annoying at times. But they make the prospect of signing up to their newsletter a lot more appealing by offering a reward for doing so.

Most of these sites offer people a discount for signing up, which is always nice. Everyone’s a winner with this kind of idea.

Themed short-term discounts

Finding discounts and deals on the things that you want is obviously very important. You’ll want to make sure that you choose the right time to buy in order to get the best deal though.

One thing that many retailers now do is create discounts around a particular theme. For example, you might find that they create discounts and sales around a particular theme or public holiday.

Black Friday is the obvious example, but other types of time limited discounts are becoming more popular too.

Social media deal insights

A lot of consumers now find that the best way to spot deals fast is to follow the brands and websites they love most on social media. This is where their sales and flash sales will often be mentioned before they’re announced anywhere else.

And for people looking to buy items that might sell out in a short period of time, getting on these deals fast and getting them at a discounted price is often very important. Social media has never been more important for the consumer.

Price tracking tools

It’s never been easier for customers to compare and track prices and make better and more affordable purchasing decisions. When it comes to retail outlets and sellers, that might not be the best thing in the world.

But it certainly helps consumers looking to spend less and save more. Tracking websites are useful because they can give consumers alerts when prices drop below their usual retail price, so be sure to make the most of them if there’s something in particular you’re looking to buy.

The use of AR in the browsing and purchasing process

Augmented reality or AR is a fantastic tool for retailers and consumers alike, and 2021 is the year in which it’s really starting to enter the mainstream.

It’s so useful because it allows the customers to see what a product would look like in person, giving them a scale representation of it and how it might look in the home.

That’s particularly useful when buying things like home furnishings. It’s a browsing and purchasing tool that also decreases returns, which is good for the retailer too.

Free shipping thresholds

Lots of websites will now let you know how much money needs to be spent in order to get free shipping.

This is useful for retailers, of course, because it helps them to encourage customers to spend a little more than they otherwise would.

Free shipping is very appealing to customers, and it’s often the case that they can save money by adding another item to their basket and subsequently getting rid of that shipping charge.

Having at least one shipping option that’s free with a modest threshold if becoming more common and, therefore, more expected by consumers too.

Vouchers and discount codes

There are so many voucher code and discount code websites out there today, making it easier than ever to find discounts on the things you want to buy.

Places like NetVoucherCodes list new discounts all the time and you can make the most of them each and every time you’re looking to make a purchase.

It’s always a good idea to at least check if there’s a discount code available for you to use because you’ll be surprised by how often there is.

Individualised customer experiences

It’s the case today more than ever before that the customer experience is highly tailored and individualised to their needs.

Through the use of Big Data and data gathered directly from the consumer themselves, retailers can now present the things that customers most want to see.

This makes the browsing and purchasing processes much smoother and easier for customers. And it also means that retailers are more likely to clinch sales from customers online as well.

More ways for customers to pay

Customers now have more ways to pay for their purchases than ever before.

This makes things more convenient for them, and the range of options also can encourage customers to make purchases faster without delay, which is obviously what retailers want to see happen.

Options such as Klarna make it possible for people to buy now and make payments later.

This means that people can make a purchase and then only make the payment when they can, such as after they get paid by their employer. It’s another thing that makes life more convenient and easier for consumers.

As you can see, there are many trends currently emerging in the world of retail, and many of them are making life easier for customers and helping to save money in many instances too.

These are some of the trends that’ll dominate for the rest of the year and it remains to be seen what’ll happen from there.

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