10 Signs that a Deals Site Will Really Help You Save Money
One of the best ways to save money when shopping online is to use a site that offers voucher codes and deals. There are two key ways to use such a site. The first is to go shopping anywhere else on the web and then to search the site for a related voucher code before you check out of that third party site. The second is to search your favorite deals site first to find a good price on items you might want to buy and then to get to the third party site offering that deal. Either way, you get the items that you want for a lower price, something that is definitely important when shopping online in today’s economy!
But how can you tell if a deals site is really going to save you money? The only certain way is to utilize the site and pay attention to your savings in comparison with any other sites that you use. However, there are some specific signs that can help you tell right away if your deals site is a good one.
These ten signs suggest that you’re using a good site to get hot deals.
1. The site is centered on deals that are specific to the area where you live. One of the problems that people face when shopping in today’s online economy is that a website can be based out of just about anywhere. Before you start to use a deals site, you want to make sure that it offers deals that will work in the area where you live. So, if you live in the UK, you want to look for a UK deals site rather than one that is focused on stores that are primarily in the United States.
2. The site makes it easy to see the newest deals as well as the deals that are about to expire. The most important thing when it comes to regularly getting good deals is great organization. Coupon queens know this and that’s why they have detailed coupon binders for their clipped out coupons. When you’re using an online deal site, you aren’t organizing the deals yourself so you need a site that organizes them easily for you. A good site has a tab or a sorting function that allows you to quickly and easily find the newest deals on the site (which are the ones that you probably haven’t seen yet) as well as the deals that are about to expire (so you can use them if you need them before they aren’t good anymore).
3. The site shows you which deals are “hot”. A deals site that isn’t good may post voucher codes that aren’t the best ones in the industry. A site that is good will allow site users to vote the deals up and down so that you can easily see the deals that are most popular. These hot deals are the ones that are likely to save you the most money when shopping online.
4. The site is a community-sharing site. The “up” and “down” voting on hot deals is just one aspect of a community-based deals site. A good site also incorporates many other features that allow the users of the site to communicate with each other. Forums, blog posts that allow comments from users and a social networking site presence (such as a Facebook page) all help to make the community stronger on a deals site. Through sharing tips and information with the other users on the site, you’ll be able to save more money over time.
5. The site has a simple search tool. There are many different ways that deals sites can organize information. Ultimately, though, there are going to be times when you are looking for a deal on a specific item or a specific brand. A good site will save you both time and money by providing an easy-to-use search tool to filter through their voucher codes.
6. The site features deals from stores that you frequently shop at. A site isn’t going to be able to save you a lot of money if they don’t feature deals from the stores that you like to use for shopping. Of course, it’s good to broaden your horizons and try out the deals that are offered for other stores but you most likely do want to work regularly with a site that has frequent deals from the stores you love.
7. The site will allow you to suggest deals. A great new feature that some of the hottest deal sites are often is the “suggest a deal” feature. This allows you to make suggestions about the stores and brands to get deals from so that the site can offer more of the money-saving deals that you’re specifically seeking.
8. The site makes it easy to find seasonal deals. Many people do their shopping at specific times (holidays, at the start of the summer, etc.). A good deals site will make it easy to find the voucher codes that are most relevant to the season. This will allow you to save money on what you’re actually buying.
9. The site has ongoing voucher codes as opposed to one-day-only deals. It is important to note that there is a huge trend right now towards the use of daily deals sites like Groupon. These sites can put a lot of pressure on a consumer to make an instant decision about whether or not to get a coupon. A regular deals site, on the other hand, will allow you at least several days before a coupon expires so that you can think through the purchase and make a decision that’s in line with your finances.
10. The site has clear contact information. Any deals site that you use should be a company that is easy to contact and will respond to any questions that you might have. This helps you know that you’ll be able to get help dealing with any problems that do arise with your deals.
What do you think is the best sign that a hot deals site is a good site to use for saving money? Share your answer in the comments!