5 Ways Shopping Online Can Save You Money

Shopping malls are springing up like
wild daisies all over the major
Nigerian cities and towns at an
unprecedented rate. The rate at which
these malls are springing up and the
volume of patronage that they enjoy
lends credence to the assumption that
Nigerians are big spenders.
However, the fact that everybody is
heading to the mall on Saturday
doesn’t necessarily mean that
shopping in brick and mortal stores is
smart. Shopping online on services
such as Konga , Jumia, and Kaymu
among others might actually be a
better alternative. Everybody loves a
deal that puts some extra money in
their pockets – here are 5 ways
shopping online can help you save
money.

Items are priced competitively

Online stores tend to price their good
at a lower markup than physical
stores; hence, most items tend to have
a lower price tag when you buy them
online. Online stores do not have the
kind of overhead costs that physical
stores have such as lease for
warehousing, store space,
storekeepers, security, and electricity
bills.
The lower operating costs of online
stores allows them to sell goods at
cheaper prices and the consumers
benefit the most from such price
reductions. Before you shell out a
fortune for that next smartphone in
the computer village, it might be smart
to find out how much it costs at an
online store.

Comparison shopping gives you
value for money

Online stores allow consumers to
compare prices in a way that can
never be possible in physical stores.
Let's assume you want to buy a gown
and you head out to the market. You'll
enter a store, pick the gown and ask
them for their best price. If you think
you are not getting enough value for
money, you'll leave the store and
enter another store.
When you shop online, you can
compare the prices of the same item
from different websites concurrently
on your smartphone, tablet, or
desktop. You can even compare the
price of the same item from different
merchants on the same website. In
essence, you get update information
on the best price for an item without
wasting the whole day wearing
yourself out.

Exciting Deals In Online Stores

Shopping online also allows you to
enjoy excellent deals that you are not
likely to come across in physical
stores. If you are relating with many
of these online stores on social media
such as Twitter or Facebook, you'll be
amazed by the quality of deals that
they offer consumers.
For instance, Konga once had a
"Yakata" sale in which select goods
were selling at a 70% discount. Jumia
also has occasional weekend deals that
allow you to buy selecting items at
50% discount. In addition, these
online stores often offer special deals
during public holidays, festive
seasons, and national events.
You Eliminate Transportation
Costs
I have already mentioned how
shopping online can allow you to save
money by making comparison-
shopping easier. Sometimes,
comparison-shopping in physical
stores might cost you serious
transportation costs. This is especially
true if you are buying special items
that are not sold in everyday
neighborhood stores.
You might spend quite a significant
amount of money on public
transportation going from one end of
the city to the other. The cost can be
quite high if you have a car since
you'll probably be burning fuel on a
trip that doesn’t have a certainty of
providing you with the desired
outcome.

There are less distractions for
impulse purchases

Shopping online can save you money
by reducing the volume of impulse
purchases that you make. When you
enter a physical store, the goods are
placed on different shelves in
different aisles and you'll cover quite
a bit of store space before you pick up
all the items on your shopping list.
In the time spent roaming the aisles,
your senses will be assailed by tons of
packaging ads that will cause you to
buy item on impulse. Such impulsive
purchases can put a serious drain on
your wallet. However, when you shop
online, you can search for the specific
item you have in mind, add the item
to your cart and head to checkout
immediately.