Posted by Picture this: you are still determining when to purchase your desired product. What happens if the price falls? What if you can get a better price somewhere else?
If this describes you, you are not alone: indecision is a common tendency. While some people make snap decisions when shopping online, others need help analyzing their alternatives and may even try to avoid making a decision.
According to psychologists, indecision has an advantage in that it shields us from typical cognitive errors and helps us be generally wiser than those who leaped to a conclusion too fast. You might be a savvy shopper if you like to shop around and bide your time.
Let’s dive into how to make better decisions while shopping online with the help of a smart shopping Chrome extension.
The choice paradox
US psychologist Barry Schwartz coined the ‘paradox of choice’ effect, stating that removing consumer choices might considerably lessen customers’ anxiety. Although the expression is 15 years old, its meaning is more pertinent than ever.
With the growth of e-commerce, eBay and Amazon and other online shopping sites used product selection to differentiate their platforms – but there are other reasons they’ve done so well over the previous two decades. However, many options, calls to action, and other marketing messages can overwhelm customers.
Thankfully, we can leverage this feeling of indecision to make better decisions when we shop. Considering our options, we can reduce that feeling of overwhelm while also finding ways to automate the comparison aspect of online shopping. After all, hesitation means we have the opportunity to see the lowest price.
Five ways to shop smarter
Whether shopping for the Christmas season or picking up the necessities at the local grocery store, employing smart shopping methods is the key to continuously finding amazing deals and using indecision to your advantage.
Like most things, the secret to shopping is to go against the crowd. When saving money, you can become a Jedi if you master the fundamental supply and demand concepts and use the right tools. Here are five ways you can shop smarter:
Compare and compare
Even though this is an incredibly straightforward concept, many consumers still believe a business when it claims to have the best price on an item. The benefit of being a consumer in the digital age is that shops must compete with every other online store. Run an instant search for everything you want to purchase, or use browser extensions like Sugar to automatically check Amazon for discounts on the products you’re considering.
Refrain from buying into the hype.
Remember when Samsung released the Note 7, which turned out to have dangerous explosive tendencies? That’s what might happen when you buy entirely new and untested products. Buying things on release day is appealing, but the initial excitement fades eventually. Many consumers accept the hype and feel they must have the hot new thing rather than allowing it time to establish its worth. With technology, buying last year’s top model is frequently a safer bet as long as it has proven trustworthy.
Look at long-term value.
Of course, a cheap TV sounds like a good deal until the terrible quality causes the device to break down a few months after you own it. There is a distinction between receiving a low price and getting a deal. An off-brand offer is an accident waiting to happen, requiring you to replace the broken item sooner, eventually costing you more. Rather than collecting junk repeatedly, get something of high quality once and save money in the long run.
Let your browser do the work.
When shopping online, avoid doing the hard lifting. Install browser extensions to notify you of savings anytime you look or buy automatically. Sugar, for example, will assist you in learning of price drops on your favorite items while also tracking an item’s pricing history to check whether it’s been sold for a lower price, indicating what the actual discount cost should be. Install a reliable smart shopping assistant into your preferred online browser and watch your savings grow.
Become loyal and save
Return customers are who most businesses rely on. It costs several times more to obtain a new customer than to retain an existing one. Therefore, they want you to be content with shopping through them. Many consumers who have favorite retailers are treated to unique bargains in the same way that Amazon Prime members receive early access to specials. Create an email address to gather those notifications about discounts and deals, and then check it anytime you’re going to buy.
Wrapping up
While you might feel that your indecision to buy is holding you back, it is actually the first step in finding better deals online. With a smart shopping browser extension with the above advice, you can buy at a lower price and save money every time you spend.