Another year brings more temptation to spend as retailers compete for your dollars across major holiday and mid-year sales. But savvy shopping means preparation – when you enter these peak discount periods armed with savings strategies, you can indulge reasonably while keeping your budget intact.
Let’s map out a game plan to navigate 2024’s top upcoming online sales with your bank account happier as a result. Follow this guide and you’ll breeze through the likes of Prime Day, Black Friday, and Back to School deals pocketing major savings.
Prime Day(s)
Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day morphs bigger by the year, and 2024 will be no exception. Originally a 1-day summer sale for Prime members, last year it expanded into a 2-day mega event. This July, brace yourself for Prime Day(s) lasting 48-72 hours fueled by thousands of lightning discounts and site-wide savings.
Strategy:
- Ensure an active Prime membership for early access to select deals. Sign up for free trials if needed – just remember to cancel afterward.
- Install Amazon Assistant for price drop alerts and cashback finder to auto-apply relevant coupons.
- Use CamelCamelCamel to check historical low prices on items you’re eyeing. Purchase only if deals beat records.
- Create shopping lists ahead of time using the Amazon Wish List function. This lets you monitor pricing swings and snag must-haves the moment target discounts hit.
Back to School Sales
Despite the name, late summer Back to School sales provide savings opportunities for everyone beyond just students and parents. For example, retailers like Walmart host massive cyber summer sales touting rollbacks up to 80% off on apparel, electronics, home items, and more.
Strategy:
- Bookmark and preview ads from go-to stores before sales launch for early planning. Sign up for email/text alerts too.
- Stack printable coupons, cashback, promo codes, student discounts if eligible alongside advertised sales for combined savings.
- Consider sharing or dividing bigger quantity purchases with others in your life to maximize value. Think bulk paper goods, dorm room appliances, electronics, and cleaning supplies.
Flipkart Big Billion Days.
If you are from India, India’s top destination for online shopping deals joins the early October savings frenzy with Flipkart Big Billion Days. During the 6-day sale, expect deep discounts across 30+ categories including mobiles, electronics, fashion, appliances, travel and more. Given expanding rural penetration, unlocked value shoppers from smaller cities help fuel record participation – last year over 1 million shoppers per minute visited the site on peak day! Approach Flipkart’s event similar to Amazon by creating wish lists in advance and previewing sneak peek deals for the fastest checkout on top items. Additional bank and payment provider offers stack nicely on sale prices as well. allocating some budget specifically for Flipkart can let you unlock best selling gadgets and apparel only available in India at prices rivaling top global sales.
Strategy:
- Sign up for a Flipkart Plus membership well in advance for early access when the best lightning deals launch
- Install browser extensions like PriceTrackr to enable price drop alerts and price history on wishlisted products
- Ensure you have an ICICI, Citi or Flipkart-partnered credit card on hand for extra 10-20% instant discounts
- Prepay for faster checkout if possible via options like Flipkart Pay Later
- Check sneak peek deals or get flipkart discount codes and shortlist needed items in advance to buy quickly when top discounts hit
Black Friday + Cyber Monday
The two busiest shopping days of the year will be more insane than ever with early forecasts predicting nearly $1 billion in sales per hour(!) during peak times across BFCM weekend. Every retailer will strap in for battle enticing buyers, so approach carefully but strategically.
Strategy:
- Set a reasonable overall spending cap before scouring ads to maintain control and perspective.
- Advance prep your carts after retailers publish sneak peek deals for the fastest checkout.
- Remember cashback tools like Rakuten for additional discounts stacked onto sale prices.
- Consider spreading out purchases across small businesses promoting their own sales on Saturday then big players on BFCM.
With the right savings mindset and pre-planning, you can feel good about every purchase knowing you maximized value. Treat yourself while maintaining financial discipline by approaching 2024’s biggest sales armed with these online shopping pro tips. Enjoy your hard-earned deals and happy shopping!
