International Law

How Online Coupon Companies Can Save You Money

According to US Today, Online buyers crack the code on deals .

How you ask?

"For budget-minded shoppers, few feelings are more deflating than noticing a sale going on — and realizing that they're missing out on it.

Happily, consumers who shop online stand to benefit from websites that list coupon or promotion codes for the taking.

At any time, up to 75% of online retailers offer a place to log in a discount code before checkout, experts estimate. Several sites — Currentcodes.com, RetailMeNot.com, CouponCabin.com and BradsDeals.com, among them — help make sure you seldom have to pay without adding a discount first, if one exists."

The story does not suggest that the online coupons are have any more information attached to them than an ordinary mail coupon.

But I can see how the digital coupon could in principle store a great deal more information about your buying behaviour - especially if the coupons were all from one online site.

So what are the tricks to saving money?

"No matter where you get your codes, King says, the deals that come with online coupons are "an easy win." But only if you do your homework. Here are some tips from the experts:

•Never go to online checkout without first visiting a coupon-code website — or several — to see if there's a deal to be had.

•Do price comparisons of the product you're buying even if the deal already sounds good. Without a discount, it might not be the best price out there. Google's Froogle is among many price-comparison sites.

•Factor in whether free shipping or a discount is more valuable before choosing one promotion over another if you're allowed only one such discount.

•Try to "stack coupons" — that is, bundle several codes together for more savings. Many online stores allow this, so it's "always worth trying," King says."

Again, there is an important trade-off here: your privacy about purchase versus saving money.

Don't automatically assume that the trade-off is in your favour.

Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on April 14, 2008 (boomark / email).