Tips for enjoying Black Friday from Home

Source: Digital Trends

 

As you know, Black Friday is happening next week. A lot of people like to go to the stores and make long lines to get great deals but if you are under 35 and are planning to shop that day, probably you’ll choose to shop from your home. Here are some tips for participating on the heaviest shopping day of the year online:

• Create Twitter Lists

Build a list of your favorite stores and monitor their tweets in order to spot interesting deals.

• Compare With Other Stores

Look up the same item in different search engines and retailers to make sure you are getting the best deal.

• Create Search Streams

Setup a stream in Hootsuite or Tweetdeck with keywords such as #BlackFriday, #CyberMonday, #Specials, #Deals, etc.

• Look for coupons

Some retailers deliberately spread coupons in other websites… Why would you miss the chance to save more?

Remember, some retailers leave the best offers for those that are willing to camp outside their doors but if you prefer to skip the stress and don’t feel comfortable with a lot of people indoors, online shopping is the way to go. Happy shopping!

Black Friday: More Digital Than Ever!

We are only a few days away from Thanksgiving, which means that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner. Some like to hit the stores (and even camp outside) but others prefer to buy peacefully at home. This online shopping trend is growing each year and merchants are working on getting more people to buy through those channels because it’s easier and cheaper for them.

Here are some cool stats from last year:

• More than 1 billion dollars were spent online on Black Friday – 26% more than 2011. (CNN)
• The most visited online retailers were: Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target and Apple. (Statistic Brain).
• 24% of purchases were placed through mobile – up from 14% in 2011.  (IBM)
• 18% of customers monitor their favorite stores on the social networks (National Retail Federation)
• The iPad generated 10% of the online traffic. This represents more traffic than any other tablet or smart phone. This was followed by iPhone at 8.7% and Android 5.5%. (IBM)

This year, all signs point that this numbers will increase. According to eMarketer, more than one-quarter of Black Friday shoppers under 35 plan on shopping primarily online.

Folks, be safe this year and stay tuned because I will give you some tips on my next blog post on how to shop using social media effectively. With those tips you’ll be able to spend your cash in a smart way on the heaviest shopping day of the year safely from your home.