Thinking out of the box seems to be the rule of the game for the online retailers as they try all tricks from their bag to woo you by offers, which in reality is not that great. As a consumer, if you can master the art of outwitting the online players to avail maximum benefit by adopting the following tips.Price trapYou need to really outwit the online players by not falling prey to the dynamic pricing trap. Dynamic pricing is a clever ploy used by the e-commerce merchants. They show different prices to different customers based on factors such as location, browsing and spending patterns and the existing demand for the item. A typical example of dynamic pricing is that one day you get air ticket for a song and the very next day, the same tick fare would have gone up 30% higher.This technique is used by e-commerce retailers with great sophistication as they are fully aware of your price point. Obviously, the retailers will show a higher airfare in contrast with their competitor who pays less in online purchases. There are few tips for you to get a less biased fare. First and foremost, clear your browsing history and cookies. Second thing is to log out of all your accounts including email, Google Plus etc. Besides that, you can either switch to an incognito mode or online anonymous browsing with Tor browser. Choose localized website versions rather than being redirected to the US. Also, choose less developed nations as home to get the better bargain when searching for airfare.
Choosing Right DayIt is natural for you to browse through your smartphone for online shopping on a sedate Sunday afternoon. Understand that most of the online retailers offer discounts and announce special deals on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. When it comes to booking air tickets on a cheaper deal, then Sunday is the ideal day. According to Airlines Reporting Corporation, Monday is the most expensive day, after analyzing in excess of 130 million domestic as well as overseas tickets over the period of 19 months. According to the study, $432 is the lowest price for a round-trip ticket on Sunday, $439 on Saturday, while Tuesday – the former “cheapest day to buy airfare” was pegged at $497.Using coupons in Right OrderYou need to make sure that you are using it in the right order if the website allows you to combine different coupons and promo codes at the checkout. For instance, if you have a promo code for a 20% discount and a coupon for $10, apply the former first. For, that will subtract 20% from the full price. Later, you can use your $10 discount coupon judiciously.Demand price-drop refundsHypothetically, if you buy a product the previous day and when you check the e-commerce website, the same product is on sale today. You will naturally feel cheated right? Here you need to be careful, as many reputed online retailers do refund the price difference if you inform them within a short time frame. For example, Amazon has the policy of refunding the difference amount, if you inform them within seven calendar days from the date of delivery. Few banks also offer you price protection, if you purchase items using their credit cards. You will get the refund of the difference amount if the price decreases within a certain number of days, no matter where you shopped the product. The banks that offer protection include Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard, Citi Double Cash Card, just to mention a few.