These Online Emerging Sales Trends Are Saving Consumers Money

In the world of online shopping and spending, competition is heating up. There are more e-commerce stores right now than ever before, while a higher proportion of consumers are choosing to spend online rather than in brick-and-mortar establishments.

In order to court new customers and fend off the competition, some brands are getting creative with their discounts and sales offerings. Let’s take a look at some of the surprising new trends that can save you money when spending online. 

Secret discounts (Sephora)

One of the most rapidly growing trends in the e-commerce space is offering secret deals and discounts to certain shoppers. You don’t always have to be a VIP customer to access these. Sometimes, all you need to know is where to enter your email. This is the case with the cosmetics giant Sephora.

For customers who are subscribed to their email newsletter and online community, there are huge savings on offers that are exclusive to them, including money-off products and BOGO deals. This is also why it can be a good idea to subscribe to a company before you make a purchase with them. 

First come, first serve (Steam)

First come, first serve discounts, also known as early bird deals, offer reduced prices or free extras to the first customers who make a purchase of a specific product or service. This can also be a highly effective way for brands to create buzz and urgency around a new product, encouraging people to buy today rather than waiting until tomorrow.

One company that is using this model to great effect is the online video game publisher Steam. With new games, Steam will often sell them at a reduced price to, say, the first 100 or 1000 people to make the purchase. Alternatively, they might throw in some free DLC content or merch to those early birds. 

Matched deposits (Hippodrome Casino)

Another novel trend we have started to notice is the “matched deposit” promotion. With these, a service that requires customers to deposit money in a user account will have their first deposit matched by the brand, as a reward for their loyalty. This is currently being adopted within the online casino industry, where users deposit funds in a casino account to wager on slots, poker, roulette, and the like.

For example, the online casino promotions at The Hippodrome Casino include a £50 matched deposit when a user deposits £50 of their own money in their account, giving them a total of £100 to wager on their favorite games. Not too shabby. 

Overstock discounts (Lululemon)

In the world of fashion retail, it is all too common for brands to create too much of a certain product, so that the supplies exceed demand. When this happens, brands can also turn this into a sales opportunity, selling those items at a steep discount.

One online brand that does this to great effect is the athleisure retailer Lululemon, which has an overstock discount page aptly titled “We Made Too Much“. You can visit this page to find clothes at a fraction of the price of other items on the site, potentially saving you some serious cash. 

Online brands are competing for your attention. Make sure to capitalise on this by making the most of every discount and freebie that comes your way.