Singles’ Day, November 11, has grown from it’s quirky single-centric roots to become the biggest shopping day of the year, surpassing both Cyber Monday and Black Friday. With its popularity quickly growing around the world, sites like Amazon, AliExpress and even Booking.com are promoting it, which means online discounts and deals for you. Are you ready to take advantage of this shopping extravaganza? Well, who wouldn’t be? To get you even more ready, we’ve prepared a list of shopping hacks and tips to help you get the best deals online on Singles’ Day.

#1 Set a budget – It’s easy to lose yourself and go a little wild while shopping. Your best defense against yourself is a budget. Prioritize what you want, and plan how much you’re willing to spend. Try to not spend more than that.

#2 Prepare – Having a budget is great, but you also need to find out how to get the most from Singles’ Day, which requires some planning. This is a big deal, so let’s break it down into a couple of steps.

• #2.1 Get your accounts, apps and newsletters in advance – Creating accounts on the major sites now will save you time on Singles’ Day. So set up your account and log into the apps you want to use on Nov 11, and shops will start sending you promo codes. To keep your usual email account from getting too many newsletters, you might want to set up an email account specifically for shopping.

• #2.2 Start collecting coupons – Many shops, like AliExpress, are already giving out daily coupons for Singles’ Day. Get them now and use them with other promotions to get the best deals.

• #2.3 Check which shops have FREE SHIPPING deals for 11.11 – Shipping can sometimes cost more than the product. Finding out which shops have free or discounted shipping for Singles’ Day in advance can help narrow down your choices.

• #2.4 Do some advance shopping – Find the items you want and hold them in your basket. Keep checking back to see if the prices have dropped. On AliExpress, for example, the prices are the lowest during Singles’ Day.

#3 Check the price, not just the “savings” – Don’t get distracted by the anchor price, how much the “discount” is, or the “original” price. What really matters is how much you pay in the end, compared to the offers in other stores. 

#4 Filter results for 11.11 deals – Most sites let you filter your search results for certain holidays or promotions. This is a great tool you can use to limit distractions and get to what you really want.

#5 Use the live chat systems – The live chat systems available in many online stores often have special promo codes to give out. Sometimes all you need to do is ask and, of course, be polite –  the consultants who you chat with are real people.

#6 Abandon basket items – Before Singles’ Day, go to the shops you like and put some items you want into your basket. Next, just close the site, leaving the items in the basket. Wait a day or two and you’ll start getting email reminders with special discounts for those items. Then you can return and buy your items at a discount on Singles’ Day, when you will get the absolute best prices.

#7 Check back – Especially on Singles’ Day itself, keep checking back on your items of choice as many shops offer hour-to-hour and limited-time deals.

Remember, a bit of preparation goes a long way towards saving money. We hope you follow these shopping tips and hacks to get the items you desire, getting the best out of your Singles’ Day experience.

Do you have any other shopping tips? Add them to the comments below.

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