Lockdown shopping tips from PriceSpy

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UK government has announced further lockdown and social distancing measures, until at least the end of May.

These measures will mean most of our shopping, outside of the essentials, will be online. Whether you’re after something for the house or garden, making a purchase to keep entertained or busy whilst self-isolating, or just some retail therapy to get us over the lockdown blues.

It’s important to get the best deal with whatever you’re purchasing. It pays to do your research. Here are our top three tips for shopping during the lockdown.

Check Price history

The price of items will vary over time. If they become more popular, they could increase in price. A trick often used by retailers is to inflate prices before dropping to give the illusion of a good deal. Through PriceSpy, both on desktop and via the app, you can search historic prices, from an array of retailers, giving you the best price now, insight on how prices have changed over time, and an idea of when they’re likely to drop.

Shop around

Several retailers will sell the same product and, naturally, the price will differ across the different outlets. The shop that first appears on your search will not necessarily have the lowest price. By shopping around, you can see and compare prices and will likely find a better deal. This can take extra time, but it will be kinder on your purse strings. Alternatively, using a comparison service will do all this legwork for you.

Be vigilant

With the pandemic, there has been a surge in online shopping. Sadly, however, this has been accompanied by an increase in fraud, with fraudsters preying on unassuming consumers. The City of London Police even reported a 400% rise in fraud last month. When making an online purchase, make sure you are buying from a legitimate retailer. If you are shopping yourself, make sure you research the company and look out for reviews by fellow customers. At PriceSpy, we carry out due diligence on all our partners, as well as showing detailed reviews both from ourselves and our users, making sure they’re genuine.

It’s important to keep safe and stay at home during this pandemic. If you are thinking of doing some shopping to help make lockdown more manageable, make sure you are getting the best deal. Do your research, shop around and ensure you are purchasing from a legitimate retailer. Using PriceSpy will help shoppers make smarter decisions with less time spent scouring the internet for the best deals.