I read yesterday that by 2015 purchases on mobile phones are expected to total $119 billion. I don't know about the mobile phones, because that's not something I do, yet. Possibly by 2015, though!
In the meantime, I do my share of online shopping. I'm sure there are statistics about how much people are spending online and how that compares to money spent in physical stores, though I haven't looked that up. I think the online shopping has to have a pretty good share of the sales, though, because there are so many good deals to be found online. I'm not sure how they do it - low overhead maybe? - but sometimes the prices are just a fraction of what you can find in the store.
For instance, we recently bought a couple digital camcorders, one for Jeffrey and one for Beth. (We have a new grandson; there needs to be video) When we bought the camcorders, we also bought two extra batteries and a battery charger, because we could get 30% off for buying them all together. We went ahead and bought them, because those things rarely go on sale, but we did not use them - until I had checked to see how much we could get them for online. I ended up finding the exact same batteries and a charger that included an adapter to use it in the car. All three items cost about $26, shipped. The ones we bought in the store? About $150. They all went back.
Besides the better prices you can often find coupons codes for shopping online. Once you've found the item you want, but before you check out, just search for coupon codes for the that store. There are several online sites that compile lists and links for all kinds of online coupons. You can find free shipping or just save some extra money off your purchase. Even a few dollars savings can make it worth your time to search. Even if you don't find any codes to save money off the initial purchase, you can often get money back by shopping through sites like Ebates. Create a free account, then when you're ready to shop or check out, simply click through the site, and you'll get money back. It's definitely worth it! I don't know why I didn't start using it sooner.
How about you? Do you have any tips for saving money shopping online? Are you one of those who uses your mobile phone for shopping?
