It may be no news to you that things don’t stay the same price all-year-round. As demand for certain items rises and falls, retailers chop and change the price of their goods and services to keep sales booming.
You’d think that when there’s more demand for a certain item, brands will raise their prices. If people really want it, then they’d be willing to pay a bigger price. Not true. In a lot of cases, when demand is high, many retailers will lower their prices in order to compete with their rivals.
It’s a bit of a chicken-egg situation. In certain seasons demand is high, which makes brands lower their prices, which creates more demand, so brands lower prices, which creates more demand… and so on and so on. It’s worth mentioning that not all industries work like this, and keep their prices relatively stable.
These peaks and troughs happen at different times throughout the year. As expert money-savers, you’re likely aware of the big dates when you make an absolute steal: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day, and the like.
But not buying anything all year and waiting for these specific times of the year can be difficult. Depending on what you want to pick up, there are loads of other seasons where you can save money.
In this article, I’ve enlisted the help of the Quidco retail gurus who know everything there is to know about seasonal sales. We’ll go through the best time to buy, well, anything. Fashion, tech, insurance, holidays, and more.
If you’re not already, become a Quidco member and get cashback on all the categories mentioned in this article. Shop sales through Quidco and make money while you save money.
When’s the best time to buy fashion?
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As we were saying, certain industries will cut their prices during peak demand periods in order to stand up against the competition. Fashion is a big one for this. As retailers start slashing their prices, the competition gets concerned and starts to do the same. At the end of it all, you can get low prices and extra perks such as free delivery.
So when does all this happen?
Fashion in itself is very seasonal. You wear different clothes throughout the year depending on the weather. As such, lots of brands will reduce prices of seasonal clothes after the season is over. For example, towards the end of winter, the start of springtime, brands will often reduce the prices of their warmer clothes, such as jumpers and coats. Similarly, you can pick up some nice swimwear in the autumnal months for a lot less.
Why? One of the reasons for this is that fashion retailers are always creating new seasonal fashion lines. The 2020 summer catalogue for a company such as H&M will be different to its 2019 summer catalogue, for example. Due to this, retailers want to get rid of stock from their previous catalogue before they put their new stuff on the market. So they’ll cut the prices of the fashion just gone to make room for the new gear.
To get great clothes at cheaper prices, wait until the season is over. It’s a long-term game. If you find a winter coat for a bargain in April, you may not need it for the next seven months, but when winter rolls around again, you’ll have it ready to go.
Specific dates
Of course, Black Friday is the bad boy when it comes to fashion outlets cutting their clothes. As it’s getting colder, it’s a smart idea to pick up something to make you feel cosy on those winter days. However, it can also be a great time to pick up some cheap summer gear and save it. Last year, Quidco offered DOUBLE CASHBACK on the Black Friday sales, just to make the sales more rewarding.
Next to Black Friday, Boxing Day is a huge one for fashion sales. Because the Christmas shopping spree is over, clothes brands slash the prices of nearly all of their lines. If you can be bothered to get out and fight the queues, go for it. If not, stay within the comfort of your own home, shop the sales through Quidco and get cashback. We’d recommend the latter.
Get cashback on hundreds of fashion brands HERE
When’s the best time to book travel?
Coronavirus update: We are well aware that your upcoming travel plans will be well and truly cancelled. However, when we’re unlocked from this lockdown, these tips can go a long way to saving you money on your next trip.
There are a few different times in the year to book cheap flights and get incredible hotel deals. It goes back to the chicken-egg situation: the seasons in which people want to book holidays are the ones where they can make more savings.
The main month to pick up a good holiday deal is in January. There are a couple of reasons for this. Our travel expert, Jess Feller, says that with the cold weather and Christmas well and truly over, January can be a bit depressing. Many of us book holidays to have something to look forward to.
There are a few different times in the year to book cheap flights and get incredible hotel deals. It goes back to the chicken-egg situation: the seasons in which people want to book holidays are the ones where they can make more savings.
January deals
The main month to pick up a good holiday deal is in January. There are a couple of reasons for this. Our travel expert, Jess Feller, says that with the cold weather and Christmas well and truly over, January can be a bit depressing. Many of us book holidays to have something to look forward to.
Lots of people have their annual leave refreshed at the beginning of the year. So they use this time to plan when they should use it over the coming twelve months. With all this demand, travel companies will reduce their prices and bring out great package deals in order to compete for your holiday budget.
The last week in January tends to be when we see the creme-de-la-creme travel deals emerge, as this is when people have been paid again and have some money in the bank. Throughout January, Quidco members can get extra on savings by using our killer cashback rates on top of the price cuts.
Other dates
The first month of the year isn’t the only time when travel is cheaper. Towards the end of summer, when we’ve come back from our travels and are feeling the post-holiday blues, travel companies are known to release some good deals. You can pick up something especially cheap if you repeat a booking.
If you’ve left your travel plans to the last minute, don’t fret. Travel companies still need to get rid of their remaining flights and hotels before summer hits. You can take advantage of the last-minute deals that they put on offer at the beginning of summer, around June.
Planning on having a Christmas away from home? The best time to book such a holiday is during the October half-term.
When’s the best time to buy electronics and tech?
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In the market for a snazzy new laptop, phone, TV or games console? These products can really fluctuate throughout the year, so when you buy them can have a big impact on how much you can save.
Yes, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are huge dates when it comes to grabbing a superb deal on a piece of tech, but this isn’t true for all electronics. Here the items that are reduced significantly.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday
The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are great if you want to upgrade your home entertainment. TVs and smart speakers can go for hugely reduced prices. When it comes to TVs, the more advanced the product, the more you’ll be able to save. For example, last Black Friday, you could scoop up an LG 65" Smart 4K Ultra TV for £799, saving £350 from Currys PC World.
As for smart speakers, the retail giant Amazon is almost certain to drop the price of its own tech products — the Amazon Echo range. Last Black Friday, Amazon was selling its Echo Dot smart speaker for half price. If you joined Quidco, you could pick it up for under £17. Not bad for a voice-activated speaker.
The January sales
Once Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas is all over, the January sales are also known to have a number of good tech deals flying around. This can be true for consoles and video games. This January saw big discounts on the PS4 and Xbox, partly due to the consoles entering the end of their life cycles, with new generations on the horizon.
Back to school
Had the same laptop for the past eight years? It might be time to get a new one. If it’s been a while since you’ve left school or uni, the back-to-school months are in the autumn. As the demand for new electronics is high, tech companies can bring some solid deals. When these months roll around, keep an eye on brands such as Currys PC World and ao.com. Even if you’ve left school donkey’s years ago, you can still take advantage of the sale.
Get cashback on hundreds of tech brands HERE
When’s the best time to renew insurance and utilities?
Use Quidco Compare to save money and get cashback on insurance, utilities and broadband.
When it comes to things like car insurance and gas and electric bills, the time to get a better deal is dependent on when you took your policy out.
For car insurance policies, start shopping around for a new deal roughly a month before your policy is meant to renew. We cannot stress enough how important it is to not let your car insurance auto-renew. Loyalty to an insurance provider is expensive.
When it comes to renewing insurance policies, whether it’s your motor, home, pet or travel insurance, use Quidco Compare to find the best deal for you. Not only can you save money by comparing providers and rates, but you’ll also get cashback just for changing providers. This way, you can make money while you save money. Happy days.
It’s a similar case for utilities. Don’t be loyal. Instead of letting your current agreement with your energy provider auto-renew, shop around for a new deal. This can save you up to hundreds of pounds a year.
Although it’s mostly down to what type of policy or deal you have, and when you started it, there are still some times of the year when things like insurance utility deals can be cheaper.
Our energy expert, Adam Betts says that from January to March and July to August, you’ll usually see an uplift in good deals from energy providers. This is down to many fixed contracts ending in these months. As such, these companies want to compete for you as a customer.
Use Quidco Compare to save money and get cashback on insurance, utilities and broadband.
So, it’s not just the pre-Christmas period where you snap up a great deal. The calendar year is littered with other dates when it’s possible to make huge savings on just about anything. When these dates do come by, your old friend Quidco will be here to give you money back on top of the savings you can make.
Plus, if you’ve got your eye on something but there’s no sale in sight, we offer generous cashback rates and voucher codes all year round, so you’ll still be able to make savings.
