4 Easiest Ways To Compare Prices: A Checklist

You may want to compare prices in many different situations whether you are shopping for new clothes, looking to book a holiday, deciding which gym to buy a membership at or planning to make an appointment at the hair salon. There are a few things that will affect which product or service you will spend your money on. 

Checking the functionality, quality and customer reviews of a product all help inform consumers and point them in the direction of a product that suits their needs. However, one of the biggest deciding factors in a sale is price.   

The common products people price check and compare online are electronics, appliances, food and clothing, along with a range of other products like vehicles, beauty products, holidays, decor and toys. The price of more niche services, including lessons, hair stylist appointments, and dog sitting for example, can also be compared online.

Comparing the price of products and finding the best deal is key for many when shopping, and accessing pricing information is relatively simple on your computer or smartphone. To help you find the best deal when you are next shopping, here is a checklist of easy ways to compare prices. 

• Use Price Comparison Websites 

Some websites focus on comparing tangible products by collating the prices of a single product sold by different vendors and then presenting them in order of cheapest to most expensive. Alternatively, you can also use a filter to set a price range. The functionality of search engines on price comparison websites provide a fast and convenient tool to help you save money. 

The search function and filters can be a great help when searching for products. However, some websites focus on price comparing services rather than products, for example, if you want to make an appointment at a hair salon you can use service comparison sites to check where it is possible to go now for an affordable and professional haircut. Always checking the services on offer, ratings and reviews of service providers will help you to make a balanced decision based on price and quality.

Usually, when price checking a product, a consumer will use at least two or three price comparison websites, this is because different comparison sites will often give you varying results in terms of product range, pricing and suppliers. Although this can be time-consuming it could save you money. 

• Compare Prices on Google Shopping

One of the most popular and well-made price comparison tools available is Google Shopping. What Google provides users is an in-depth but organized catalogue of products that can be categorized, filtered for price and listed cheapest to most expensive for a quick price check. 

The main benefit of using Google Shopping is that you can rely on Google to provide up to date products and prices collected from all over the Internet. When searching for a product the results are also displayed with photos, a product description, a rating, reviews, the price and information about the retailer. 

• Check Prices On An E-Commerce Platform 

A vast majority of shoppers use e-commerce platforms such as Amazon to compare prices with those found on a company’s website. If the product you are price checking is something that is sold by several retailers such as electronics then e-commerce platforms are a great way to get an idea of the price range and other related products. 

It is worth noting here that if you live in a remote area or a place the e-commerce company doesn’t ship to then checking the price on the platform may be a waste of time. Also, e-commerce platforms do not provide comparisons for services or highly specialized items. 

• Use An App To Shop 

More and more consumers are shopping n their smartphones through app-based e-commerce platforms. Nearly every large e-commerce company including Amazon, eBay, Fiverr and Upwork have an app, often featuring a friendly user interface and filter searches to improve the consumer’s experience and provide them with information on new products, offers and discounts. 

For people constantly on the move or those who prefer to use a smartphone or tablet around the house then shopping and service booking apps are a good choice as they are faster and more convenient. In terms of comparing prices, it is a task that can be done in just a few minutes or less. 

The desire to buy a product or book a service without experiencing the feeling you may have been ripped off is a major reason why consumers want to compare prices. Before the advent of computers and the Internet, this would have been almost impossible, luckily there are now a whole host of easy ways to compare prices whether that be on e-commerce websites and apps or price comparison websites.