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4 ways to get the most out of your online spending

The beauty of online spending is undeniable – sit comfortably on your couch, browse on online shopping sites, add to your cart and cash out. Then, wait a couple of days for your package to be sent to your doorstep. It’s pretty much like a present you give to yourself.

With such convenience, however, it’s easy to buy things on impulse. I’m sure we are not strangers to buying a shirt that did not fit, or only realising later that you could have gotten it at a cheaper price with a credit card discount or promo code.

Here are 4 tips for you if you are guilty of spending more than you should while online shopping.

Do plenty of research and read reviews

Especially when it comes to clothing apparels and shoes, it would be helpful to research sufficiently before purchasing an item. For instance, a pair of Nike shoes may be cheaper if you buy it from a US-based website, international shipping inclusive, as compared to buying from local stores.

On top of that, do read the sizing guides and what other people are saying about a brand via reviews before making the purchase. They are likely to tell you if the sizing runs smaller or larger, so that you can avoid buying the wrong size and spending even more money to alter it.

Avoid shipping fee

Most online shopping sites offer free shipping when you spend a certain amount. If you’re unable to make up to that amount, get some friends to buy from the same website, and combine your purchases so that you can leverage on the free shipping.

In the event that your friends are unable to help you, you may add random things to your cart so that you make up that amount. When your purchases arrive, simply return the things that you don’t want. However, this tip is only useful if the online merchant offers free returns!

Look out for discount codes or third-party cashback websites.

Do a quick Google search for discount codes and third-party cashback websites before you click the “check out” button. Websites such as ShopBack offer discounts, promo codes and vouchers. The only gripe is that these rebates only apply to participating merchants.

Take note of credit card discounts

Online merchants usually have partnering banks and credit card discounts, so do read the FAQ page before cashing out your purchases.

Whether you caught the travel bug or are simply itching to shop, relax in the comfort of your home and click away on online sites such as Agoda, Expedia, Lazada and ZALORA. Do look out for promo codes for your HSBC credit card and save up to 75% off with these participating merchants! Visit www.hsbc.com.sg/promo for more offers and details. Conditions apply.

In addition, between 1 May to 30 June 2017, be the first 5,000 cardholders to spend a minimum of $1000 on your HSBC credit card and get up to 12% cash rebate on your online and overseas purchases, capped at $200 rebate per month – the more you spend, the more you save!

Furthermore, this offer applies to overseas merchants so you can get that pair of coveted Adidas Yeezys or Colorpop Cosmetics at a fraction of Singapore’s price.

Who knew spending could be so rewarding with HSBC credit cards? Simply follow the steps below and shop away!

This post is brought to you in partnership with HSBC Credit Cards

4 Things That Millennials Don’t Mind Paying For

Oh how exciting is the progressive generation of the Millennials! Scholars defined the beginning of Generation Y as 1977 – 1981 while its end as 2002 – 2008. As you welcome 2017 with open arms, you will be amazed to know that they have more buying power than any other surviving generations.

The Millennials’ spending patterns are certainly unique to them.

#1: SMARTPHONES

Due to the heavy emphasis on economy in the Lion City, it is normal for students to possess part-time jobs to boost their allowances. These part-time jobs serve as an additional revenue to finance entertainment, travel, and school needs.

When I was a student, I worked every weekend in a Pilates studio along the stretch of the crowded Orchard Road. The money that I earned was wasted on cosmetics, movie tickets, and clothing. Boosting my perceived social status was on the top priority. Saving money merely followed.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

I remembered exchanging conversations with a friend of mine who only took the job at Häagen-Dazs to purchase the Samsung handphone that he has been eyeing on. Like my friend, having a cool smartphone is a must for the younger generations. They just cannot function without their trusty gadgets! Furthermore, smartphones usually serve as a means of communicating with others. We all know how much Millennials love to dwell and share their lives on social media.

#2: COSMETICS

I can attest to the undeniable trend of young women embracing the wonders of cosmetics. In United States alone, the expected revenue for the beauty industry was expected to exceed US$62 billion (about S$89 billion). Personally, I adore treating my face as a canvas as with many Singaporean women.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Whenever I am out with my sisters or with my friends, a trip to the nearby Sephora is always a part of the “to-do list”. My sister (a certified member of the Generation Y) did not mind if she spent S$68 on Benefit’s limited collection called Dolly Darling. She knew how happy I would be if I saw my favorite Hoola Matte Bronzer and POREfessional Face Primer. My face sparkled with glee as I opened this precious holiday collection. . Do you enjoy makeup as much as I do?

#3: HEALTHY FOOD

I came from a family whose mindset valued essence of health and wellness. Some of my relatives are Licensed Doctors, Fitness Instructors, and other healthcare professionals. I try my hardest to make healthier choices due to my exposure to this kind of environment. Apart from myself, are other Millennials keen on changing their food regimen for the better? The answer is YES.

According to a Forbes article: “Millennials still prefer cheaper food, and want it to be convenient. But they are also more willing to pay for fresh and healthy food, and are willing to go to great lengths to find it.”

More than the previous generations, Millennials were more likely to seek organic food. Investing on organic produce that is GMO-free and freshly grown with fewer pesticides sounds like a good idea yet pricey idea. Do not get me wrong! If you know where to look, you can get affordable organic vegetables and fruits in local grocery stores or online shops.

#4: EXPRESS DELIVERY

Patience is not exactly a part of every Millennial’s vocabulary. It is the rise of the digital age. We all want things instantaneously and in our own terms. Sometimes, we act like raging children whose main mantra shouts: “I want it. I want it right now!” This behavior was supported by the Shop.org survey. It found that Millennials, compared to other generations, were more likely to pay extra for same-day delivery on their online purchases.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Are you an avid fan of express delivery? Search through your previous receipts to find out more about your spending habits.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

Here’s how to shop Black Friday in Singapore

Now that November 11 is over, there’s another day that savvy shoppers look forward to. Black Friday on November 25.

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year in the US because it is an opportunity to cash in on some of the biggest savings of the year. From smartphones and television, to beauty products and household products, consumer take advantage of this 24 hours sale on 25 November. There’d be retailers extending the sale over the next few days to Cyber Monday and some over two weeks.

What about Singapore?

Black Friday has only gained traction in Singapore in recent years but don’t expect it to be as crazy as in the US. Sure there will be sales, but to score the best deals, you’d have to look elsewhere. By elsewhere we do not mean going to the next store in the mall but going right up to the origin of the source — in the US.

Top stores international bargain hunters shopped online at:

Amazon.com
Adidas
Gap
Forever 21
ASOS
Nordstrom
Drugstore.com
Newegg
Neiman Marcus
6PM

Tips on how to shop Black Friday

1. Prepare a wish list a few days before

Black Friday officially starts on the midnight of 25th November EST/PST in the US. That’s 1PM or 4PM in Singapore on 25 November. You don’t want to start shopping when everyone starts carting out the sale items, so prepare a few days ahead and add them in the shopping cart. Check out when the sales officially start to prevent them from going out of stock.

You can start shopping at Amazon for their Black Friday Deals Week.

2. Make use of international delivery service providers

Some US retailers don’t offer international shipping (even on Amazon.com), so that’s when things get a little tricky. You can use parcel forwarding services like vPost and comGateway that provide you with a US shipping address. But you won’t know the shipping costs till they have received your parcels.

A more convenient way is to use Uskoop. Uskoop has recently launched in Singapore that takes care of everything for you from the purchasing to the shipping and insurance. You don’t even need a US address since every orders will go through them, making shopping a breeze. Plus, you get your shipping instantly and much cheaper than the merchant’s direct shipping fees. (that is if they ship to you!)

3. Know what and where to shop

Most electronics, apparels and toys are cheaper in the US than in Singapore since distributors import these goods and sell them at markup price in the brick-and-mortar stores.

a. Laptops

A 13″ HP Envy i7 laptop costs about S$1499 in Singapore but you can get the same for US$809.99 on Amazon.com. Unfortunately, this item does not ship to Singapore. Thanks to Uskoop, you can now ship it to Singapore for S$1307.25 after including shipping and handling fees. Add the GST and you’d still be better off buying from Amazon.com.

b. Cameras

This Canon EOS 100D/Rebel SL1 Digital SLR with 18-55mm STM Lens costs S$999 on Canon Singapore store. You can get it from Amazon.com at US$499.00 or S$817.24 including shipping and handling fees.

c. Toys

This LEGO City Fire Station set costs S$179.99 on Toys ‘R’ Us. On Amazon.com, it costs US$63.99 or S$154.27 after including shipping and handling fee.

d. Apparels

Brands like H&M, Michael Kors, Forever 21, Tory Burch, Adidas and Nike are definitely not sitting this one out. Expect great savings with huge discounts on their Black Friday sale this weekend.

This Faux Suede Moto Jacket from Forever 21 is a Black Friday Special and you can only purchase it at their official site for US$25. To ship it to Singapore, however, it will cost you an additional US$38 for shipping. That doesn’t make sense when you are paying more for the shipping.

You can however check out with Uskoop for a more reasonable shipping and handling fee at S$18.26.

4. Use right credit card to maximize your savings with cashbacks & more discounts

There are many cards that offer cashback on your online purchase. The Standard Chartered SingPost Platinum Card offers 7% cashback on eligible online purchase. In addition, the OCBC Frank Card offers 6% cashback on online shopping.

The DBS Live Fresh Card provides 5% cashback on online purchases as well as 3 DBS Points per S$5 spent online. For those holding the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card can get up to 10X UNI$^ (or 4 Miles) on online shopping and entertainment!

Using the right card means stretching every shopping dollar.

5. Shop smarter and quicker with a click of a button

There will be thousands of retailers in the US and UK that will be slashing price on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Keeping tab of many retailers and carting out at the same time can be exasperating. What if you can do your shopping and consolidate your cart all in one click?

Enter Uskoop Assistant.

Uskoop Assistant lets you shop smarter and quicker online — all in just one click. It is a nifty plugin for your browser that automatically consolidate your shopping from different merchants in one place. It also shows you the total cost including the shipping and handling fees converted to Singapore Dollars, fuss-free!

Simply download the Chrome/Firefox plugin and start shopping!

Found an item you like? Click on the Uskoop icon and it will be automatically show up on Uskoop!

Uskoop provides free shipping to your local address and also free insurance coverage for every single order! No more worrying about your item getting lost in transit.

Making a big ticket purchase? Uskoop has collaborated with DBS to offer you 0% interest instalment plan program for up to 12 months!

Still want more?

From 23 – 30 November, Uskoop provides you with discount of up to S$30 on your purchases!

SGD10.00 off (minimum purchase SGD80.00)
SGD30.00 off (minimum purchase SGD200.00)

Discount will be automatically reflected when you check out your items.

Alibaba’s Sales Soared High Months After Singapore Bought A Billion In Stocks

My uncle is a proud owner of several holistic spas. Whether his branches are in need of a new machine (e.g., IPL or Laser Hair Removal Machine), he visits Alibaba first. Alibaba is a global marketplace that is relatively prompt and reliable. It is reigns supreme in the world of Chinese e-commerce. Its broad prevalence in Asia is comparable to United States’ Amazon or eBay.

It comes as no surprise that its sales soared up to 55% in the last quarter due to cloud computing. As Chief Executive Daniel Zhang once said: “Our results reflect our increasing ability to monetise our 450 million mobile users through new and innovative social
commerce experiences.” You can expect that this number of users will grow positively each year.

Image Credits: Global Panorama via Flickr Creative Commons (Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic)

You see, cloud computing is the practice of utilizing a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet instead of using a local server. It manages, stores, and processes data in that manner. Basically, cloud computing allows the users to store and access data online without needing a computer’s hard drive. It allows Alibaba to operate conveniently and swiftly.

What is interesting is the fact that the Government of Singapore purchased a total of US$1 billion (about S$1.38 billion) last June. GIC Private and Temasek Holdings each signed to US$500 million (S$692.15 million) of Alibaba shares, which were priced at US$74 (S$102.44) a piece thru subsidiaries. These shares were a part of the US$8.9 billion (S$12.32 billion) sale by Japan’s SoftBank. SoftBank remains to be Alibaba’s biggest shareholder. The elevated sales of Alibaba showed that the decision to acquire the shares was beneficial – at least for now.

You may think that Alibaba’s local competitors called RedMart and Lazada were shaken by these news, but you are wrong! Alibaba had recently invested in these two companies due to their financial constraints.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

We can only hope that these circumstances will improve Singapore’s e-commerce platform in the future.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

5 Singapore Online Stores To Bookmark Now

My sister is sweeping the Web for the perfect birthday present that her friend will deeply appreciate. Helping her through this task made me realize that you can find just about anything online. From bacon lip balm to a Nicholas Cage pillowcase, you type it to get it!

On that note, here are the 5 Singapore online stores that are worth your time:

SMOOCH THE LABEL

If you are on a hunt for elegant dresses that can be worn for any occasion, search no further than Smooth the Label. It is Sarah Lim’s first leap of faith. Ever since she started the e-commerce business in 2010, she had been carefully choosing the pieces to be manufactured for the brand. Each of the designs are embellished with her own unique touch.

The shop’s widespread prices range from S$9.80 to S$80. Best of all? The shipping in Singapore is always free.

HIPVAN

Since its emergence in the past three years, HipVan has been making waves regionally due to its lifestyle design inspirations and great sales. It is founded by Danny Tan, Kevin Vo, Deborah Wee, and Shobhit Datta with a whopping fund of S$500,000. This awesome online store delights you with up to 70% off the retail prices of furniture, accessories, kitchen-wares, and so much more. Check their collections at www.hipvan.com.

Image Credits: www.facebook.com/thehipvan

ECO CITY HYDROPONICS

As the name suggests, Eco City Hydroponics focuses on the lesser-known subset of hydro-culture called the hydroponics. It is a method of cultivating plants using mineral nutrient solutions instead of soil. This online store provides home delivery of products such as Bunching Onion and Vegetable Soy Bean seeds. If you are critical about this type of urban farming, try out their Hydroponic Hobby Kit first.

KOHE PETS

Where else can you spot an online pet store that is affordable, convenient, accessible, and offers free samples? Well, nowhere but Kohe Pets!

Kohe Pets regularly dishes out free samples of their products so that the clients can easily find out the most suitable treat to their pet’s taste. It has a huge selection of more than 2,500 reasonably priced products ranging from the popular brands to the special brands that are difficult to find in the country. According to testimonials, their deliver service is swift as customers typically receive their orders on the next day.

BOOKSACTUALLY

One of my favorite hobbies to let the time pass is reading. Searching endlessly through a myriad of brands, I found an indie gem called BooksActually. It is my go-to place for enigmatic titles and creative stationary. It houses beautifully written pieces of literature by local and international authors.

The website is crisp, simple, and neat. Go and see for yourself!

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Have fun while shopping! 🙂

Source: Vulcan Post

What about Singapore?

Tips on how to shop Black Friday

4. Use right credit card to maximize your savings with cashbacks & more discounts

5. Shop smarter and quicker with a click of a button

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