Plan ahead to bag bargains in blitz events

SINGLES Day isn’t about dating. Instead, it’s about shopping.

Kicking off today, it’s the beginning of a string of much-hyped days on the retail calendar where stores – both bricks and mortar and online – roll out mass discounts to lure in those willing to spend.

It will be followed by Click Frenzy and then Cyber Weekend, which includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

In many instances, retailers will be rolling out double-digit percentage discounts to shoppers.

The series of heavily discounted shopping days makes it the perfect time for Australians to fill their Christmas stockings at a reduced cost.

The Australian Retailers Association’s executive director, Russell Zimmerman, said retailers had “latched” on to these days to get shoppers to spend up.

“Most retailers are using these days to get added transactions into their till,” he said.

Singles Day is a huge day on the retail calendar in China and last year Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba raked in

$42.4 billion in just 24 hours of sales.

Mr Zimmerman said it was important would-be buyers had a shopping list prepared that they could stick to in order to avoid making impulse purchases that turned out to be a waste of money.

“Know what you want to buy and know what the value of it is,” he said. “Then, if the price is right, go out and buy it.

“But a special isn’t a special if it’s a discount and you don’t need it.”

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows in November last year, shoppers spent $28.6 billion compared with

$34.3 billion in December.

Online shopping rewards website ShopBack’s country manager, Angus Muffet, said many shoppers were starting to plan ahead for their Christmas gift purchases.

“It’s a good time to put a list together and work out exactly what it is that you need,” he said. “As the sale events are coming up, work through that list.

“Take a breath. These sales don’t end in one hour; they are usually over at least 24 hours so you don’t need to rush into it.”

Mr Muffet suggested consumers check their “wishlists” and work out what they could buy for Christmas, upcoming birthdays or personal items.

He said through the ShopBack site – where shoppers earn cash back when spending up – some retailers would roll out triple cashback offers on Singles Day.