With 70 days until Christmas, it is time to think about a plan for your purchases.  This is definitely not the year to leave everything to the last minute.

Why plan? 

Besides allowing time for online purchases to arrive (given limitations on postage that COVID-19 management has imposed) you have the opportunity to save time and money.  With the current uncertainty, it has never been a better time to save where you can.  All it takes is a little planning and leveraging the power of a platform.  Remember, the holiday season is more than just buying gifts, there are supplies, decorations and pantry items for the entertainment required.  It is very easy for all of this shopping to devour your budget.

What is a platform?

Online shopping is a rich landscape of stores.  However, shopping each individual site, checking their specials, comparing pricing, considering the postage costs can be a lot of work. 

Shopping a platform saves time and money.  How?  My favourite platforms feature;

• an array of products, categories and brands all in one place 
• a membership that reduces or eliminates shipping costs – shipping is often a hidden cost and can be expensive
• shopping events providing discounts on the already discounted items
• bestow gift vouchers and have really amazing discounts on in demand name brands amongst other benefits

With a couple of clicks you are presented with really great deals on brands you love all in one place.

My Top Three

I love the homegrown platform Catch. Yes, it has evolved from Catch of the Day to a fabulous platform, housing Aussie businesses and selling everything from fashion to pet food.  They have a subscription called Club Catch which is Australia’s largest online shopping club ($6.50 per month) and provides free shipping, discounts and extra shopping benefits. The site features large stores like Target and a fashion outlet section for brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Calvin Klein, Bonds and Samsonite with up to 80% off brands.  Their marketplace features a broad spectrum of Aussie businesses with excellent offers. 

There is no doubt that you are aware that Amazon is a force to be reckoned with internationally and is now in Australia.   It has grown from a place to get your most in demand books, to now housing a range of products, electrical, pantry etc both direct Amazon products like the Echo and Kindle and also Aussie businesses selling through their platform.  Amazon’s “shop local” store features products from hundreds of Australian small businesses, and new curated collections to connect customers with local brands, including Sydney based Zenify and Gold Coast based Scenic Brew. Customers can access the Shop Local store on www.Amazon.com.au/shoplocal

Amazon Prime subscription has an array of excellent benefits including access to the Prime streaming service to watch movies and TV shows.

The Amazon Prime sale is on right now so head to the site to check out some amazing goodies.  It is a great opportunity to give the Prime subscription a try by joining Prime with a free 30-day trial. It is chock full of offers and benefits as part of the trial.

Local deals will run until 11:59PM AEDT on Wednesday, 14 October, with Prime Day deals from the U.S. available on Amazon.com.au through Amazon Global Store until 6pm AEDT on Thursday, 15 October. 

I make no secret that I do love to shop eBay and have for many years.  It was the first major platform in Australia and has grown from strength to strength. eBay houses a huge array of Aussie brands, small businesses and home hobbyists all backed with guarantees that your shopping dollars are safe and the products will arrive.  During the pandemic, eBay has been a wonderful location for businesses to take their product online quickly.  They have a membership called eBay Plus.  They also have Plus shopping events and often quick events sent via text or email with vouchers and % off across the platform.  They even have a coles store on email that offers free postage and 5% off your grocery order with a Plus membership with the same great pricing as shopping instore at Coles. 

Check out the platforms, plan your gifts and grocery shopping for the holiday season and take advantage of the discounted pricing to save your precious time and money.