In connection with Independence Day, Amazon and Flipkart have started their sales. Every year, major e-commerce platforms announce such promotions, and buyers invariably pay attention to the advertised large discounts, whether they are 50%, 70%, or claims of the lowest price.
However, the question arises: are these discounts always true? Often, there is a practice where the product price is increased shortly before the start of the sale, and then a large discount is offered on this inflated price. As a result, the buyer may believe they are getting a good deal, even though the item might have been sold for a lower price just a few days earlier. Although this does not happen with all products or sellers, such cases are regularly recorded.
Therefore, relying solely on signs like '60% off' or '70% off' is not the right approach. It is necessary to find out what price the product was sold at in the last one or two months. If the price during the sale has appeared previously, the large discount may only be a tactic to attract attention.
Some online stores indicate the discount directly from the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). However, the reality is that many electronic goods are sold significantly below MRP throughout the year. For example, if the MRP of a phone is 50,000 rupees, and it is sold for 39,999 rupees during a sale, this does not guarantee a saving of 10,000 rupees; it is possible that the same phone was sold for 39,999 or 38,999 rupees even before the promotion began.
During every major sale, screenshots appear on social media where users claim that the price was artificially inflated before the start of the promotion, and then a discount was applied on this inflated price. Although not every case is reliable, as dynamic pricing exists in e-commerce depending on demand, inventory, sellers, and special offers, marketing research shows patterns where some sellers first raise the price and then present it as a discount to make the offer more attractive.
It is important to understand that not all promotions are fraudulent. Companies can genuinely offer good prices due to the release of new models, the need to clear warehouse stock, or thanks to bank offers. Especially in categories like smartphones, laptops, and televisions, the lowest prices of the year can often be seen during festival sales.
If you plan to purchase an expensive gadget, consumer electronics, or a household appliance, it is best to study the price history of that product. There are many free tools for this purpose. PriceDiff is one such tool that allows you to view the past cost of a product by entering a link from Amazon India, Flipkart, Myntra, and Ajio. It also displays the lowest price of the product and its price graph over the last few months. If the price during the sale has appeared before, you will understand that the discount is not as significant.
Additionally, there is PriceTrail, which also shows price history. It does not just state the percentage discount but also indicates whether the current price is truly low compared to the previous 90 days or a longer period. Many online stores have a default option to view price history. If you shop only on Amazon, popular tools worldwide are Keepa and CamelCamelCamel. However, for tracking prices on Amazon and Flipkart in India, PriceDiff and PriceTrail may be more useful.
Before purchasing, consider five important points: do not focus only on the discount percentage; check the price history; look at the actual selling price of recent weeks, not the MRP; distinguish between bank offers, exchange bonuses, and coupons, as not every customer can take advantage of these benefits; if there is no urgency, set a price alert to receive a notification when the price drops.
