How are you spending and saving online?

The Internet is an interesting beast. I’m continually surprised by the way it is revolutionising everything we do, from the way we communicate with our loved ones to how we are automating our grocery shopping each week.

The history of the mechanics of this super-charged information highway is interesting. What was once a simple dial-up telephone system we hooked up to an old fashioned telephone, is now an ultra-speed fibre-optic broadband system, that is helping us run our lives at turbo speed with faster downloads and uploads possible than ever before.

Did you know that there are over one billion websites on the web now?

Users are inundated with daily information from sites covering every genre and industry you can think of and you can get that info this second. From shopping and banking online to gaming and research, the web is putting our lives on speed-dial and we can access this luxury on a plane, a bus or a boat and on a mobile, tablet, TV and computer now.

WOW…

But in terms of savings, there’s a question I’ve been pondering:

Why are people spending online and how are they saving?

Why people are spending online

To many of us hopping online has become like brushing our teeth. Billions of people across the globe are now addicted to digital. As a result, there’s a huge shift in the amount of money being spent online so we can get what we need and we can get stuff done. We are tempted to spend online everyday by website pop-ups, pay-per-click adverts, banners and more. Advertisers know exactly what we need and want based on our browsing activity and they’ve got our devices hooked up to highly-focused personalised adverts. Lovers of online are being offered sign-up bonuses, freebies, add-ons and gifts from sites ranging as wide as online retail sites to online gaming sites. Clothing sites will tempt you will 2-for-1 and free shipping deals, while online gaming sites like RubyFortune.com will give you hours of fun while giving users strategies for making money. These deals, offers and pieces of information are all enticing us to spend more online.   

Shopping online offers customers

• A convenient and efficient means to shop
• A fast, click -of-a-button shopping experience
• Very affordable prices
• Lower associated costs of shopping by not having to travel to stores

Did you know?

It has been proven that online shopping customers are more relaxed and less pressured to make a purchase than via a store experience? And this relaxed state actually makes customers more likely to purchase a product or service.

Yeah, I do find it relaxing to buy something when I’m wearing my slippers!

How people are saving money using the internet

In terms of saving money, there’s been a lot of financial uncertainty with recent global recessions. This means that millions of people are taking action and joining up to websites like, well – mine! I built the Savings Room because there is such a huge demand for tips on how to save money and I needed all those tips myself.

Most people, even rich people, are being prudent now. They are curbing their spending by setting budgets using online apps and tools to make sure they don’t overspend online and in store.

How people are saving online

They are using:

1. Online banking for checking balances and making secure transactions
2. Calculators to work out their lives and budgets
3. Skype, Viber and FaceTIME to make free calls over the internet
4. Apps and online tools to set budgets, sync bank accounts and manage finances
5. Accessing thousands of saving tips in quick format to save faster
6. Signing up for daily saving tips via newsletters, RSS feeds and online news services

How are you spending and saving online? Share your thoughts in comments below.