Let’s face it, Black Friday 2020 is set to be like no other and with the majority of the planet having no choice but to head online to hunt for bargains, those in-store fights we’ve seen in previous years are destined to take the form of virtual traffic jams instead.
What’s more, the competition for the best deals is set to reach fever pitch, so if you really want to grab a gaming bargain, you’ll need to sharpen up those shopping skills and prepare to go to digital war.
If you’re an avid gamer who understands the real value in quality gaming accessories and technology, you’ll likely count down the days to Black Friday every year in anticipation that you’ll finally grab some of those items on your shopping lists at a bargain price. But, this year presents a series of barriers.
WePC have put together a series of pro tips and hacks to show you how the experts get the most out of Black Friday. These are all tried and tested by our team who spend all the hours under the sun curating the very best deals for you. So if you want to Black Friday Like A Pro – read on!
Put On Your Camouflage And Prepare For Battle
If there was ever a year when you could head into Black Friday blind, it certainly isn’t this one! Without prep, we guarantee you’ll miss out on the best deals and maybe even end up buying the wrong gaming accessory or tech altogether. Lord knows not even one single gamer will want that to happen.
So, research what you want to buy and make a list – then make sure you stick to it. Impulse buys in sales like this are usually not a good idea, even if they seem like one at the time. We have a tendency to think that if an item isn’t heavily discounted, it isn’t a good deal, so make sure you’re aware of the RRP and remind yourself when you see the Black Friday price that you’re still making a saving.
Stick With What You Know
We all know that brands like Apple, Xbox, Intel, and AMD make quality products, so we feel safe spending our money on these any day of the year. But, something strange seems to happen to so many of us when sales hit. We give our hard-earned cash over to unknown brands and end up with a dud product. In the long run, that’s really not going to benefit your gaming is it?
Of course, not every unknown brand is a scam. But, and this ties in perfectly with our first tip, make sure you research a brand before handing over your money. Just because they’re offering $200 off doesn’t mean it’s a deal worth taking. If it sounds too good to be true, guess what!?
Make Accounts Now
When you shop online, you usually need an account to complete any kind of purchase. In the lead up to Black Friday, it’s worth setting up these accounts with retailers beforehand. This way, you will already have your shipping and payment details saved, so you can complete your check out in record time.
It also helps to reduce the risk of losing out on deals. In previous years, some online stores have been so overwhelmed with traffic that they ended up crashing and shutting down – not what you want when you’re just about to click “buy”. At least with an account already set up, there’s less that can go wrong!
Several stores these days give you the chance to checkout as a Guest without creating an account. While this might seem like a good option, it’s not. It means you won’t have the chance to log into your account and chase up tracking details should you need them.
Your Browser Is Your Best Friend
Internet browsers are clever things these days. There’s no reason you can’t open one up, preload however many tabs from as many different stores and items you need, and flick between tabs quickly to see the best price before hitting buy. GPU on several sites? Pit them against each other. Every penny you save is better in your pocket than theirs!
Extend Your Browser’s Capabilities
If you use Google Chrome you can download extensions such as Session Buddy which allow you to save entire browsers full of tabs that you can call up again at the click of a mouse button. You could save all your bookmarks now and have them ready and waiting for you when you start bargain hunting.
Prepare Your Basket
Add products to your basket ahead of the sale so that once the deals go live you are ready to go. Remember that on a lot of products this year, stock is going to be very low so the sooner you can get through the process and get your name assigned to that item the better!
Multitask Easily With Your Screen
If you are lucky enough to have more than one monitor or even a decent-sized single display, you can position multiple windows in front of you and track more than one site at the same time.
On Windows, simply open up your browser window and press the Windows key and Left Arrow to dock it at the left side of your screen. Now open up a second browser window and hit Windows and then Right Arrow to dock it opposite. Now you can load two sites at the same time and keep a close eye on proceedings without having to flick between them, wasting valuable seconds.
Find A Trusted Site That Is Tracking Deals And Real-Time Sales
If you’re an avid gamer, you’ll likely already have a trusted gaming website as your go-to for all things gaming, so find out what they are doing in the run-up and on the day.
For example, every year for Black Friday, we have a dedicated team of staff who are amped up on sugar and caffeine, endlessly searching for the best deals across tech and gaming. They basically do all the hard work so you don’t have to, and the best bit is they LOVE IT!
The Best Black Friday Deals
Not only have millions of businesses moved online and crowded the market, but some consumers have also seen a major decrease in the disposable income readily available for ‘nice to haves’ so either won’t shop at all or will be desperate for the best deal before it goes.
With that in mind, we predict it’s likely to be a digital battleground the moment those hot deals emerge on Black Friday. But don’t panic. Our top tips have been designed to ensure that by the end of Black Friday, you can come away with a basket full of amazing deals.
We will be constantly updating our deals pages throughout the event, so they will always be up to date with the best and latest deals. So if the hard work of Black Friday doesn’t sound all that appealing, simply sit back and let WePC do that bit for you.