Spotting a good timely deal is a nice way to save a bit of money. The main things to remember here are that: (1) being fast is essential (you can win some points by being the first at sharing a deal at web forums and communities) and (2) a deal doesn’t mean you need to buy the product.
The latter point reflects my long-time observations that a person that discovers a deal feels like buying the item even if he actually doesn’t need one. That’s a wide-spread issue with couponing which turns bargain hunting into a money-spending process rather than a money-saving one.
My post below attempts to deal with both of the points:
- It lists tools that alert you instantly of a deal and thus allows you to be one of the first to share it;
- It lists tools that allow to customize alerts and thus track only those deals you need (ignoring all the rest).
So let’s take a look at the tools:
1. Trackle
Trackle is a nice web service, that among other features, also offers you to track any product price and coupons and sends instant SMS alert:
1. First, you will need to register at the site and enable mobile notifications by going to your account:
2. A confirmation code will be sent to your mobile phone for you to provide it on the site;
3. Then go to “Shopping Catalog” and click Add next to “Trackle Coupons” line.
4. Filter your Tricklet by Category, zip code or product name and enable “Instant SMS”:
You are done!
2. Buxr and Gtalk
Buxr is a user-contributed coupon codes and deals resource that offers members to create customized email alerts based on the set of parameters.
- The store name (or “All”);
- Type of a deal (product, coupon, sale or all);
- A key phrase:
It sends you an email alert once a deal relevant to your settings is shared on the site. The notification email looks like this:
If you have Gtalk installed (with the same email you subscribed to Buxr), you’ll be instantly notified by Gtalk that you have new mail from Buxr.
1. Twitter and Seesmic
Seesmic is a desktop application (you’ll need to install Adobe AIR to use it) that can be used to make search and monitor Twitter. The process of configuring the alert looks like this:
1. Install Seesmic and configure it to instantly alert you of new search results:
2. Search inside Seesmic for the deals you are interested in:
Your search will be saved automatically (you can see it in the side pane and delete it from there);
3. Until you delete the search, you will be updated by Seesmic once new Tweets relevant to your search query appear. The alerts will be in for of a small pop-up window in the lower-right corner of your computer screen:
Any other ways to be instantly alerted of targeted deals? Share them in the comments!
The guest post is by Ann Smarty who has just started a community of guest bloggers. Go join her to start guest blogging around!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool sites, always nice to know when deals are out there to take advantage of. Problem is can’t just buy because a deal unless you need it.
Great suggestions!
If you have a google account you can also sign up for google alerts. http://www.google.com/alerts
Kelly from Centsible Life also had a great idea to set up custom email addresses for favorite stores. Then you can sign up for their in store deals and reminders.
If you follow a company or a store on Twitter, you can also get notified by a text message on your cell phone when they send out new Tweets. I also love signing up for RSS feeds of random things I’m looking for or news tories about products, etc.