BARGAIN hunters might think the biggest sales days of the year are the best time to grab a discount.
While it’s easy to assume that shopping events like Amazon’s Prime Day, Black Friday, or the Boxing Day sales are the time to bag a bargain – this is not always the case.
New research has revealed that savvy shoppers can save a whopping £2,600 in 2025 simply by knowing when to buy, not just what to buy.
Research by price comparison site Idealo suggests that timing your purchases right is the real secret to savings.
They analysed 70 popular household products, from trainers and air fryers to vacuum cleaners, and pinpointed the best months for discounts.
Katy Phillips, Idealo’s UK brand communication manager, said: “While people’s motivations for shopping may differ, one thing remains certain – people are reluctant to pay over the odds for a product.
“Knowledge is key, and understanding the optimal months to make purchases, empowers consumers to get the most value for their money.
“Seasonality heavily influences pricing strategies.”
For fitness enthusiasts looking to kickstart their New Year‘s resolutions, January is the prime time to grab a bargain on running shoes, often at nearly half the May price, saving a substantial 47%.
Those in the market for a treadmill can find significant savings by waiting just one more month.
February typically sees discounts exceeding £350.
Buying a trampoline in May could save you nearly a third (29%) compared to November prices, with potential savings of £357.
Similarly, January is the sweet spot for coffee machine savings, offering better deals than October, where prices can be 5% higher.
But if you want an air fryer? Skip January, where prices are up 10%.
Likewise, February isn’t ideal for new football boots (4% increase), March for dishwashers (5% up), and April for sewing machines (10% more).
These price hikes often reflect peak demand or pre-season markups, so waiting a bit can save you some cash.
How to bag a bargain
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
Of course, with any purchase, it’s always essential to shop around to ensure you get the best deal.
After all, what you pay will depend on the specific product you buy.
Set price alerts if you’re waiting for an item to get cheaper, and be sure to check cashback and voucher code websites to get some money off your purchase.
Comparing prices across several retailers can also help you save more cash.
How to compare prices to get the best deal
JUST because something is on offer, or is part of a sale, it doesn't mean it's always a good deal.
There are plenty of comparison websites out there that’ll check prices for you – so don’t be left paying more than you have to.
Most of them work by comparing the prices across hundreds of retailers.
Here are some that we recommend:
- Google Shopping is a tool that lets users search for and compare prices for products across the web. Simply type in keywords, or a product number, to bring up search results.
- Price Spy logs the history of how much something costs from over 3,000 different retailers, including Argos, Amazon, eBay and the supermarkets. Once you select an individual product you can quickly compare which stores have the best price and which have it in stock.
- Idealo is another website that lets you compare prices between retailers. All shoppers need to do is search for the item they need and the website will rank them from the cheapest to the most expensive one.
- CamelCamelCamel only works on goods being sold on Amazon. To use it, type in the URL of the product you want to check the price of.
