Every year on Cyber Monday, thousands of consumers head to their computers to shop the best deals of the year. Celebrated just three days after Black Friday, this online-shopping holiday is gaining popularity due to its easy accessibility and, often times, better deals on technology and small gifts. So, if you happened to miss the Black Friday deals or just want to stay in the comfort of your own home, here are a few tips on how to get the most bang for your buck this Cyber Monday.

The best way to prepare for your shopping spree is to know exactly what the offers are beforehand so that you can decide which ones are worth your time. There are a variety of ways in which you can do this, and the best part is that none of them are permanent or tie you down to any memberships you can’t get out of.   

If you already know what stores you will want to shop at, visiting those sites a day or two before to get the inside scoop will ensure you’re not wasting your time on the real day. As social media gets more and more popular, businesses are starting to make accounts to promote their products even further. With this, they also tend to post their upcoming sales as well as how long they will be offering them. This way, you can also see the products on models or in-action depending on what you’re buying.

Although many people are skeptical of signing up for email newsletters, they may be your best bet on getting all of the details on the deals for the stores you want to shop at, and you can always cancel your subscription after the holidays. 

Another fast and easy way to decipher which deals are the best is by using a price comparison tool. There are dozens of websites such as PRONTO, NexTag, Yahoo Shopping, and Google Shopping, which will filter products based on price, features, and reviews. There are also multiple deal and coupon bloggers that will do the same thing with more of a personal spin. 

Some more simple tips that you can easily do are:

• Bookmark the stores you are planning to shop at the night before. This way, you can easily click to each store and not worry about forgetting or getting your purchases mixed up.
• Pre-load your shopping cart with products you plan on buying the night before, but make sure the sites will keep them in the cart (some sites delete after a period of time). When the day comes, you will only have to put in your card information and if anything sells out, your products are safe!
• Make a spreadsheet with items, prices, and deals so that you don’t forget them amidst the multitude of websites you’ll be visiting. This tip will save you a bunch of time when shopping. 

Finally, the most important tip when online shopping on Cyber Monday is to verify that every website you use is safe and secure. Scams are especially prevalent on this day specifically, as people are putting in their credit card numbers left and right as they rush from site to site. You can do this by looking at the URL; if it starts with “https” (rather than just “http”), it is secured by an SSL certificate. This means the company had to go through a validation process. You should also double-check the domain. Many scammers purchase a domain similar, but not exact, to popular sites in order to mimic large businesses and get ahold of customers’ card numbers. If prices are too low to be believable or if the site is missing a privacy statement at checkout, those are a few more reasons to be skeptical. 

All in all, Cyber Monday is one of the best days to get your holiday shopping done. With the right tips, tricks, and tools, you can make the upcoming holiday season a little less stressful and get the perfect gifts for your family and friends.