Just wait for a few days! The biggest online festive sale of the year is about to start, know the right strategy so that you can get bumper savings on every order.

As the festive season begins, crores of shoppers across the country have their eyes set on the biggest online sales of the year. Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon (Great Indian Festival) and Flipkart (Big Billion Days) are going to start their mega sale from the first fortnight of October. During this period, huge discounts of 50 to 80 percent are claimed on smartphones, laptops, home appliances, smart TVs and fashion products. However, many times buyers get lured by huge discounts and buy unnecessary items or in a hurry become victims of wrong sellers and bad deals. In such a situation, it is very important to do proper preparation and smart planning even before the sale starts.

• Instant Bank Discount: Up to 10% instant discount will be available on credit/debit cards of State Bank of India (SBI) on Amazon and Axis Bank and ICICI Bank on Flipkart.

• Cashback and Co-Branded Cards: Amazon Pay customers using ICICI and Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Cards will get additional unlimited cashback of up to 5%.

• Exchange Bonus and No-Cost EMI: You will get additional value and no-cost EMI option of 3 to 12 months on exchanging your old smartphone or TV.

• Early Access Feature: Prime members and Plus/VIP members will get the chance to lock in exclusive deals of the sale 24 hours before the general public.

1. Gadget and Tech Upgraders (Tech Shoppers): If you want to buy a new iPhone, Android flagship phone or laptop, then waiting for the sale is the best decision. Add your favorite model to your wishlist even before the sale starts. The biggest price drops (like iPhones and premium phones) are seen in the first few hours of the sale, and are limited until stocks last.

2. Households purchasing home appliances: For big purchases like washing machine, refrigerator, geyser or smart TV, the combo of exchange offer and no-cost EMI offers the biggest savings. Make sure to check whether free installation and open-box delivery is available in your pincode.

3. Fashion and Lifestyle Shoppers: There are often ‘Buy More Save More’ bundle offers on clothing, shoes and accessories. Sizing and fitting are a risk with fashion products, so choose only those products with a clear return and exchange policy.

4. Budget and Middle Class Buyers (Value Shoppers): Make a fixed budget in advance to avoid unnecessary expenses. Never buy something you don’t really need in the lure of a discount.

• Keep card limit and online transactions on: Activate credit/debit card e-commerce payments in your banking app and increase the spending limit so that the payment does not fail at checkout.

• Save address and payment details in advance: To avoid server crashes and out of stock at the last moment, add the default delivery address and card details to your profile in advance.

• Use Price Tracker: Before accepting any discount as genuine, check on third-party price history tools whether the seller has deliberately increased the MRP before the sale.

• Check Verified Seller: Always buy products from sellers with ‘Assured’ or ‘Fulfilled’ rating to avoid the risk of getting duplicate or refurbished goods.