more Just as you might go bargain-hunting for holidays, home supplies and everyday services, you can shop smarter for your business. Sourcing products and suppliers who can help you keep your costs down is a worthwhile exercise – and there are savings to be had.
Think like a consumer
Running a business doesn’t mean you have to pay top dollar for everything. In fact, there are offers you can take advantage of, discounts you can claim and ways you can manage a tight budget in your corporate life just the same as you do at home. And if you’re worried about how long it might take to hunt down those bargains, don’t be. There’s plenty of help on hand from other resources, such as sourcing services or virtual support agencies. So here’s our guide to saving money for your business:
Look for free delivery
Delivery costs can add a hefty charge to your purchase. Look for suppliers who offer free delivery as part of the deal, or who operate a ‘click and collect’ policy. If free delivery is offered for orders over a certain amount, think about bulk-buying if you have appropriate storage, or talk to other businesses about buying together in order to share costs and access free delivery.
Sign up for discounts
You can often sign up for discounts and offers even if you’re not already a customer. Look for suppliers who offer regular discounts or deals so that when you’re ready to order, you can get a reduction on your bill. Some suppliers offer discounts for new customers and also for repeat business, helping you to keep costs low.
Use consumer coupon sites
For some supplies and for other deals that work for your business, you should sign up to some of the standard coupon and discount sites. These include Groupon.co.uk, VoucherCodes.co.uk and VoucherSeeker.co.uk. There are ever-changing deals on these sites that offer discounts from leading brands as well as smaller local suppliers.
Think about membership stores
Places like CostCo are often really useful ways for businesses to save money. From lower prices on sourcing product like your tea and coffee supplies to organising low-price car hire, these membership stores give you access to lower prices and bulk buying.
Get around dynamic pricing
Dynamic pricing is an online retailing approach that means the price of goods or services can change depending on how often you view, what device you view from and whether you view from an online ad or a direct search. You can access much more standard pricing by clearing your cookie history and signing out of social media sites. You can also switch your browser to a private setting. That means you’re sharing far less of your information with the websites and consequently getting a more realistic price.
Get someone else to bargain-hunt for you
It can certainly be time-consuming to get your hands on good quality cut-price goods and services. Which is why it might be useful to get someone else to do the shopping for you. You’ll still benefit from the savings, because your own time can be spent working on your business rather than searching for a discount. Consider virtual assistant services – for small businesses, these can be worth their weight in gold, taking on your everyday time-consuming tasks and bringing measurable benefits.
The benefits of finding a discount
You’re likely to buy office supplies, products and services on an ongoing basis, so it’s easy to lose track of how much these things cost over your financial year. And yet these are the places where it’s relatively easy to trim your expenses if you know where to look and what to do. So why not start now by taking a look at how your business is sourcing products today, and whether you can start to use our tips – or even hire a virtual assistant – to help you keep costs down.
If you’re short on time and need help with sourcing and managing your office supplies or what to know more about our virtual assistants, feel free to call us on 0800 994 9016 or use our contact form in the menu above.