In the Course of Human Events: IN250
What is IN250? In 2026, the United States will celebrate its Semiquincentennial – the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Center for Emerging
October 4, 2024
Holiday Shopping Made Easier with Chrome Extensions
It’s easy for holiday stress to consume you throughout the winter season– finding the perfect gifts at the right price all for that gratifying Christmas morning. However, as the old saying goes, “work smart, not hard.” With a second wave of coronavirus infections crashing over the country like a Hawaii wave, you may be weary of in-person shopping and opt for online websites. Fortunately for you, ecommerce innovation has caught up, and there are many ways to save money on gifts this holiday season by adding a Chrome extension. You will be able to find incredible sales and deals long after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
With so many websites competing for your eyes, companies have turned toward deal offerings featured on popular tablet and mobile applications. Using such applications provide you deals at familiar stores and small-scale. So, what’s the catch? As you use these applications, the companies gain access to your shopping data. By adding an additional chrome extension, you are profiting, too. Each extension has their own unique value proposition to help you save money while shopping for your holiday gifts!
RetailMeNot is a Chrome extension offering cash back on certain stores. It differs from Rakuten because instead of providing you cash-back, it searches for last-minute coupons when you reach the checkout page. On its website, it also highlights sales on ecommerce stores from essentially every category, while also providing a blog which highlights current and upcoming deals, the best ways to shop, and affordable gift ideas. Their instant search for coupons at the checkout menu has saved me dozens of dollars. With one click, the application does all the work.
Acorns’ core value proposition is completely different from the previously mentioned sites because it is an investment app where you can start an IRA (Individual Retirement Account). There are three methods of investment: manual deposits, purchase roundups (if you pay $12.85 with your linked card, $0.15 will be invested), and cash back promotions. Acorns has an extensive list of participating companies that will help directly invest into your portfolio with two methods. They either invest a percentage of your purchase (2% of your $50 purchase is $1 invested into your portfolio) or invest a specific amount between $1 to $10. In the long run, that $5 or 2% of your purchase can become a few hundred dollars when you or your child turns 59.5 years old.
The Google Chrome extension for Rakuten offers up to 20% cash back when you shop at certain stores. In addition, it highlights exclusive deals such as ‘Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO)’, ‘free shipping’, and travel and vacation deals. Rakuten also offers a credit card for an additional 3% cash back on any store that already offers cash back, plus 1% cash back on all other purchases. Throughout your purchasing history, your cash back bank cumulates all your deals until you determine it is enough to order your check, which is sent to you through the mail. I can personally attest the validity of the application as I have already earned $13 in cash back.
The Honey Chrome extension does not offer cash back, rather their focus is highlighting sales and notifying you when prices drop for products that you bookmark. Just like RetailMeNot, they also run through a list of coupons at your checkout page in case your purchase qualifies for a discount. Their unique value derives from Honey Gold Balance. As you make more purchases through Honey, you earn a balance of Honey currency, and when you reach 1,000 Honey points, you can redeem a $10 gift card of your choice from select stores.
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