Big online sales begin today

Hunting for deals? This is the best time of the year to pick up mobile phones, apparel and household items

The Deepavali season has kicked off with sales everywhere, and stores, both online and offline, are cashing in on the festive spirit by offering their best prices of the year.

Amazon and Flipkart begin their Deepavali sales this weekend, and many others are following suit in the coming days.

While Flipkart’s Big Diwali Sale is scheduled from October 12 to 16, the Great Indian Festival by Amazon opens on October 13 and goes on till 17.

Amazon

Smartphones: Discounts go up to 40 per cent on the latest smartphones of 2019. The discounts cover the budget, mid-range and premium smartphones, and the price cuts go up to 55 per cent on unboxed and refurbished smartphones from brands such as Mi, OnePlus, Samsung and Asus.

Fashion: The discounts go up to 90 per cent on clothes, jewellery, makeup, footwear, watches and handbags. Top brands are on offer at a minimum of 40 per cent.

Amazon features a massive array of fashion brands. It is also offering attractive discounts on watches and accessories.

Home and Kitchen: Pressure cookers, utensils, mixer-grinders, spin mops, water bottles and more are on sale, and you get significant discounts on well-known brands.

Electronics: The deals include freebies on laptops and cameras. Discounts go up to 50 per cent on smartwatches, speakers, and printers, and up to 60 per cent on headphones.

TVs and appliances: The sale offers low prices on TVs, washing machines and dishwashers.

The sale starts early, from 12 noon on October 12, for Amazon Prime members.

Flipkart

The platform is promoting, among other things, Mi phones in a big way. For those who like their premium mobile phones, the Pixel 3a/3a XL is offered at Rs 29,999, Oppo Reno2 Z at Rs 29,990 and Honor 20 at Rs 24,999.

Electronics: Discounts go up to 75 per cent, and Flipkart is offering 55 inch TVs at the price of 32-inch ones.

Home and Kitchen: Prices will be slashed for kitchen and home appliances, and air conditioners. Discounts on refrigerators range from Rs 10,000- Rs 15,000.

Electronics and accessories: Discounts go up to 50 per cent on laptops and desktops. The platform also has price cuts on Apple Watch Series 3, gaming laptops, cameras and power banks, among other items.

Fashion: Discounts range from 30 to 80 per cent on footwear, ethnic wear and casual wear for men, women, and children, watches, handbags and jewellery.

Customers using State Bank of India credit cards get an additional 10 per cent discount on their purchases.

Myntra

The website will have a ‘Fashionotsav’ sale from October 12 to 15 where items under different categories will have discounts ranging from 50 to 80 per cent.

Brands like Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, US Polo Assn, Tommy Hilfiger, Forever 21, Fossil and Dorothy Perkins will see a 40 to 70 per cent price cut. There will be attractive discounts on sunglasses, watches, beauty products, handbags
and jewellery.

Snapdeal

The Snap Diwali sale, on till October 13, includes discounts on many electronic appliances, home decor items, bedroom products and cosmetics, among others.

Grofers

There will be price cuts on household and kitchen items, including grocery items, cleaning agents and wellness and grooming products.

Automobiles
Various car companies are also offering benefits and attractive discounts ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 20 lakh on select models. The price cuts are available on popular brands like Toyota, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Audi, BMW and Mercedes.

Travel deals on offer

With the demand spiking, airfares typically go up during the season, but some travel websites and airlines are offering discounts.

Emirates is cutting its fares by 10 per cent on its cabin class on select flights to the US, Europe, and Africa. The offer is valid for flights booked between October 9 and 14, for travel between October 14, 2019, and August 31, 2020.

Travellers booking tickets on Redbus.in can use the code FESTIVITY to get up to 20 per cent cashback (up to a maximum Rs 200) on their tickets. The offer is valid for bookings done on or before October 31.

Automobile brands, many of whom have had a bad sales year, are offering huge discounts. This is traditionally the time sales increase.

Offline stores are competing with online stores. A report says they have struck deals with phone manufacturers to be able to compete with online stores.