LONDON, November 10 /PRNewswire/ -- A marketing expert who specialises in helping people save money is reminding online shoppers to plan in advance this Christmas.

UK cashback shopping website http://www.eDealsUK.com traditionally sees a boom of online sales activity in the build up to Christmas - and is offering useful tips to help shoppers get the best out of online deals.

Marketing manager Nadeem Azam said: "Online shopping is now more popular than ever, however many people are not experienced in purchasing via websites.

"Some shoppers may not realise how they can save money or may not take delivery time and cost into account, while others may expose themselves to potential online risks when rushing to find good deals."

Nadeem added: "Buying online is very easy - it avoids busy shopping centres and there are fantastic savings to be made at the right websites.

"We are offering advice to both experienced and new online shoppers to help them make savings and stay safe this Christmas."

eDealsUK's Christmas shopping tips are:

Don't wait until the last minute: Plan your shopping list early and buy early. This will help avoid any disappointment of missing out on online savings or not having items delivered in time for Christmas, saving you the stress of last-minute shopping.

Discounts: Discounts can be found everywhere, so keep an eye out. Using cashback websites such as http://www.eDealsUK.com and http://www.froggybank.co.uk for well-known brands is a great way of saving money this Christmas. Make sure you have a budget and keep to it (avoids the shock of a large credit card bill) and use discount websites to get the most out of your budget.

Stay safe: When buying online make sure that the website has SSL technology as you will be entering personal details. Using your credit card offers extra protection, and if you don't receive your purchased item, you can contest the charge. Furthermore, look out for https ('s' stands for secure) and the padlock system on the address bar as this will ensure the payment connection is secure.

Consider shipping costs and delivery time: Look out for company policies on shipping costs. Some retailers offer free shipping up to or after a certain amount, or either minimal or substantial increase in cost for next-day delivery. By shopping early you can keep shipping costs down and have time available if there are any problems. With millions of people buying online at the same time, delivery time may be longer than usual, so buy early to avoid disappointment.

Keep records of your purchases: When you order online, print off any final statements confirming your order and emails you may receive. You can then check these against your purchases, receipts and your bank and credit card statements - you don't want to encounter any surprises!

With eDealsUK.com (http://www.eDealsUK.com), customers log into the cashback site before visiting any of 2,000 mainstream retailers and buying goods and services as normal.

A portion of the referral fee paid by online retailers is returned to the consumer.

It means that eDealsUK.com has access to more UK online sales information than any single retailer.

The site is part of a network of 180 sites operated by V A C Media, the biggest operator of customer loyalty websites in the UK.

More than 550,000 shoppers use the network to purchase items from 2,000 retailers.

    
    NOTES TO EDITORS

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