Updated: 05/09/2022 08:15:55

Cheapest Shopping Months of The Year - Ranked!

Black Friday may hold the title for most popular sale, but is it the bargain hunt we all think it is? See where it ranks in our list.

The Offeroftheday team have taken data from 2019-2022 to rank the months of the year based on the number of items on sale. This list is based on the total number of products reduced on the Offeroftheday site as a whole and is not a reflection on the strength of the discounts or total percentage off. Can you guess the correct order?

12. December - Too full of Christmas pudding to shop?

Bringing up the rear of our list is December. On average between 2019-2022, 19,772 products were reduced on the Offeroftheday website. 2021 was the least fruitful year with 17,986 items reduced, compared to back in 2019 where this was 21,263. So why is this so low? While December boasts the start of the Boxing Day/January Sale period, this falls close to the end of the month, with the beginning of December tending to be quite on the discount front as a cool down period between Black Friday and Boxing Day.

11. January - New Year sales not what they used to be?

January beats out December with an average number of discounted products sitting at 20,149. This number has progressively trended down over the last 3 years, with 2022 proving to be the weakest with just 18,401 products reduced. The increased strength of Black Friday could mean that January sales don't have the same attraction as they did in the past. January does show massive discount values though, so it may be that while the discounts themselves are bigger, the sales aren't as widespread across whole product ranges as they have been in the past.

10. February - Valentines saves the day?

Next up is February, with an average of 20,469 products reduced across the Offeroftheday website. Number of discounted products might be expected to drop after January, but the Valentines and Shrove Tuesday can push large discounts across almost any retailer you can think of! February is one of the best months to buy a range cooker, outnumbering the next best month for buying a range cooker by almost double.

9. August - End of the Summer, end of the sales?

August still has a number of great sales to write home about. Expect to find plenty of discounts on outdoor furniture around this time. On average August has 20,571 products reduced. It is also one of the few months where 2022 proved to be stronger than the previous year with 20,679 items reduced compared to just 18,498 in August 2021.

8. May - Bank Holiday sales can't push this further up our list

Another month where 2022 has shown gains over 2021, May averages 20,766 items reduced. May often leads into stronger sales over the Summer, and the May Bank Holidays will be giving its ranking an extra boost.

7. June - Half way through the year, half way through the list

After a dip to just 18,101 products reduced in 2021, June has made a comeback with 20,707 products reduced in 2022 and an overall average of 20,780. June often marks the first real month of the Summer sales, but you'll also find that a lot of clothing brands will bring in new lines during this time, leading to larger numbers of reduced items across the board in the hopes of offloading end of season lines. June is one of the best times to buy a new tumble dryer, with lots of new models being replaced this gives you a great chance to scoop up a soon to be discontinued machine.

6. April - The Easter bunny brings us discounts

A strong combination of the Easter Holidays and Easter itself, April averages 20,903 products discounted across the Offeroftheday site. 2020 was a great year with 23,641 items reduced. Easter sales in general tend to be quite broad, offering discounts across whole retailers, rather than specific categories, pushing the number of discounts up. Interestingly enough, according to our statistics, April is also the best time of the year to buy a television, with lots of models being replaced with newer versions around this time of the year.

5. September - Back to school panic buying?

The start of the new school term also brings the start of widespread discounts. September averages 20,931 discounted products, with 2022 looking on track to be a big one. While many Back To School sales start towards the end of August, extra discounts are rolled out into September with new lines constantly added to existing sales.

4. October - Scarily good sales?

The Halloween period often brings a number of Autumn sales. On average there are 20,964 products reduced in October. 2019 is once again proving to be a strong year for sales with 21,913 products reduced. October can often be a weaker month for large value items in the run up to Black Friday in November, but it makes up for this with a wide range of discounts on smaller products.

3. March - Washing machines and microwaves lead the way

March gives you an extra Spring in your step when it comes to discounts with an average of 21,169 products reduced in total. Sales in March tend to be widespread across all types of retailers and products. It's a great time to buy clothes as new seasonal styles come in. It is also by far the cheapest time of the year to buy yourself a new microwave. Washing machines are also more discounted around this time, with new models being released in the Spring.

2. November - Black Friday discounts, but not on everything

Squeezed away from the top spot, November averages 21,251 product reductions across the Offeroftheday website. Black Friday originally started as a one day or weekend event. This usually resulted in a small number of high priced items being heavily reduced for a short period of time. For some, this would be the only time of the year where you could find large discounts on Alexa devices, Apple products and large screen televisions. In recent years, November has become more of a Black Friday month event. Retailers have started spreading Black Friday discounts across multiple weeks and across multiple product lines. With this being the case we wouldn't be surprised if this ends up top of the list in 2023. The number of products reduced in November is expected to creep up as the years go on as increased competition drives retailers to show more widespread discounts over hand picking a small selection of offerings.

1. July - Summer sales hold out the competition

Topping our list is July with an average of 21,459 products reduced across the website. Unlike Black Friday, almost any retailer you can think of takes part in Summer Sales in one way or another. Most of the discounts are across whole retailers, voucher codes become more popular and new product lines are introduced. As the weather changes we often change our spending habits to suit the new found warmth, and retailers supplement this with the widest range of discounts you can find throughout the whole year.

So there you have it. The Summer Sale is a British staple and it proves to still be the best time to browse your favourite websites. While we can't guarantee the discounts in July will be the biggest of the year, it can't be beaten for choice when it comes to your online shopping experience.

Comments

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