Online shopping is just starting to gain acceptance among Filipinos especially to those who are tech-savvy, have credit cards and Paypal accounts. The growing numbers of local online shops is a proof that Filipinos are no  longer as skeptical to online shopping as before.

I believe online shopping is actually better than going to the malls. There are far more better online deals than what you can have at the malls without having to go through traffic, fight for an item, and endure the long queues. You can actually make more shopping money by finding great discounts and deals on Groupons, Coupons and Flash Sales sites.

Groupons of Group Buying lets you get great deals through bulk buying. You can get as much as 90% discounts from the original price of a product or service. Groupons are great if you want to avail of services in groups such as a relaxing massage, dine in expensive restaurants, spend a weekend in a resort, among others. Most of sites have deals available in Metro Manila but the number of deals for the provinces are now increaing.

FitzVillafuerte.com has a comprehensive list of Groupon sites in the Philippines so I suggest you check out his blog. Read the comments as well so you’ll have an idea which among them suits your needs.

Coupons are also a good way to save money. Do you remember those coupons given out by fast food companies which give you 5% discount or a freebie everytime you dine with them? Those are really good marketing strategies and if you’re a consumer, its a great way to save. You’re dining with them anyway so better clip those coupons.

There are also online coupons which are available for you. I often buy online so I always look for available coupons first before making a purchase. You can search online coupon sites such as CouponChief.com which has hundreds of coupon codes from online retailers. What’s even better is that they have a Pays-2-Share program wherein you can upload a coupon code and every time someone uses it, you get 2% of the sales.

I’ve recently discovered flash sale retailers also known as invitation-only shopping retailers. One of the pioneers in the Philippines is AVA.ph where you can avail of discounts of as much as 70% on designer items. Every week, a limited number of branded items will be on sale which you can purchase by Paypal or credit card. As a member, you’ll also receive an email a few days before the sale with details on the products and the dates they will be on sale.

If you register now at Ava.ph, you’ll receive Php200 of shopping money automatically credited to your account. You’ll only receive the credit if you register using the link I provided.

Just a reminder, before making any purchase, be sure that you really want it and will not be sacrificing your needs just to get it.