What to enter
- Current price
- What the product costs now, in the store's currency.
- How far below the current price
- The percentage reduction you would be happy with. This gives the first option.
- Lowest recorded price
- Optional. If you know the lowest price the product has had, two more options appear: halfway to that low, and the low itself.
The formulas
- Target from a percentage = current price × (1 − percentage ÷ 100)
- Halfway option = (current price + lowest recorded price) ÷ 2
- Recorded-low option = lowest recorded price
A worked example
Made-up numbers: a product is ₹3,499 now and its lowest recorded price is ₹2,500; you would like it about 20% cheaper.
- 20% below: 3,499 × 0.80 ≈ ₹2,799.
- Halfway to the low: (3,499 + 2,500) ÷ 2 ≈ ₹3,000.
- The recorded low: ₹2,500.
₹2,799 is an ambitious but plausible target. ₹3,000 will trigger sooner with a smaller saving, and ₹2,500 only works if the price returns to its previous bottom.
How to choose between the options
A target price is a trade-off between saving more and waiting longer. A modest target triggers more often but saves less; an ambitious one saves more but may never trigger, and you can lose the chance to buy something you actually need.
A useful rule of thumb is to anchor on what the product has really cost. If a recorded low exists, a target between the current price and that low is realistic; a target below the recorded low assumes a price the product has not shown yet. For something you need soon, pick the nearer target and accept a smaller saving.
Common mistakes
- Setting a target far below any price the product has ever had, then waiting indefinitely.
- Using a target in the wrong currency. Set it in the currency of the store you track the product on.
- Forgetting delivery fees and taxes: the target applies to the listed price, not necessarily the final amount you pay.
- Never revisiting a target. If you still have not bought it after a long time, a slightly higher target may be the better choice.