Kerry Wan/ZDNET
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As a Gen-Z shopping editor, I spend most of my dollars online. I’m always looking for easy ways to save with promo codes, sign-ups, memberships, and more.
I’ve also written full guides on how I’ve saved over $500 using services like Rakuten. But most importantly, after covering numerous sale events like Black Friday and Prime Day, I’ve learned how to avoid the deluge of spam that usually follows signing up for coupons or free shipping.
Also: 3 money-saving tricks I use every time I shop online – and you should too
That’s why I’m sharing one of my favorite email tips that helps put marketing, ads, promotions, and other salesy emails in your rearview. This first tip is so obvious, you’ve probably never thought twice about it before. I’ve been using this shopping tip for almost a decade, and it’s still as functional as ever. Plus, it’s totally free.
How I decrease marketing clutter in my inbox
So, you want to know the easiest way to ditch junk shopping mail that doesn’t ever seem to wind up in your junk folder? Stop letting retailers access that email from the get-go, and set up a… shopping email!
That’s it. That’s the tip. The easiest way to never let sales emails into the inboxes that matter the most is to never open the door in the first place. My shopping email is a free email account I set up through Gmail. Instead of ever being tied to anything important, this is the throwaway email I use when I shop online.
I sign up for new-member offers and promo codes with it, create online retailer accounts with it, and have even graduated to using it as my primary email for nearly all my subscription services, too.
No time-consuming unsubscribe campaign needed: a shopping email can help sift out the often-large portion of spam or junk mail in most people’s inboxes.
Don’t shop online until you know this one simple tip.
Amazon
This shopping email is additionally the one I fill out when I order anything online. Not only does this help reduce the deluge of retailer emails in my personal inbox, but it also means any online orders or receipts are already stored on their own account.
I’ve found this especially helpful when I need to make a return or source specifics on a purchase, as I’m digging through a much smaller pool of emails than I would in a primary inbox.
Also: I’ve used Rakuten for a year and earned nearly $500 – here’s how
Similarly, it helps to know that this shopping email is the one tied to several of my entertainment subscriptions. Renewal info, price changes, login notifications, and one-time passcodes all appear in one place, which is, once again, much less cluttered with other email.
I’ve found that over the years of using this email hack, I’ve had an easier time navigating my personal email accounts and can check my digital mail more efficiently. I also find myself more tuned in to newsletters or other news I receive via my primary email because it’s not mixed in between a bunch of marketing language. I open and read more of the content I want to consumer, and spend less time hitting delete on junk mail.
But the very best part of my shopping email? Mass-deleting a majority of those marketing memos without a second thought.
