Slickdeals offers some interesting
features not found elsewhere. It has a forum, mobile content, coupon codes, and
a blog. The forum is probably the best feature offered by the site. It allows
any registered visitor to post deals or review deals already posted. There is
an extensive listing of deals and bargain stores, although they're not quite as
exhaustive as the number usually found on the top deals site, Dealnews.com.
Perhaps the greatest feature of Slickdeals is the inclusion of a forum where
anyone can post up-to-date messages about any particular hot deal found
elsewhere or listed on the site. Visitors can also review deals through the
forum.
Standout Features
- Wide variety of different site functions
- Extensive forum for visitor collaboration
- Up to date listings of deals
- Noted expired deals
- Hand-picked deals
- Expandable navigation system
When a visitor examines each deal, he
or she will see that there are comments left by others. This is a great feature
where each deal can be reviewed or discussed with others. Sometimes deals may
expire without prior notice and a review or post by a visitor can be the first
notice of such an occurrence. Another possibility is that an item being
discounted can be sold out from the vendor. This happens a great deal with some
hot deals and a notification of the deal being sold out or expired can save
time and even confusion for other visitors.
One example is the daily deals
typically offered by Dell.com. These deals can be very nice bargains and will
sell out early in the morning. Unfortunately, many vendors may not leave notice
that the item was sold out or even expired. Some vendors may just leave an
error message stating that the page is missing. Notification of an expired deal
from the deal site itself can be very helpful in these situations.
Deals are typically listed from the
latest date backwards. The hot deals listed are from a wide range of product
categories. Many deals can be found on computer systems, clothes, silverware,
even a space shuttle. More deals can also be found by visitors in the forum
section of the site. Unfortunately one weakness of the site is that deals
cannot be sorted by their item categories or by vendor.
The wide range of different types of
items with deals listed is very diverse. One can find hot deals from every type
of product including computer systems, clothes, food, games, toys, HDTVs, and
even travel specials. There are also listed many posted deals by visitors in
the forum. Top deals are listed on the right side of the main page as well.
Sometimes the wide variety of deals can be daunting but each group of deals
usually number only five to ten posts at most, making it easy to browse each
day’s hot deals.
Site Navigation
Navigating the site was easy with the
easily viewable links to many of the site’s features and sections. Each page is
broken down into subsections highlighted with bold text titles for easier
reading. Shoppers can easily browse the deal listings with the sections highly
visible. In the coupon section, shoppers can move their mouse cursors over each
deal which will result in the listing being highlighted with a slight blue
color, helping to make the entry more visible. This is a unique feature not
found on other deal sights.
Detailed Info
Slickdeals.net offers two levels of
descriptions; a short version and a more elaborate description. On the main
page, most hot deals are shown in an abbreviated version with just a brief
title and deal information. However, when the date bar plus sign is clicked on,
each deal for that date or day expands to show more elaborate descriptions.
This two tier system can help by presenting information for those that like to
briefly scan through hot deals without having to read a great deal of text.
Once a deal is found, a visitor can then select the '+' sign to view more
details about that deal.
Accuracy
The information presented under each
deal listing was found to be very accurate in terms of each deal’s terms and
any conditions that may exclude the discount. Certain deals may have extra
requirements (or exclusions) that need to be followed in order to acquire the
deal price. Each description is precise and accurate to a high degree.
Each hot deal listed has options for
visitors to report expired deals or those that might be inaccurate. This helps
the site managers to keep most of the postings updated with the most current
deal information and item status. The site owners are very good at providing
notifications for each deal listed that has expired. Some deals are updated
within minutes of becoming expired.
The Slickdeals forum
is another area where many deals are posted that may not be found elsewhere.
The information gained from posted messages can show deals that are brand new
and unheard of by others. This can be very helpful where inventory numbers are
limited on specific items on sale or being discounted.
Quality of
Deals
The deals listed are very good offers
with many bargains to be found. The forum offers even more deals that can be
very unique since individual visitors can post any type of deal within reason.
This is one area that Slickdeals.net has a leg up over Dealnews.com. Coupon
codes are also posted with some great deals to be had. Some of the better
coupon codes included discounts for Dell, Sony, Buy Cosmetics, and other
companies.
Summary
As one of our favorite Hot Deals sites,
Slickdeals.net offers a tremendous value for bargain hunters. Its hot deals and
coupon codes can save anyone a great deal of money if utilized quickly. The
site does an excellent job of displaying the most current information on each
deal and updates are constantly posted. While the best deals may go fast, at
least a visitor can see which deals have expired while browsing through the
deals.
Slickdeals has a multitude of site
features including its excellent forum section, and only a limited amount of
advertising. In fact, Slickdeals.net had some of the fewest ads seen on a hot
deals site. On the other hand, it displayed a higher ratio of text to graphics
than other deal sites. Some visitors may shy away from having to browse through
a multitude of deals in the form of text postings. While some images are
included with the deal postings, they are often smaller than the images of
items found on other deal sites. However, for many visitors or bargain hunters,
such an omission may be worth the price of more qualitative deal postings than
many deal sites offer with splashier graphics.
The great strengths of Slickdeals.net
are in its accurate, up-to-date deal listings along with the forum deal
postings. Both together help catapult Slickdeals over its
competition. While it may not have won the top review spot, it managed to climb
over many other competing hot deal sites. Many visitors regularly utilize
Slickdeals.net on a daily basis, including some that check it on an hourly
timeframe. The navigation system is easier to utilize than the other deal
sites, allowing each visitor to browse through deal listings without having to
read through lengthy descriptions until a specific deal is found.
