One of the great things about online shopping is the ability to hit the January sales from the comfort of your own home. Rather than face the heaving high street, long queues at the tills, a lack of car parking spaces and piles of scattered goods in the shops, you can shop at leisure, at a time that suits you and seek out the absolute best of the bargains.

Online January sales shopping does require a little planning and discipline however - it can be as hit and miss as the frenzy of high street shopping if you don't approach it with a broad plan in mind.

Firstly, think about what sort of things you are looking for and pull a list together of the stores and online sites you'd like to look at. Secondly, have a budget in mind - it is very easy to build up a large online shopping basket and suddenly realise you have spent more than you wished to. Use the basket to keep a rolling tally - and if you are debating whether or not to purchase something, then add it to your online cart - this will save it being ordered by someone else and you can always remove it later. Be warned however, some shopping baskets will automatically empty after a certain period of time if they aren't taken through the checkout process - this is to keep as much stock available for customers as possible and to minimise online 'reservation' of items.

Use our price comparison service to hunt down the cheapest branded items and use voucher codes to save even more money on your purchases, where available. For items on the high street such as clothes and boots, make a note as to when your favourite store's sale begins - this information is usually found online over the holiday period, or in the newspapers. You may be able to start shopping for your most-wanted items at an earlier time than that at which the high street sales actually start.

If you are shopping for clothes, look for designer items that you might not usually be able to afford. You should look for classic pieces that will last season after season. Department stores are also ideal for designer bargains and you will find that many Christmas gifts are reduced to half price in the January sales.

When you have bought your online purchases be sure to keep the e-receipt safe and check returns details carefully. Many sale purchases have to be returned within seven days rather than the standard 14-28 days. You may also find there are specific provisions around the return of online purchases - check the small print before you buy if this is likely to be a problem.

With these basic tips in mind you should find that you have a great online shopping experience and get all the bargains you could ever have wished for in the January sales.