Feed a cold, starve a fever, that's how the saying goes but World Cup fever has a rule of its own and it's certainly not starvation. As it only comes around every four years, the World Cup causes somewhat of a stir, from the choice of host nation and qualifying matches right through to the group rounds and the lifting of the Cup at the end of the tournament. But fever doesn't remain solely about football, it spills over into everyday life and those who don't like football quite frankly just have to put up with it for a few weeks.

Recent figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show that while food inflation rose for the second consecutive month, World Cup offers and discounts on electricals such as televisions means that this sector remained comparatively stable, due to the limited rises in prices. While this is a symptom of World Cup fever and it's not likely to last beyond the middle of July, it's interesting to see just how much influence one sporting event can have on the sale of electrical items.

We are not likely to see the same thing happen with white goods without an event that sees people needing a better washing machine or a more economical dishwasher to be able to enjoy an event to its fullest. Of course there are ways to boost sales of any retail item but not to the extent that they will affect inflation or overall retail prices. Retailers are offering consumers cheaper electricals than they were last year as they see the reluctance to spend money when redundancy and unemployment rates are high and jobs are in short supply.

Prices can be kept lower these days thanks to the lack of overheads associated with e-commerce. A retailer that operates entirely online will not to need to pay shop rent or staff wages at premium times of the day or week (i.e. evenings and weekends). Staff costs are still a factor of course, with web and customer service teams making sure the site is user friendly and is converting well. E-commerce of electrical household goods from named brands such as Bosch dishwashers or Miele washing machines can easily be discounted online in a bid to boost sales and that's the reason why consumers can benefit from smart shopping. Looking out for offers can be a full time job so a better way to shop online is set yourself a budget and compare prices from a variety of retailers until you find the item you want at the price you can afford.

Save money on Bosch dishwashers and Miele washing machines when you buy online from a name you know and can trust.