Apps till you drop: Best apps for Black Friday
Nov 19, 2012, 11:27 AM | Updated: 11:27 am
Smart shoppers may turn to smartphones for help and advice to make it through the Black Friday shopping frenzy.
The Washington Post says big-box stores are more accepting that shoppers will use their smartphones in shopping — but they are trying to win them over. Target is posting CNet reviews next to products. Both Target and Best Buy are offering price matching for online deals.
“According to an International Data Corp. survey released this week, showrooming may influence up to $1.7 billion of holiday retail sales,” the Post reported. “The survey found shoppers are most likely to showroom big-ticket items, followed by apparel and footwear.”
CNN Money listed several Black Friday apps that “can help you optimize your plunge into the retail madness.”
The Black Friday App (Android. iPhone.)
Browse ads and discounts of major retailers and save and share deals you like.
Aggregates ads from major retailers, creates virtual shopping lists.
Take a photo of your receipts and Lemon will store it and categorize the data.
Slice keeps track of your online purchases including where they are in the shipping process.
Scan a barcode or take a photo of something and SnapTell will compare the cost to stores nearby and online.
The Washington Post added a few apps as well:
Nextag Shopping can take a scanned barcode and find other prices on the Web or later alert you if the price drops on an item.
SnipSnap keeps track of both paper and electronic coupons and can alert you to coupons you can use from other people.
BuyVia provides price comparisons and descriptions for consumer technology.
GottaBeMobile says apps can help people “outsmart the crowds, beat retailers at their own game and score the best Black Friday deals.”
GottaBeMobile adds a few more apps to check out:
Fat Wallet’s Black Friday app allows browsing ads by store and category and an function to find deals with free shipping or deals only available on Black Friday.
“The Blackfriday.fm app is the only app that offers easy access to a list of all Black Friday tablet deals, with listings for Android tablets, the Kindle Fire HD deals and even iPad deals,” GottaBeMobile says.
Forbes also weighed in on Black Friday apps: “Like last year, smart retailers are betting on mobile devices to help their customers shop smarter and faster. According to Shop.org’s eHoliday survey, three in 10 multichannel retailers say they will promote their in-store Black Friday deals with mobile alerts, up from the 18.4 percent who did in 2011. Google Insights found that 4 out of 5 consumers plan to use their devices to shop.”
Forbes added a few other apps to the list for Black Friday shoppers. Here is one of them:
If more than one person is shopping for gifts, List Bliss can eliminate duplicate purchases by synching their holiday shopping lists in real time.
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