NEW YORK – If you’re looking for the best price on a holiday gift: there's an app for that. Tech guru and senior editor of CNET Dan Ackerman says just use your Smartphone or tablet computer.
"Now you can actually be in the store and do online comparison shopping and see if it's cheaper across the street or across town,” Ackerman says.
Dozens of shopping apps, short for application, can be downloaded onto your handheld device. This year they are more sophisticated than ever. Shopsavvy and Redlaser turn a Smartphone’s camera into a barcode scanner. In a few seconds the app shows how much the product is selling for online and at nearby stores.
If it’s a CD, book or DVD and you are using the "Snap Tel" app, you don’t even need the bar code. Just take a picture of the cover and the program will tell you if it's cheaper somewhere else.
"And you save money, whenever you can save money, that's good," shopper Mercedes Salas says.
But if you’re not in a store, there are apps that can find discounts nearby. Even Facebook has one, that can show stores that are having a sale near you.
Several big retailers are also using Shopkick, an app that helps the bargains find you. As soon as you walk into a store the app starts sending discount offers to your phone. You can also find out more about a big ticket item by taking a picture of designated symbol.
"If you scan one of those it will take you to a detailed website that has a detailed product page for that exact item," Ackerman says.
More than half of all Smartphone users say they plan to use their devices to navigate the busy holiday season. That is twice as many as last year. Almost all of the apps are free and most popular stores have their own apps that tell shoppers about deals and discounts. Read more...
