BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - There's a simple saying in the tech world that smartphone users work into many conversations: "There's an app for that." Apple advertises more than 500,000 apps and one retail app expert says shoppers have thousands of downloadable options.
"There are many flavors," said Kevin Sterneckert, vice president of research for Gartner, an international technology research advisory company. "They have in their hand more power and information than most the store employees do."
Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine shopping and style editor Allison Kaplan says shoppers haven't really gravitated towards shopping apps like they were expected to. "I think we are just at the tip of the iceberg. You have to be a little techy and you've got to play the game," the well-known Twin Cities retail expert explained.
KARE 11 searched high and low, cross referenced several lists by trade publications, interviewed our own experts and came up with 11 shopping apps that'll help you save time and money this holiday season. The apps are free unless noted.
1. Gift List (99 cents): This app helps you track what you've purchased and what you still need to buy. It also tracks what you spend.
2. Shop Savvy: A slick download that not only allows you to scan bar codes, it'll show you nearby retailers and give you driving directions to that store.
3. TGI Black Friday: They tell you what the black Friday deals are and they update them often. It's like having all those fliers in a nice, tidy pile in the palm of your hand.
4. Price Check by Amazon: This is Kevin's pick. "You can take a picture of an item. You don't even have to scan the barcode. You can speak into the app and say I want this and it searches the entire web and says this is the item and here are the available retailers and competitive prices."
5. Fast Mall: You can download maps to most major shopping centers using this app. It'll help you map routes to your favorite stores. Need a restroom? Just shake the phone and it'll find you one.
6. Lemon: Allows you to take photos of all your receipts and then offers a way to catalog them. No need to sort through a box of slips; just print and return.
7. Sale Saver: A handy calculator that will do the math for you. Find out what 30percent really means. It also helps calculate sales tax.
8. Yowza: Cool name, cool app. A coupon-based download that shows you coupons for the stores around you. It also tracks what you save.
9. Shop Kick: Allison's pick. "It's almost like a game. You check in at different stores, you accrue points that you can use towards deals and you find out what deals are going on at the store that you're in."
10. Giftmeister: This is an app if you can't figure out what you want to buy someone. 150,000 products are placed into a database; you just need to enter categories like gender, age, lifestyle, or brand preference.
11. Paper Toss: A time waster, if your spouse drags you to the store against your will. It's an addictive game that gives you a virtual trash basket and high-powered fan to challenge your aim.
So there you have it! Eleven apps that could make your holiday shopping more efficient and less costly. Kaplan suggests you pick a few and take em' out for a test drive. Sterneckert says he'll head out to the stores with his five favorites of the season.
(Copyright 2011 KARE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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