Mobile Shopping - Smartphones Change Shopping Forever

The iPhone has been billed as revolutionary. That statement happens to be one of the greatest understatements of the century, and I am not sure if brick and mortar stores such as Best Buy and Walmart have realized it. This holiday season, I spent about 40 hours shopping in Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, and I spent exactly $0 dollars in the stores. Don't get me wrong, I saw plenty of perfect gifts. I even purchased many of them; just not at the brick and mortar stores. I did all my shopping through Mobile Shopping Applications on my iPhone.

Thanks to a few selective Shopping Apps, I was able to purchase everything online and for much cheaper. My iPhone effectively turned stores like Best Buy and Walmart into my Amazon and Buy.com showroom, and I love it this way. Mobile Shopping Apps on my iPhone have saved me time, money, and peace of mind. If this is Shopping 2.0, I like it.

Shopping with Mobile Apps on the iPhone - A Typical Shopping Trip

For my daughter's birthday, she wanted a cell phone, and my wife and I thought she was finally old enough. I wasn't about to just buy a cell phone online, my daughter needed to hold it, use it, and make sure she liked it. A cell phone is too personal of a purchase to buy site-unseen. So, we journeyed to Best Buy, and she had an opportunity to try out all the phones. It turned out that she ended up liking a Pantech Pursuit. I was able to check the reviews online, and they were mostly positive. I was able to address many of the negative points instantly with my daughter, despite the Best Buy salesman denying many of them. Best Buy wanted to charge me the phone purchase price, plus an activation fee. Amazon had the phone free and waived the activation fee. I ordered it from Amazon, and it was received in less than 24 hours. Thanks to Amazon Prime.

It turns out that she also needed a MicroSD card and a headphone adapter for the Pursuit. Both were available and overpriced from Best Buy. I was able to use my iPhone 4, the Amazon App with Barcode Scanner, and the in-store products to order them online. they also were delivered in 24 hours. She also wanted a face plate for her phone, and while both Best Buy and Amazon couldn't help me, eBay had the one I was looking for. I had to wait three days, but I had the faceplate in plenty of time for my daughter's birthday. Mobile Shopping on the iPhone saved me about $80 and many hours in that one trip.

Mobile Shopping Online for More Than Electronics

I have also found out that my local Walmart cannot beat the price I found on Amazon for many of my staple items. That is right, I now am grocery shopping online from Amazon. Using Amazon's Subscribe and Save feature, I have saved hundreds of dollars and many hours of frustration by getting groceries online. I currently get my coffee, cereal, kids cereal, toilet tissue, protein bars, nutritional supplements, coffee filters, peanut butter, and razors online for a fraction of the in-store price. Whenever I shop, regardless of what I am looking for, I check RedLaser to see if there is an alternative. Then, I use the Best Value iPhone App to compare the unit prices of the item from Walmart and the bulk item from the online retailer. Of course, I buy the cheaper item. Unfortunately for Walmart, the better option is typically online.

Essential Mobile Shopping iPhone Apps

Amazon Mobile - Free
Amazon mobile is the cornerstone of my shopping experience. With it, I can scan a product in-store and if it is cheaper, I can have it within 24 − 48 hours with Amazon Prime. I can also manage wish lists and my cart.

RedLaser - Free
If you are unsure about Amazon having the lowest price, then use RedLaser. RedLaser easily scans the barcode of an item and delivers price comparisons, product reviews, and in-depth product information.

Shopper - $.99
Shopper is a great app for combining complex shopping lists, with RedLaser product scanning, and coupon organizing. If it turns out that you actually have to drag yourself to a physical store instead of shopping online, then Shopper is a must have app.

Best Value - $.99
Comparing value between bulk and single items is difficult, comparing different sized items when their volumes are different (ie Liters to Gallons) is nearly impossible. For a single buck, Best Value handles the job of price comparisons between different products, sizes, and even volumes with ease.