Smart Phone Apps Enable Smarter Shopping

Though online shopping is great for many things, some of us still want to shop in a physical store where we can see and touch the product. Whether you love shopping and can spend hours in a mall, or you want to spend as little time as possible by grabbing what you need and jetting to beat rush hour traffic, app developers for smart phones are making life easier for consumers, and more lucrative for businesses. If you own a business and want to stay competitive, you may want to turn to app developer sites like simplikate.com, and discover how you can offer convenience to your customers, while increasing your profits.

This article will examine ways in which apps have changed the thoughts and habits of consumers.

Coupons aren’t just for grandma

Think back to the time when you would go grocery shopping with Grandma, and she had her little book of coupons under her arm. The stereotype of the coupon user as the “penny-pinching grandma” has held strong for years. Some of us may even view coupon users as eccentric “scrap-booker” types. However, thanks to app technology and the large chain grocery stores that use them, more people are scanning coupons and saving money while business is booming. Fresh & Easy is one of many chain stores to be offering this service. Here’s how it works: shoppers can sign up for a free rewards card. Each time a consumer makes a purchase, they scan their card, and the system logs information about the products they buy, which items they buy more often, and reward points based on dollar amounts spent are added to their account. Points can be redeemed for gift cards. By downloading the Fresh & Easy app (free for Android and iPhone) shoppers can get alerts notifying them that they have a gift card to use. In addition, coupons based on the shopper’s purchase profile and are released monthly. They are stored under the “my coupons” tab in the smart phone app. These electronic coupons result from predictive analytics based on the consumer’s shopping habits. Gone are the days that shoppers scrambled for paper coupons in their purse while lines of people behind them scoffed and frowned. Apps like this one are fast, simple to use, and the paperless coupon system is better for the environment. Furthermore, shoppers are saving money and continue to return to their favorite store as a result.

The bar code scanner

Android and iPhones are capable of downloading free barcode scanners to aid the frugal shopper. Retail businesses need to recognize that these tools are widely popular, and if items are not priced within the range of reason, physical retailers will be losing business to online stores like Amazon. All one has to do is activate the barcode scanner and hover their smartphone over the barcode until it beeps and pulls up the item on the screen. From there, consumers can check competitor pricing. Often, if the money-conscience shopper presents the cheaper price to a store employee, the lower price tag will be honored. But this is not always the case. For example, last month I went into the Apple store to buy some headphones. They were priced just under $150. I scanned the product and discovered it was $30 cheaper on Amazon (even with the shipping charge). Apple lost my business. If larger businesses aren’t too concerned that people walk out their doors empty-handed over a pricing difference, they should be. In a personal finance article published by US News the author states that approximately one-third of smartphone owners used their device this last holiday season to compare prices with other competitors, both physical and online. Today, this app continues to get downloaded, and more people have discovered its benefits.

The projection

If the number of shoppers who use bar code scanner apps continues to increase, this will put pressure on retailers to be more accommodating with pricing, and we all know that while the consumer prospers from better deals, the business will make more sales and establish brand loyalty. This outcome would be a win/win. As a business owner, whether you own a sporting goods store or an electronics shop, you can’t stop consumers from comparing prices with their phones. You can, however, have an app built for your business that rewards consumers and gives shoppers an incentive to spend their money with you.