Tech-Savvy Consumers Using Apps, Websites For Holiday Shopping
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Stores are gearing up for Black Friday, which is just two weeks away, and shoppers are getting ready to cash in on all those great deals.
But instead of racing from store to store or sifting through circulars looking for the best deals, there's an easier way to save big this year.
You drive around, you fight for parking, and you put those store flyers in your purse so you can compare prices. Well, all of that can be a thing of the past.
If you want to find the best deal, there's an App for that. You want to save some money, there's a website for that. Now, bargain shopping is getting a lot easier.
RJ Saul is in the market for a new television, but shopping around isn't his thing.
"I'm a guy so I don't like shopping at all," says Saul. "I don't like looking at stuff. Shopping freaks me out.
So, to find the best price, Saul turned to his phone and an App called Sale Locator.
"It will show me the exact sales that they're having and everything on sale, and compare prices in the area," he said.
Sale Locator covers 1,000 different retailers. The App uses GPS to pinpoint your location and find the best deal at a store near you.
Saul found a flat-screen television at Best Buy before ever leaving his house. He says he saved about 15 percent more than he expected.
More and more Apps and websites are making it easy for consumers to comparison shop and save money.
"In minutes or less, you can save five, 10, 15 even hundreds of dollars," says Steve Schaffer, CEO of Offers.com.
At Offers.com, consumers can find promotional codes and coupons to more than 3,000 companies and all of the codes and coupons are guaranteed to work.
RetailMeNot.com, the largest online coupon site in the United States has more than 130,000 merchant partners, adding 1,000 new merchants each week.
Tech-savvy shoppers are becoming the norm. According to the National Retail Federation, half of those who own smartphones will use them during holiday shopping, and retailers are embracing it.
KDKA's Susan Koeppen: "You have shoppers coming in saying, 'Hey, look it's cheaper in another store."
Rob Kovalan of Best Buy: "Yes."
Koeppen: "Using their phones."
Kovalan: "Everyday."
Saul says it's all about saving time and money.
"Sale Locator saved me time and money. Get in, get out and get back to watching football," he said.
If you are going to use your phone or computer for deals, it's a good idea to limit the number of Apps or websites that you use.
It's a good idea to pick one you like and stick with it. Otherwise, you can waste a lot of time bouncing back and forth checking sites.
The whole point is to make things fast and easy for shoppers.
RELATED LINKS:
SaleLocator.com
Offers.com
RetailMeNot.com
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