I’m a true modern-day shopper. I don’t go anywhere without consulting my cell phone – before heading out to the store, during my shopping trips, and (my favorite) completely from home without having to leave my house. Yes, I fear that I would do all of my shopping online if I could.
My shopping habits have certainly changed since I was a new mom 15 years ago – heck, my shopping has changed drastically in just the last 2 years as I have come to rely more and more on my cell phone, and as my phone has become so much more than just a phone.
I remember getting my first cell phone as a gift from my husband 11 years ago. I thought it was an unnecessary extravagance – nice, of course, but “extra.” Now, I can’t imagine living without it.
Top 3 ways to shop smarter with your smartphone
While there are countless ways to use your smartphone as a tool to help you save money, find the things you need, the following three shopping strategies are my favorite:
- Before shopping: I use my smartphone before leaving the house to find the best places to shop locally. I search for local deals, see which stores near me are running specials, and create a plan. When I use apps on my phone to scout out the best places to buy what I need, I save time and gas running around from store to store and I often end up finding a much better deal than if I had just gone to my old stand-by store.
- During shopping: I have my smartphone in hand whenever I am shopping, whether I’m checking my shopping list using an app on my phone, scanning products in-store with apps that pay me back, or pulling up coupons for items in my cart.
- Instead of shopping: I love saving a trip to the store by finding what I need online, and I buy the majority of my family’s non-food and clothing items (from replacement razors to makeup to birthday presents) online. More and more of my store front browsing has shifted from my desktop to my phone and iPad, since I can shop anywhere in my house at anytime (especially while I’m multi-tasking!).
eBay Mobile Apps available for YOUR phone
There are thousands upon thousands of apps available now to do everything from shopping to working to playing games. My favorite apps, though, are those that help me do what I would already be doing online without having to consult my computer.
I already do a bunch of shopping on eBay…just today I received the flute I bought on eBay for my 9 year old daughter who is starting flute lessons at school this year. Instead of paying the $80 for a school-year flute rental, I searched on eBay until I found a flute I could BUY for $80. I figure that if she doesn’t stick with the flute, I can always resell that same flute on eBay and still make out a lot better than if I had rented it.
I was able to do all of my flute searching, watching, and bidding on the eBay Mobile app on my iPad. I was even able to get notifications when flutes that I was watching or bidding on were about to end, or when I was outbid. I loved it because I didn’t have to stay close to my computer in the evenings when I was hanging out with my kids.
(Reese, by the way, is thrilled with her new flute and gave me about a dozen “Thank-you-I-love-you” hugs today after the flute arrived.)
So many free mobile apps!
Check out http://mobile.ebay.com/ to see all the free mobile apps that eBay offers, from the core app which allows you to shop eBay and post items for sale on the go, to the RedLaser app which allows you to comparison shop with the scan of a bar code or the eBay Fashion app which allows you to snap pictures of fabrics to find matching or compatible items on eBay.
Some of my favorite eBay mobile apps:
- Redlaser App: Quickly scan barcodes, QR codes, UPC codes and more to find the best deals on eBay, online or in your local area. Scan a book and check for online reviews. Scan a food item and add it to your grocery list or check against food allergies. Love!
- Official eBay app: Browse, shop, sell and manage all of your eBay activities no matter where you are. You can even skip the typing and just say what you want to find.
- Half.com app: Buy books, DVDs, music, and video games anywhere, even at the park while your kids are running around.
Join the #eBayMobile Twitter Party
Join the 2hr #eBayMobile twitter party this Tuesday, October 2nd, from 12-2 PST. Participants can RSVP at #eBayMobile RSVP. They’ll be giving away $300 in eBay gift cards! And believe me, it’s worth it! I won an eBay gift card during a Mother’s Day twitter party and had a blast using it on myself! Hope to see you there!
Disclosure: This campaign has been brought to you by Splash Creative Media on behalf of eBay Mobile. I was compensated for my post, but my words and opinions remain my own.
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