The holiday season is officially upon us—and with it comes the usual mixture of excitement and stress that descends upon us. Sure, it’ll be a great time once you get there, but that mountain of shopping ahead can sure seem daunting sometimes.
While there isn’t an app out there yet that will actually do all the shopping and organizing for you, there are a selection of great apps to make the process smoother, easier, and even cheaper.
Here are 10 that we’d recommend taking a look at before heading out to the malls this holiday season:
1. RetailMeNot Coupons
Coupons have been around for as long as many of us can remember. Customers love them because they give them discounts for various selected items, while businesses love them almost as much because all too often people forget to use them. This app simplifies the process of using coupons and ensures that no one forgets to bring their coupon with them.
All you have to do is search the app for deals, according to categories or trending offers, before showing the app to the checkout operator. Even better, RetailMeNot Coupons sends automatic alerts to you when there are deals nearby so you don’t even have to worry about forgetting to check manually.
Platform: iOS / Android
Price: Free
2. Flipp
Flyers are nearly as useful and instantly forgettable as coupons. Currently only available for iOS users, Flipp aims to counteract that issue by offering a centralized source of flyers, covering over 300 retail stores. Major stores such as Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Macy’s, Kroger, Sears, and Ikea all have flyers to browse through this app.
It’s quick and easy to search for the items you want with it possible to immediately send them to your shopping list for later consultation. With plenty of savings on offer, it could really help those cutting back on their spending at this time of year.
Platform: iOS
Price: Free
3. RedLaser
It’s been available for quite some time now but that doesn’t stop RedLaser being the ultimate barcode scanner app. In a store and wondering if their price is the cheapest? Scan it and RedLaser will find out the best price, both online and locally. It’ll find more information than that too with reviews, nutritional facts and coupon offers available too. Plus, for each store, it offers locations, opening times and in-store maps.
It’s an immensely clever app, with new features regularly added such as the ability to create QR codes, shopping and wish lists, as well as find alternative products easily.
Platform: iOS/Android
Price: Free
4. Amazon App
For those not keen on going outside for their holiday shopping, Amazon is the essential place to go. The official app makes it a breeze too, making it a breeze to search around, get full product details for everything, compare prices with a barcode scan, and easily order right from your smartphone. Somehow, the app manages to be even more straight-forward than the website, ensuring that the process is seamless and painless. It’s ideal for those keen to dodge the holiday rush.
Platform: iOS/Android
Price: Free
5. Consumr
Combining barcode scanning facilities and extensive product reviews, Consumr is the ideal way of crowdsourcing opinions. Promising millions of different ratings and reviews, the app makes it easy to ensure that you’re buying the best product and at the best price.
The app has a plentiful supply of reviews covering the majority of gift ideas, such as toys, movies, books, games, and beauty products. It’s simple to share your own reviews, as well as gain personalized recommendations through the service.
Platform: iOS
Price: Free
6. SnipSnap
A twist on the conventional coupon app, SnipSnap removes the need for scissors, allowing users to take photos of their coupons to later use in store. The app converts all the text, images, and barcodes into a format that works perfectly for your smartphone, meaning you can just hand it over at the checkout.
Adding to that functionality, sharing features means that you can view the coupons that your friends and family have already snipped, thereby offering up plenty more options to browse. In-store reminders via push notifications complete the money saving package.
Platform: iOS/Android
Price: Free
7. eBay Now
We all know how useful it is to be able to browse eBay for some cheap bargains, but how much better would it be if such items could be delivered fast? For those in San Francisco, San Jose, the SF peninsula, and parts of New York City and Chicago, things just got better. eBay Now is a service that allows you to order items with them hand delivered in around an hour.
Deliveries can be taken anywhere of your choosing, not just your home address proving particularly ideal for those strapped for time. There’s a delivery charge of $5 but that’s a small price to pay for those in desperate need of a last minute gift.
Platform: iOS/Android
Price: Free
8. Zoomingo
With extensive personalization features, Zoomingo is quite the one-stop app. It makes it quick and easy to find thousands of different items on sale locally. There are coupons galore on offer, and it’s simple to set things up so you only get the deals that are relevant to you. A personalized feed highlights what’s going on at any point during the week.
Further useful features include the ability to ‘watch’ an item for when it goes on sale, as well as earn rewards from selected stores such as Macy’s Target, Walmart, and numerous others.
Platform: iOS/Android
Price: Free
9. Groupon
It’s been a huge success story in recent times but it’s easy to forget the obvious solutions. For those looking to save money on everything from products to meals or days out, Groupon has you covered. A selection of deals are available every day for more than 500 different cities. It’s simple to use this app to buy a deal, as well as redeem it at the relevant location.
Reducing the need for a printer or to keep track of emails, the app makes it simple to keep aware of what deals you’ve already bought. Throughout the year, it’s going to be useful, but such diversity will come into its own at this time of the season.
Platform: iOS/Android
Price: Free
10. The Christmas List
Keeping track of what needs to be bought and who for isn’t always easy. For those with large families or circles of friends, it can be mildly bewildering. The Christmas List simplifies that process, making it easy to keep track of everything that needs purchasing.
The app works like a conventional shopping list app but with a focus on gift buying. It’s possible to add friends from your iPhone contacts, before adding information about their favorite stores and gift ideas. Tracking information can be added so you can keep an eye on whether the item is on its way or if it’s arrived and waiting for you to wrap it. Plus, the app will keep you up to date on how many shopping days you have left.
Platform: iOS
Price: $1.99