Do you want to know why most shoppers prefer using mobile apps when they head on to make a purchase? Well, it’s not exactly about just smooth user interface or easy to access that I am talking about here. That’s fine, but let me take you through a list of research records to show you the impact shopping apps have created worldwide to change the purchasing behavior of an individual.
58 % of shoppers refer to their mobile phones for price comparison
39% of customers check out for offers via smartphones
38% of mobile shoppers use mobile phones to get product information
Well, that says it all, right? Mobile phones have become the most trusted shopping advisor among customers than a real life attendant in a shop now. This rising change in purchasing behavior among shoppers has led mobile app developers to make their apps more user friendly than before, to stand out strong as the number one choice amidst the bargain minded crowd. The competition bar has been raised and the prime focus among business retailers, is to bring users a friendly comparison platform.
This has become easy for some of us (shopaholics), to make a product reference on any item, be it the price, the features, the reviews, etc. And without much ado, let me take you through some of the latest price comparison shopping apps of this year that make a user’s shopping experience fun and easy.
1 Red Laser
Red Laser Previously known as a barcode scanner app, the Red Laser app for both Android and iOS devices have grown to provide users with so much more to explore. The app now provides its users with features like- finding out the best price options for any scanned item, whether you are searching them online or at one of the local store. If you want to research further about a particular product, there are options for you to read the product reviews, price deals, discount codes and other products related to your current search. You can also conveniently store your loyal card information straight into the app.
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Variety of product identification features. You can take pictures of a product with your phone camera or through voice identification. This simplifies product search, especially for those who are uncomfortable with bar code scanning or having to manually type down specific keywords.
The listing functionality enables one to keep a track record of items they plan to purchase. This is helpful when you are ready to shop for a particular occasion and have a detailed track record of where to avail the best price offers.
Access the History record section to track the previous search records, in case you would want to revisit a particular search result again.
Easy shopping interface that enables you to purchase an item directly from the app and spot deals as soon as they appear.
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Need to work on the product search filter option. Presently, the product search results are listed serially from the lowest price range to the highest price range. Users should be able to sort the results out either alphabetically or via price range. The alphabetical filter option can help users to identify a specific retailer of their interest, while you can perform a quick search to find if any retailer offers the product within your budgetary range.
The app needs to work on the product search listing, which often becomes redundant due to streaming out of information from multiple devices. Tech For Less is one such retailer that appeared thrice as a potential buyer for a particular product, showing two different price options. However, the buyer will land up on the underlying product page.
The app needs to provide more customer reviews, since a lot of buyers seek to take a second option before they make a purchase. The labeling of the review page must be done properly, like ‘Customer Reviews’ or ‘Red Laser User Reviews’.
2. TheFind
The find Available for both Android and iPhone mobile users, this app is a price comparison platform for beauty, clothes and electronic products. You can simply scan the bar code of a product and search for the best deals that are available within your local area or online. Browse to check the latest deals on any product and even set up for price drop notification alerts. The app lets you monitor social media updates of your favorite brands from its platform.
Has a sparse layout that is free of advertisement clutter, which makes it easier for users to navigate through the entire platform.
Quick product search result list when you start typing down the UPC or the name of the product.
Location map along with retailer name and address for a particular product, to direct users to the right store.
‘Red Laser’ bar code scanner, to help users scan a product and access information easily, whether online or offline.
Easy search of coupons and discount offers for the searched item.
3 BuyVia
BuyVia a great app that combines features like price comparison, deal searches and coupon offers on one single platform. Shoppers can scan the product QR codes or the bar code to find out details like the product price, specifications, reviews and votes and other deals that are available related to your search. You can use this app to search for a product info and the best price offers from anywhere, whether online or at the store of any local retailer. Other than these, you can also set up price notification alerts for any product within your wish list. The app is available for both iOS and Android platforms.
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Easy alert updates via email and push notifications on price fall and other quick deals.
QR or bar code scanner for finding product price and other information related to the retail shop.
Find the best deals and coupons available.
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User interface needs more polish and organization.
The bar code scanner might turn out to be problematic.
Limited retailer list.
4 Amazon
Here is another interesting reason for users to check out the Amazon app. You can use the camera of your smart phone to take a picture of any product and then use it compare price deals offered by Amazon as well as other merchants. You can even get to review feedbacks posted by other customers on a particular product. Once you are done checking, you can easily place orders or add them to your wish list via the app. The Amazon app is available on both Android and iOS platforms.
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The app comes streamlined with a simple navigation layout that provides a quick and efficient user interface.
You can find multiple navigation modes that include conventional browsing system and other features like Snap a Picture and UPC scanning.
Provides a seamless cross device experience that enables one to browse or add products to the cart or the wish list, from one device and finish purchase transaction from another.
Integration of the full website as well as that of eBay, to make it easy for users to access both from one platform.
Signature One-Click checkout button makes shopping experience good and easy.
Download for Android
Download for iPhone&ipad
5 Techie Smart Store
The Techie Smart Store is the ultimate feature and price comparison platform, if you are in search of the latest gadgets and technologies available in the market. There are over millions of products that are available by different brands. Anyone browsing this app can get to read a detailed product specification list as well as reviews posted by other satisfied customers. Besides, the app comes with the unique ‘Price Alert’ feature that lets you set up a customized price deal you are willing to pay for purchasing any product. Whenever there is a price drop on the product and its price reaches within your threshold, you will get notified about it via email. The Techie Smart Store app is available for users of both Android and iPhone devices.
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Price Alert’ feature for setting up customized price deals, fitting one’s budget.
Fast notification alert on recent price falls via email.
Price and feature comparison.
Long list of retailer names.
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Requirement of a more polished user interface.
Download Techie Smart Store from Android
Download Techie Smart Store for iPhone
With the rise in the number of e-commerce apps now out in the market, it becomes difficult to choose the right app offering the best deals possible. The list of names mentioned above have been chosen after a comparative study. Which one of these would you like to download and use, the next time you are in the mood to shop?
Author Bio:
Thomas Miller is the senior most web designer at JB Media Force, one of the reputed web design firms in California. He is also a part time Web Consultant at B3NET Bio, a leading life science digital marketing agency. His 9 years of expertise in both printing and web design enables him to serve both B2C and B2B communities with better guidance.