These days, it’s hard to beat some of the online deals you can find.
In fact, some of the discounts are so deep that many people have almost completely ceased shopping in person in favor of ordering things online that are shipped right to your doorstep.
But even with technology permeating every aspect of the shopping experience, the chances are pretty good that you’re going to need to get something from a local supplier at some point in the near future.
But just because you aren’t ordering it online, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get just as great a deal on whatever it is you’re buying!
Indeed, there are multiple mobile roads to the same destination when you’re looking for deals and discounts from your favorite local stores. Here are a few of the most heavily traveled:
- Direct Dial: Sign up for email alerts and online coupon notifications from your local faves directly.
- Social Media Sphere: Join Google+ circles, follow Twitter groups and like company pages on Facebook for special social media deals not advertised in stores or online.
- Old Fashioned Web Browsing: There are still ways to find specials simply by checking out the store’s website. In this day and age of app-centric shopping, this avenue is a great way to supplement your searching.
And speaking of apps, there are more applications for your smartphone, tablet or pad to help you find deals and discounts than ever before.
In addition to the tried and trues like Groupon and LivingSocial, here are a couple of the new smartphone apps making shopping that much smarter:
BuyVia:
Available on Android and iPhone, this app sends you alerts in “real time” so that you will immediately know if the price drops on a product you’re looking to purchase. Keep track of products in your shopping list and share good news with friends when you score a deal with this application.
Zoomingo:
Featured on every media outlet from Oprah to Forbes and CNBC to Fox, this top rated shopping app for the Android platform on Google Play finds the best local sales, discounts, mobile coupons and mega deals at the top 100 retail stores nationwide. This one-stop shop for all of your shopping needs allows you to not only browse deals from weekly ads, Sunday circulars and flyers and save your favorites, but it also creates a shopping list for you from them and locates (with maps and directions!) the nearest stores where they apply. But wait…there’s more! Not only is the app itself free, but you can also win weekly prizes and earn free rewards that you can redeem for gift cards from major retailers simply for doing what you’re doing: finding the most efficient route to super savings on your smartphone or tablet.
So, what are some of your favorite ways to save money or find discounts when using your smartphone to locate local deals?
Norman Fong is Co-Founder of BuyVia, an online and iOS App smart shopping service that lists reputable products from top online stores, at the best price available. By downloading the BuyVia iOS App to their iPhone or iPad, consumers can be alerted to the best deals on the most popular products, anywhere and anytime.
