Some shoppers have felt the need to stealthily scan items in stores with their smartphones. They'd rather not be accused of "showrooming," the practice in which one scopes out merchandise in a brick-and-mortar store, only to purchase it online—at Amazon, likely—for less money. This week, though, Target began actively encouraging mobile phone scans nationwide.
Target started selling Amazon‘s line of Kindle e-readers two years ago. Head over to Target.com now, though, and you’ll discover a wide assortment of e-readers, but not a single Amazon Kindle for sale. Kindles are being taken off the shelves at Target’s nearly 1,800 stores as well, as the retailers’ battles over “showrooming” and brand [...]
With so much concern over privacy in the digital world, it’s worth noting how the careful disclosure of consumer data might actually help. This is especially true in the area of personal finance, where the newly minted federal Task Force on Smart Disclosure seems to be digging in.
Customers who used Citibank’s mobile app for the iPad tablet probably assumed they were on the cutting edge of technology. Here’s what they weren’t expecting: a technical glitch that charged some of them twice when they paid bills.
How’s this for a brazen move to steal business away from brick-and-mortar stores? Under normal circumstances, a shopper using Amazon’s Price Check app in a physical store can instantaneously check to see if Amazon sells the same merchandise for a better price. This Saturday, however, when a consumer uses the app, Amazon will show its [...]
Entrepreneurial techies have been selling thousands of smartphone apps that claim to treat acne for 99¢ and $1.99 a pop (excuse the pun). Now, however, a Federal Trade Commission investigation reveals that (shocker!) the claims have no scientific basis.
Whenever a store has a sale, it points out how much the shopper would “save” by purchasing the discounted merchandise. This is ridiculous, of course. If the item is something you wouldn’t have otherwise purchased, you’re spending, which is the polar opposite of saving. But new smartphone apps can actually help shoppers save—yes, genuinely save, [...]
When you’re squirming at the car dealership negotiating table, wouldn’t it be nice to have endless knowledge of the marketplace at your fingertips? With a smartphone and the right apps, you’ve got just that.
During a six-hour shopping excursion in Dallas-area malls, three shoppers armed with three different smartphones—Android, Blackberry, iPhone—scan, search, and take advantage of every app under the sun on a two-prong online-real world quest for great gifts and the best prices. What do they find out? While smartphone-enhanced shopping comes with its share of frustrations (Droids [...]
New apps will send coupons and other promotions to the cellphones of potential shoppers who are near stores to try to lure them inside and entice them into buying something.
