Image via Complex Original
The struggle to maintain one’s sanity when shopping for Christmas gifts is off the Richter. Impatient buyers, long lines, rude customer service, and, of course, the disappointment of failing to procure the most popular item of the holidays—it’s a tough season to be a consumer. Success lies in proficiency and productivity. Need some help getting into the swing of things? Say no more. Take a look at the Apps That Will Make Holiday Shopping a Breeze, available on Windows Store.
Amazon
Price: Free
Shopping on the nation’s largest online retail site just became even more seamless thanks to Amazon’s mobile app. Make purchases as you would on the Internet by comparing prices, reading reviews, and paying for goods directly from your touchscreen. Shoppers can also speed things up by downloading the 1Button app extension onto Internet Explorer to complete one-click transactions instantly. Pin it to the screen or taskbar and complete your holiday shopping in a matter of minutes.
mobile-pocket
Price: Free
Every bit saved makes a difference. Preloaded with hundreds of membership and reward cards, mobile-pocket is designed to keep your wallet light on plastic and loaded with cash. Its unique CardSync feature automatically integrates these reward tags onto a mobile device after a free registration. Believe us—it’ll make the difference between walking out of a store with a Slim Jim in-hand or Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
Fancy
Price: Free
A personal shopper works wonders, especially when made accessible in digital form. Labeled as “part store, blog, magazine, and wish list,” Fancy plays the role perfectly, making thousands of hot products available for purchase—all curated by tastemakers from different consumer spectrums. Stumble upon cool gift ideas and stalk others’ interests for inspiration.
Groupon
Price: Free
Groupon isn’t just a great source to score unbeatable restaurant deals. In fact, the deal-of-the-day website offers a ton of other discounts across a variety of consumer categories. Whether it’s dropping a few Benjamins on a couples massage or scoring an Xbox One bundle on the cheap, buy and redeem vouchers on any item or service directly from a smartphone or tablet.
Shoppers Calculator
Price: Free
Sometimes we go overboard with our spending habits. Shopaholics working with a budget can use this calculator app to estimate expenses all the way down to the last penny. It’s programmed with eight types of discounts and sales tax rates, making it easier to track purchases. Those looking to stretch what’s in their wallets can also set up daily budgets.
RedLaser
Free: Free
Most of us are quick to break the bank to ensure that our loved ones get the gifts they desire. Well this doesn’t always have to be the case. Apps like RedLaser ensure that you keep a few greenbacks in your pocket by letting users scan the barcode of a product, then presenting the best deals on it at nearby and online retailers. Look over descriptions and reviews, plus digitize loyalty cards for quick discount use.
ShopAdvisor
Price: Free
Wish lists simplify the shopping process. ShopAdvisor makes it even more convenient by delivering notifications on wanted items that are marked down, sold out, or restocked. Add watched products onto the home screen as active tiles, while setting up alerts and scoping out local deals through the GPS feature. With the service scanning through thousands of stores and providing updates on over 200 million products year round, it doesn’t take a shopping wiz to appreciate its freemium value.
FastMall
Price: Free
Scrambling through shopping centers without any sense of direction is both mentally and physically draining. FastMall keeps you two steps ahead, guiding users through any mall without the need of GPS or Wi-Fi. How exactly? By granting access to mall maps via download, it provides interactive navigation—Internet-free.
eBay
Price: Free
When all else fails, there is always eBay. Availability on niche and popular items is much higher courtesy of its massive online seller community, which consists of global retailers and independent suppliers. Place bids on items that are out of stock locally and monitor shipments directly from any Windows 8 device or on the Windows Phone Start Screen. Sometimes, the last resort can also become your trump card.
Slickdeals
Price: Free
The online discount portal welcomes a large community of savings hunters who report the latest deal breakers and provide shopping insight. Discover and view trending sales, then set up notifications on sought after gifts. Eliminate research time by asking the public where to locate the best deals on specific items. Pinning the app to the home screen gives bargain bidders a shot at keeping tabs on requested merchandise.