10 Apps to Make Holiday Shopping a Smoother Experience

by Nathan Eddy

This free app, which is also available as a browser add-on, automatically searches the Web while you shop to help you find better prices, coupon codes or free shipping. Once you enable the PriceBlink extension within Safari, you can do a price check on an item with just one click.

This app gets you fast answers to questions you pose to local businesses through text so you can find out if the product you want is in the store before you slog through traffic to find out. When you don’t want to make a phone call or get stuck on hold, or you can’t find what you want online, use TalkTo to compare prices and check product inventory.

When shopping for deals, determining the price isn’t always easy. That’s where the free Sale Saver app comes in. The app features a slider that helps determine how much you’ll pay based on the product’s sticker price and sale percentage. The app even includes tax calculations and can be set up for a variety of currencies worldwide. As a bonus, the app is ad-free, which helps reduce clutter.

The app’s Slickdeals Frontpage is where the best deals in the nation rise to the top. The app’s community votes up the best deals to the Popular Deals section. Then, Slickdeals’ team of deal editors review the deals to see what is Frontpage-worthy, taking into account price history, product reviews, coupon codes, free shipping and more.

With the Flipp app, shoppers use their fingertips to select which retailers matter most—whether it’s a supermarket, big box electronics store, clothing chain and so on—and are able to see the latest flyers showcasing new products and sales. Because iPhones are location-aware, Flipp will first figure out your ZIP code, or you can type it in, so the right stores and closest deals will automatically pop up first.

Everyone knows about the nightmare that American consumers can’t help but be drawn to—Black Friday. This app collects the Black Friday ad leaks and allows you to make a shopping list, price compare and also buy special deals right from your phone. You can also share your list with friends and download PDF scans for offline viewing.

This useful app has several features that you’ll find useful at a variety of big box stores—for example, open Chameleon the next time you’re shopping at Target, and the app can tell you which aisle the product you’re looking for is in. If you are in a shopping mall or outlet complex, Chameleon can become a guided map that includes amenities such as nearby bathrooms, staircases and food courts—after all, holiday shopping can be hungry business.

This app helps you save on gift cards to thousands of popular stores and lets you search for gift cards by brand name, highest discount and stores nearby. Then you can redeem your savings instantly at checkout—and you can also sell gift cards and store credit for cash at the price you choose. In addition, you can add a credit card to your account for fast checkout and secure listings and track total savings and earnings in a digital wallet.

RedLaser helps you find the best prices, coupons and deals for products and stores, online and locally. Scan a barcode or search to find the best price; search for products, coupons, deals and nearby locations of stores; read reviews; see nutrition facts; and find store locations, store hours and in-store maps. You can also find alternatives and accessories for the product you just viewed, and see what other RedLaser users have searched.

Browse, search, get product details and read reviews on millions of products available from Amazon.com and other merchants. You can also compare prices and check availability instantly by using Flow, scanning a barcode or typing your search, as well as take advantage of 1-Click ordering, Prime member support, Subscribe & Save, Wish Lists, order tracking and additional features.