Nov 27 2009

Trends Christmas Retailers Worry About

iPhones - the essential shopping tool?
© William Hook

As the Christmas shopping season enters full swing, Social Path recently pointed out some worrisome trends that are keeping traditional retailers up at night.

Smart phones, especially Apple’s dominant device, will be worth their weight in saffron this Christmas. Last November, iPhone users were lacking two vital resources: practical shopping applications and mobile-friendly review sites.

This time around, the iPhone is a veritable treasure trove of easy-to-navigate review hubs and apps…

One such application, Red Laser, lets you scan the barcode on a product in a store and then the Smartphone tells you where you can get it at a better price.

Of course, that begs a question. Why are you even in a store? Online shopping has hit the big time. You don’t have to confine yourself to eBay, Amazon, and Target. Facebook has started letting companies set up stores that let you buy directly from your Facebook newsfeed.

The article provides a thought provoking look at how the retail economy is changing. It may also give you a few ideas about your own Christmas shopping procedure and protocols.


2 Comments

  • By Scott Blake, December 1, 2009 @ 3:09 pm

    I created a video of Red Laser iPhone app scanning my Barcode Elvis and Marilyn art http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXdAUzHqnR4

  • By Dape, December 4, 2009 @ 2:27 am

    Been checking out the price of ‘Red Laser’ $1.99 good price, with most things we all want to pay the best price or do we? Shopping should be a pragmatic impulsive action that normally brings joy and goodwill instead of a kind of calculated indulgence which takes the fun out of shopping.

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