Smartphone owners can use technology to aid in shopping this weekend

MILWAUKEE —Wired Wisconsin has released its annual picks for the top Black Friday apps for state shoppers. Savvy shoppers aren’t just waiting for newspaper advertisements to make their buying decisions this holiday season. Rather, they’re turning to their smartphones and broadband access to guide their Black Friday shopping.

“We know that broadband access impacts our lives in many different ways,” says Thad Nation, executive director of Wired Wisconsin. “Holiday shopping is no exception, and we’re pleased to release our annual list to help consumers on Black Friday.”

According to Deloitte’s 27^th Annual Holiday Survey, half (50 percent) of consumers surveyed own smartphones, and nearly 7 in 10 (68 percent) plan to use their phones for holiday shopping this year. These shoppers will primarily use their devices to get store locations (62 percent), check and compare prices (58 percent) and obtain product information (50 percent).

“Broadband access, coupled with the prevalence of smartphones, has changed the way consumers shop this holiday season,” says Nation.

Wired Wisconsin recommends downloading the following free apps before holiday shopping this year:

DealNews  (available for iPhone and Android) makes a return appearance from last year’s list as a transitional app for shoppers. This app compiles all the Black Friday ads and allows users to sort by category.

TGI Black Friday (available for iPhone and Android) also returns from last year’s list. It compiles the Black Friday ads and allows users to make a shopping list. As a bonus, it sends a push notice when new ads are leaked and uploaded.

List Bliss (available for iPhone and Android) is an app for those who tag team on Black Friday. This app allows you to share a shopping list with other people, ensuring that you don’t duplicate any items on Santa’s shopping list.

Shopkick (available for iPhone and Android) offers a nice way to reward yourself for all the stops you make in participating stores. Even though it’s a free app, Shopkick allows you to earn points and rewards for just visiting participating retailers.

Nextag (available for iPhone, iPad, iPod and Android) is the Black Friday app for those who don’t like to venture out to the stores at all. This app allows users to comparison shop and make secure purchases without leaving home.

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Wired Wisconsin is the Wisconsin-based project of Mobile Consumers for Choice and Competition (MCCC), a non-profit organization of individual consumers interested in technology, broadband, and telecommunication issues with state projects throughout the Midwest region. The project will work to support an environment for innovative technology, high-tech job creation, and economic growth. Wired Wisconsin will seek to educate consumers, policy makers, and businesses about technology- related legislative and regulatory issues that impact our lives and advocate for common-sense approaches to spur innovation and grow the economy. For more information, visit www.wiredwisconsin.org.