The most critical thing that Patrick Clayton brings along to do his Christmas shopping isn’t his wallet. It’s his shopping list.
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On his cellphone.
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The 31-year-old Manhattan resident keeps his Christmas list on a special application on his iPhone. That way, he says, he’s always got it with him.
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Sometimes you just want your phone, your keys — and your debit card, says the new store construction manager for the Pret A Manger restaurant chain. I can keep track of my phone a lot better than a folded piece of paper.
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It’s a bizarre holiday tradition for consumers to trudge to the mall — reach into their pockets — and wince at the awful realization that they left their shopping lists at home. But the shopping list is alive, well and making a high-tech comeback this holiday.
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Major retailers — from Walmart to Toys R Us to Amazon.com to Best Buy — are only too happy to provide consumers with state-of-the-art holiday shopping lists via their Web sites or smartphone apps. These lists can be very useful tools for consumers looking to save time and hassles.
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Some apps are basically highly organized mobile shopping lists that help consumers categorize gifts for family, friends and co-workers. By touching the screen, users tap in names, gifts and expenses.
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Other retailer apps, such as Walmart’s, work by clicking on pictures of suggested gifts, then clicking add in order to add them to your shopping list.
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But some retailer apps also serve as savvy sales tools that can nudge consumers to purchase more stuff than they intended.
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The goal of the retailer isn’t to help you be an efficient shopper, says Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic Retail, a consultancy. It’s to sell you more.
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That’s why, this holiday in particular, consumers who use retailer shopping lists really need to check them twice.
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Don’t just…