ATS: Technologically Smart Shopping at Target

Here is an article from one of my favorite bloggers, Ginger from Attention Target Shoppers. It drew my attention because of all of the buzz recently on technology and couponing. Check this out- it is COOL!

Target Stores have rolled out Mobile GiftCards. Download the app to your mobile phone and it can produce a GiftCard barcode on any web-capable cell phone. This data matrix barcode can then be scanned at a Target POS like any physical card barcode, and balances can be stored, retrieved, and gifted via your cell phone. 

Target GiftCard via Cell Phone 

Call me crazy but I can see this easily turning into couponing via cell phone especially when you can already sign up for text notifications for Target Coupons and deals send directly to your phone. A bar code is a bar code. I would love to see Target roll out e-coupons for our cell phones so we can get the same coupons on our phone as we  can print. I am no phone application specialist or code writer but it seems a small leap from gift cards to full blown delivery via phone for e-coupons.Shifting the focus to price matching via your cell phone and you’ll be happy to know that there is no reported policy against using your cell phone in the store to find out if Target is the cheapest price. Again, I am betting that unless you get a younger employee, that the average employee will not know that there is such technology available.What technology am I talking about? There is an app for comparison shopping called ShopSavvy, by Big in Japan, is available for the Google Android, iPhone and Nokia phones. Be prepared to be told you have to turn your phone off or be banned from the store. Read about what happened when one Target shopper used it. This app is free and quite powerful. Snap a picture of the bar code and it searches a database to ferret out the lowest price. It then gives you a list of results and can even map the directions to get you to the store you want to shop and offers up a phone list to the stores too!When I am snapping pictures while shopping at Target, I have been careful not to make a big deal out of it. Back in the day when I did comparison shops for my job, I had to remember the prices so I wouldn’t be tossed out but, that was years ago. Now, we all carry phones with note pads in them, shopping lists with our coupons and a ink pen so I am not too worried about nabbing prices to share on clearance items.Maybe you aren’t set up with your current phone to take advantage of this sort of technology, just remember it is available when you get your next phone. I know I will! 

If you have a phone that is capable, check out the ShopSavvy application and many other shopping apps at the iTune App Store. iPhone Applications now available on iTunes.com…! Shop Now!  

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