Shopping Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

2011 boasts record holiday season for online shopping, especially from mobile devices

by Mike Schramm (Jan 2nd, 2012)

2011 has only just ended, but I have a sneaking suspicion that even when we look back on it in another 12 months from now, we'll find a pretty revolutionary year in terms of the quality and quantity of our shopping. For example, UI expert and project leader Luke Wroblewski has compiled a list ...

Online shopping gets iPad surge on Christmas Day, iOS dominates in December

by Michael Rose (Dec 27th, 2011)

There's no rest for the weary in retail this year, but at least on Christmas Day most of the shopping frenzy was online and not in line. IBM's Smarter Commerce unit, which tracks 500 online stores (but not Amazon, the largest, and probably not Apple's store either) told the AP that Christmas Day ...

iPhone recreated in wood (and a toy iPad for the taking)

by Mike Schramm (Dec 6th, 2011)

How great is this wooden iPhone, complete with special block icons to get moved around on the "touchscreen"? I'm not quite sure what it says about our culture that we're recreating Apple's magical device in this way (though it should be noted that this is an art project, not an actual "wooden ...

Report: iPads and iPhones helping create 'couch commerce'

by Mike Schramm (Dec 5th, 2011)

Above, you can see an intriguing graph from Compuware APM that shows a kind of kooky new trend in shopping this holiday season, something the researchers are calling "couch commerce." Shopping via the web is up big-time lately, and as you can see above, a big part of that is shopping from the ...

5 Apps to make your holiday shopping easy

by Kelly Hodgkins (Dec 5th, 2011)

Thanksgiving is done and Black Friday is behind us. Now, it's time to get serious with your holiday shopping. Here are a few apps that will make your holiday shopping easier, maybe even fun (all prices are USD). Santa's Bag- Christmas Gift List ($0.99) Santa's Bag- Christmas Gift List is an ...

Apple's retail tech can notice shoppers when they arrive

by Kelly Hodgkins (Nov 28th, 2011)

Ever wonder how Apple employees know you need help or are there to pick up an order? Apple employees now have a way to track you in the store. On Black Friday, New York Times reporter Brian X. Chen took a closer look at a customer tracking system Apple has been using "for a few weeks." It's an ...

Google's formerly-iPad-only Catalogs app now also on Android

by Mike Schramm (Nov 28th, 2011)

Updated to reflect that the iPad version has been out for several months. Google's shopping-centric mobile app isn't particularly new on the iPad -- we checked in on it in August -- but it's finally made its way to the Android platform. It's called Catalogs, and you can find it as a free ...

Apple offers free shipping with online purchases

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Nov 28th, 2011)

Apple has rolled out its annual free holiday-shipping program through the U.S. online store. From now until Dec. 22, Apple has waived the $50 requirement for free shipping with the hopes of enticing customers to pick up accessories and other low-cost items through the Apple Store. As ...

More retailers see catalog gold in iPad apps

by Kelly Hodgkins (Nov 21st, 2011)

Online shoppers aren't just looking for tablets to buy, they are using them to do their shopping, too. The New York Times suggests that the majority of tablet owners use the device to shop, and that they prefer the shopping experience of the tablet over that of a smartphone or desktop. Only ...

Apple becomes UK's #2 online retail store

by Michael Grothaus (Nov 21st, 2011)

Apple.com has become the second most trafficked online retail site in the UK, according to a report by website tracking firm Experian Hitwise and IMRG. The #2 spot puts Apple.com only behind Internet retail juggernaut Amazon.co.uk and ahead of retail discounter Argos.co.uk. Experian Hitwise ...

Retrevo Study: Shoppers seek tablets on Black Friday

by Mike Schramm (Nov 18th, 2011)

The latest consumer study from Retrevo has tablet computers sitting atop the list of items people will seek out on Black Friday, with the iPad at the top. The Kindle Fire is also a target, as are HDTVs, laptops, the iPhone and other smartphones. We've already seen that the iPad is supposed to ...

Study: Shopping on iPads increases spending

by Mike Schramm (Nov 12th, 2011)

Whether you want to hear it or not (and trust me, I don't either), the holidays are just a couple of weeks away. Just a short 14 days from now, the holiday season will be upon us, and Black Friday and other holiday deals will be everywhere, encouraging us to buy gifts, sale items, and whatever ...

Amazon's Flow app is augmented reality shopping goodness

by Michael Grothaus (Nov 10th, 2011)

Amazon quietly released a new iPhone app last week that aims to give other bar code scanning apps a run for their money. The free app, called Flow, isn't revolutionary in its bar code scanning capabilities. Oh, it scans bar codes just fine, but the beauty of Flow is that it does more than just ...

Daily iPad App: ShopSmart by Billeo

by Kelly Hodgkins (Nov 9th, 2011)

Billeo is an online shopping assistant and payment service that saves passwords, fills out forms and helps you both shop and pay bills online. To expand its service, the company just released ShopSmart, an iPad app that keeps track of reward cards and other discounts while you shop. When ...

Creating a shopping list with Reminders and Siri

by Erica Sadun (Oct 22nd, 2011)

Cliff Joyce of Pure Blend Software introduced me to my favorite way of putting together shopping lists in Siri. Start in the Reminders application and create a new list. To do this, tap the Lists but-ton at the top-left corner of the application. It looks like three lines on top of each other. ...