The guilty pleasures of shopping on your Lumia
“When I shop, the world gets better, and the world is better, but then it’s not, and I need to do it again.”
This is how Rebecca Bloomwood, the main protagonist from the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, sums up shopping. But then again, shopping is clearly cheaper than a visit to the psychiatrist!
Each one of us carries a stylish smartphone and the latest range of Lumias has gone chic, very similar to the way we shop.
There are numerous shopping apps around, but only a handful let you buy directly through your smartphone. Here then are some of our favourites from around the world.
Amazon
If you happen to be a frequent Amazon shopper, then this app is made for you. It synchronizes easily with your online account and makes ordering your favorite products a tap away. You can even track delivery status right on your Lumia with Live Tile notifications.
It’s simple to browse through the various products listed, compare prices, read reviews, and get the latest deals, via the app. One handy element is the ability to access any of Amazon’s sites from around the world by selecting your country store or shipping destination.
The checkout process is simplified for mobile and includes the option to review your order before making the payment, just like in the desktop version.
You can also scan product barcodes with your Lumia camera to quickly compare prices and check availability; a great feature.
Made for the on-the-go shopper, this is a recent entrant from India to join the WP store. Myntra is your all-in-one storehouse for all clothes, footwear and fashion accessories for men, women and kids.
Browse and search products by categories and brands just as if you would on the online store. The app also offers a detailed product view and complete information with rich images and style notes from its dedicated fashion editors.
If you don’t find your size here, try the other popular Indian shopping portals like Jabong.com , Flipkart and Snapdeal.
Awesh, a regular Flipkart and Jabong app user, prefers to shop online because of the large variety of products available and the fact that there are genuine user reviews from other buyers. @awesh says: “I shop four to five times a month and the frequency increases if it is the festive season or there are exciting deals. Mobile apps are useful for an on-the-go shopping experience as they reduce the requirement of lugging a laptop with you all the time. These apps have all the features available just like their parent website. Some apps even have bar-code reading functionality and you can find all the information of the products right on your fingertips.”
Your one-stop ‘tap’ for the latest clothes, footwear, furniture, homeware and much more. Offering a ‘next day delivery promise when ordered before 10pm’ (in the UK), the Next app has the full range of products that you will find in the store.
The user interface and navigation is smooth and the search option makes the browsing and shopping experience a delight. Select, pick and load it in your cart.
You could also try the ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ feature or order it via your Credit Card.
Like its web counterpart, the eBay app lets you manage all of your eBay activity on your Lumia smartphone; buying, selling and bidding. First-time users need to sign in or create an account with eBay.
Offering a wide range of products, the user experience of the app is seamless and you can easily search using simple keywords.
This quintessential shoe store now offers US shoppers the same buying experience on their smartphone. So grab your favorites, or use the search option, to find your preferred brand or any other product categories. Try the filter category option to narrow down your results.
Search, browse, read reviews or share your preferred choices from the wide range of available products; shoes, clothing, bags and much more. Keep adding products to the cart and make the payments easily through your card at the time of checkout.
The good news is if you order via the app, your order will be eligible for free shipping the next business day (in the US).
Which shopping app you like to use? Confession time, shopaholics!