Newsletter: Best Sites for Holiday Shopping on the Go
It’s that time of year again when our thoughts turn to gift-giving. Most of us in the USA grew up with the concept of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when workers who have the day off get out to the malls to take care of their shopping. With the arrival of Internet shopping, the idea of Cyber Monday was born. That’s the Monday after Thanksgiving, when we turn to the Internet to order gifts that we couldn’t find in the stores, or for gifts that are only available online. Buying on or around Cyber Monday ensures that your gifts will arrive in time, and you won’t be paying exorbitant shipping costs to get them there on time.
Cyber Monday was two days ago, so if you’re planning on ordering online, now’s the time. As business travelers, we rarely have time to sit still and focus on shopping. I decided to check out the websites of my favorite vendors to see if their mobile versions are up to snuff. Here’s what I found that you may also find useful. Some of these sites have gifts for family; some have gear for next year’s round of travel.
What can you say about the world’s biggest online bazaar? When I first visited the website on my iPhone, I noticed their button advertising their Apps for Amazon. Below the Cyber Monday banner, the Kindle Fire ad, and the Apps button, I found a neatly organized list of categories, complete with sub-categories and a Search Amazon.com box right at the top. Tapping the Books category, I was taken to the Bestsellers list, from which I could also tap Search or Newest (list).
Having a compellingly well-organized mobile site makes it much easier to find what you’re looking for especially with a site the size of Amazon. Be careful what you purchase there, though; not everything is hosted AT Amazon. Items shipped by third-parties may take longer to arrive.
I did visit the iTunes store to see what apps they offered, but the only one that caught my interest enough to download it is their Amazon Fresh app. We here in the Seattle area are lucky enough to enjoy Amazon’s home grocery delivery service, Amazon Fresh, and I will make good use of that app year round.
I bought my big camera and most of my photography equipment from B&H Photo/Video out of New York. While I wasn’t crazy about paying for cross-country shipping, their service and selection are among the very best in any industry, so they are worthwhile. Like Amazon.com, they have a HUGE inventory, so searching and shopping requires you to use good keywords to find what you want.
Unlike Amazon, B&H doesn’t (yet?) Have a mobile version of their website, so be prepared to zoom and scroll a lot while shopping.
This website is one of two sites I check when it’s time to buy electronics and hardware over the Internet. Buy.com consistently has the best prices with the lowest shipping, and over time they’ve maintained that reputation.
The mobile Buy.com site is very compact. You’re immediately presented with a search box and an opportunity to browse by category. Buy.com also has an iPhone app.
That’s right eBAGS.com: this is one of my favorites shopping sites for travel gear. EBags’ success comes largely from their selection and their liberal return policy. In other words, order 3 of something if you’re not sure what’s going to work, and they’ll take the other 2 back (in good condition), no questions asked. The eBags mobile site is compact and well-organized, so you’ll be able to see decent sized images and details.
Ebay has been doing a lot of television advertising around their mobile website, so I’m not surprised to see their long list of categories come up right away. They too have a mobile iPhone app. I might consider loading that one on my phone if I’m selling on Ebay, but as a buyer, not so much. One thing I do appreciate about their mobile site is that they include a link to their “classic” site, so that you’re not limited to the mobile version if you’d prefer to use the main site.
This is the other site I use for buying hardware, in particular. NewEgg has been around at least as long as Buy.com, and they’re usually very competitive in terms of price and service. As expected, they too have an iPhone app, which they offer you immediately on the home page. Below that are buttons for shopping the main site or shopping the mobile site. I chose the Mobile version, but was redirected to the same screen, no doubt hoping to induce me to download their iPhone app. I’m not going to load my phone up with shopping apps, so save NewEgg for a time when you can visit the site on your laptop.
This website is my source for both comfortable clothing (I’m allergic to nearly everything except cotton), and great luggage. I’ve owned 2 complete sets of Lands’ End luggage and been very happy with both price and wearability. Their mobile site has finger-friendly categories, making it easy to browse the site without going somewhere you didn’t mean to visit. They too have a link to the full website.
I have not purchased shoes myself from Zappos, but McAlister got a pair of steel-toe work shoes for his seasonal job this past summer, and he was able to find what he wanted in the sizes and colors he wanted from Zappos. I’m encouraged to try buying from Zappos myself; I have a hard time finding shoes I like, especially for travel.
Zappos also has an iPhone app, which they offered with a Download Now button. Below it they have a “No Thanks, I’ll just use the Browser” link, so I tapped that one to get started. With a series of dropdown selections, I was able to start browsing for a comfortable set of flats in no time.
What is your favorite mobile shopping website or app? Use the comments section below to submit yours, and I’ll add them to the resource list.
December 1st, 2011 at 5:52 am
My bf got me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I love it. It’s lightweight and easy to use straight out of the box. The first thing I recommend anyone with a new Kindle do is install the nook app. We got our instructions from http://www.kindlemad.com through google. It basically unlocks all the Android marketplace apps and unlocks the device. Super happy!
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:06 pm
You have a way with words. I am adding this page as a bookmark on Digg.com so all my friends can see it. I think they will like it as much as I did. If they do, then I will add a link to one of my Hubpages with your anchor text or something very similar. All the best with future posts, good work.