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How to earn free movie tickets for your entire crew

Posted on by shopkick

I don’t know about you, but my kids just can’t get enough of Marvel and Star Wars movies. Some days it seems like my kids are all about Captain America one minute and Kylo Ren the next. I shouldn’t complain too hard, though, because I know exactly whose fault this is—mine. I used to love superheroes and sci-fi growing up, and I couldn’t wait to share it with my kids when they got old enough.

The only hangup though is that nowadays spoilers are always a concern. Nobody wants to find out a major plot twist before actually seeing a movie. So, my kids are always insistent that we see the movies on the day they come out, and hey, if I’m being honest, I’m afraid of spoilers, too. You never know when someone’s going to drop one on Twitter! Problem is that all those first-run movie tickets get pretty expensive for the entire family. That’s why I’ve recently put my tech-savviness to the test and searched for apps and other ways to earn free movie tickets.

And you know what I’ve found? There are actually plenty of ways to do that out there! These ways are actually pretty diverse, but I’ve found a few good ones that work for me, and, as much as I’ve always loved Iron Man, there’s just something special about watching him on the big screen with the kids at a showing you got to attend with free movie tickets.

Earn Free Movie Tickets Through Theater Rewards Clubs

In doing my research online on ways to earn free movie tickets, I found that one way was through joining a theater rewards club offered by the company that runs the multiplex in your town, AMC, Cinemark, or Regal, for example. Luckily for me and my little crew of Marvel fanatics, we have one of those programs where we live that gives you discounted popcorn on Tuesdays, free tickets on your birthday, and points that let you earn free movie tickets the more you go.

ways to earn free movie tickets

So yeah, there’s really no reason not to sign up for this one. You typically just have to provide a valid email address and put up with the occasional advertisement email, which sometimes actually includes a great deal such as two-for-one tickets. You can search for your local theater online to find out if they offer this, or keep an eye out for more info next time you head out to a show.

Earn Free Movie Tickets Through Advanced Screenings

This second option is maybe not as reliable as the first one, but it can sometimes be a lot more fun. It involves being on the hunt for free advanced screenings. Theaters often do these to gauge audience reactions to films or to start generating positive word of mouth. Now, for someone like me who’s trying to take the entire crew of kids to the show, it’s tough to find one that has the number of tickets I need.

What makes it just a little bit easier though is that there are actually several reputable websites that have information about tracking down free advanced shows. Some of the sites I’ve found include Sony Screening, Gofobo, and Wild About Movies. I must say though, that they’re almost always limited to major metropolitan areas, but once in a while, they have an offer in a smaller town. Just make sure you check the sites regularly.

Earn Free Movie Tickets Through an App

The best way I found to earn free movie tickets though is with an app called Shopkick. Shopkick is what’s known as a third-party shopping app, and how it works is that it gives you points for the normal things you do while you’re out shopping. When I’m using Shopkick, I get points for stuff like making purchases, scanning the barcodes on certain items for more info, and even for just walking into the store.

Then, I can trade those points in and get paid in gift cards, including gift cards to my local theater. It’s really cool, and I’ve actually started to like shopping more because of it. Before, I used to look at shopping as a serious hassle, something I just had to do and get over with. Now, it’s a lot more like a fun scavenger hunt for points, points that I can use to earn free movie tickets for me and my crew. Basically, these days I’m turning my old annoying grocery shopping trips into superhero movies!

Put them all together, and you basically have your own Avengers team of superheroic value techniques helping you reduce the amount of money you spend on movies.

One thing I should mention before we wrap up here today is that you can actually use all three of these techniques to maximize your productivity as you earn free movie tickets. You can and should use your movie rewards program every time you go watch a film, just like you can and should use Shopkick each time you go to the store. One of the keys to making this work is consistency, sticking with these apps and using them all the time.

Put them all together, and you basically have your own Avengers team of superheroic value techniques helping you reduce the amount of money you spend on movies. At least that’s the way I look at it. But as I said, I grew up with superheroes and Star Wars and all that, so forgive me for being kind of a nerd!

Ready to start having fun with your shopping while at the same time earning free movie tickets for your entire crew? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping can be!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration. 

Image courtesy Maglara

Easy money: apps that pay you to grocery shop

Posted on by shopkick

Hey everyone, I think it’s time we talk about easy money. It sounds great, right? But what does that really mean? In my own experience as a mom raising three boys and trying to keep my monthly budget tight, easy money tends to mean anything that reduces my spending. This happens through reduced prices, rebates, and—my personal favorite—apps that help you save money on purchases.

In my world, there’s no easier way to save money than by getting rewarded to do things like grocery shop, which, with three growing boys at home, has basically become a second job. If that sounds too good to be true, just wait! Today I’m here to share my three all-time favorite, easy money apps that pay you to grocery shop.

Getting Easy Money with Couponing Apps

There’s a whole category of apps—digital couponing apps—that are largely replacing those paper coupons of yore. My favorite of the bunch is SnipSnap, which lets users take pictures of printed coupons and then transforms those into digital, mobile-ready ones. easy money apps that pay

With SnipSnap, I just go over the ads that come in the mail or in the newspaper and take pictures of all the ones I want to use. I don’t have to cut them out like I did in the past, and I don’t have to jam them into my cluttered purse, where I face a risk of eventually losing them. I can also browse an online directory of coupons my friends have snipped, and I can download and use those, too. It’s a free and easy-to-use coupon experience, minus the risk of papercuts!

Superstore Savings: The Walmart Savings Catcher App

I divide my time pretty evenly between the stores where I live, including my own local grocery store, Target, and Walmart. I’ve found though, that the Walmart Savings Catcher App is a pretty great way to make sure I get the best possible price that I can at Walmart. It’s easy to use, too. All you have to do is scan your receipt after your regular trip to Walmart.

When you’re done, the app checks the prices you paid against the prices that are currently being offered by other stores in the area. If there’s an instance where you could have gotten a lower price somewhere else, Walmart gives you back that difference. Basically, remember those ads that used to say we’ll match the lowest price? What this app does is find the lowest price for you, and then it goes ahead and matches it.

The Best of the Easy Money Apps: Shopkick

Those other two apps are great, but my all-time favorite of the apps that pay you to grocery shop is Shopkick. Shopkick turns every trip down the grocery aisle into a kind of scavenger hunt for rewards points, called kicks. Scan the barcodes on certain items and get kicks. Scan your receipt after making certain purchases, get even more kicks. Sometimes, you can even collect points just for walking through the doors of certain stores! You can then trade those points in for gift cards to some of your favorite stores.

In my opinion, those gift cards are easy money. The app also has a feature that allows you to make a grocery list of everything you need before you get to the store, and when you add an item to the list it will tell you about eligible sales and rebates. It makes planning my grocery runs way easier.

In my opinion, those gift cards are easy money.

While Shopkick is my favorite of these so-called easy money apps, I should note that I really love to use all three apps at once. All three are really easy to use, and they also save me money. I use my digital couponing app to save money at the register, scan my receipts at Walmart to make sure I get the lowest prices and use Shopkick to collect points to trade in for gift cards! I guess you could say that when it comes to making easy money, apps for grocery shopping are the way to go.

Get to know one of the best easy money apps that pay you to grocery shop, as well as one of the best shopping apps period. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how much you can earn with the help of a free shopping sidekick.

And, if you’re on social media catching up with friends, be sure to also join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy Wavebreak Media Ltd

Mobile advertising companies: how to choose the best one

Posted on by shopkick

Mobile advertising companies: how to choose the best one

It seems that mobile advertising companies are everywhere. From the established offerings of Google to small start-up app developers, everyone wants to cash in on the popularity of mobile. As of January 2018, 77% of adults in the U.S. have a smartphone, making this an advertising market with massive reach and a major impact. However, the skills that mobile advertising companies offer can vary quite a bit. Finding the best mobile advertising companies is about looking for the five factors that set them apart from the rest: a strong user experience, innovative features, anti-fraud compliance, detailed analytics, and an established reputation.

Those five factors ensure a mobile advertising company has the technology, clout, and dedication to service and customer experience that a brand needs to boost sales through mobile marketing. Mobile advertising is competitive but very lucrative for the brands that manage their campaigns effectively. Brands should partner with companies that offer the features consumers demand along with the technology, experience, and reputation a brand needs to pull market share from their competitors.

Giving Customers What They Want With a Strong User Experience

Consumers have already voted for the kinds of apps they appreciate, and companies should take note. The top downloaded apps in both the App Store and Google Play offer similar sets of features: they provide a fun experience, incentivize activity, and engage consumers with video. As such, a good digital advertising company will offer the following options:

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Gamification:

Gamification takes a regular, mundane event and makes it fun. It’s a proven method for gaining consumer attention. Gamification can be taken very literally, in that brands create a mobile game based on their product, or it can be a strategy based around gaming, one that’s designed to incorporate something else. Popular fitness trackers that offer users challenges for meeting certain exercise milestones are a prime example of this form of gamification.

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Rewards:

Rewards often go hand-in-hand with a gamification strategy, as they recognize a user’s accomplishment. Consider Shopkick, which takes consumers on a digital scavenger hunt to find products and locations. When those consumers go to certain locations or interact with participating products, they receive point rewards—known as kicks—which can later be redeemed for gift cards. Such rewards are often viewed as being more valuable than their face value amount, thanks to the embedded emotional reward the consumer receives in earning the reward and again when collecting on it later.

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Video:

Of all the digital advertising channels, video is the most powerful at converting passive viewers into active shoppers. In one study, it was noted that adding a video to an email marketing message increased click-through rates by as much as 300%. Using video ads in a mobile advertising campaign isn’t just an option, it’s a necessity. Consumers prefer video to both text and image-based advertising, and it’s capable of reaching active and passive audiences. When working with a mobile advertising agency, look for companies that offer video platforms.

The best mobile advertising company will provide the features users demand. Working with them, you can offer consumers a better customer experience, while also staying ahead of the competition. Offering advanced tech features that other companies haven’t yet adopted is also a good way to stand out.

Adding Advanced Tech to Gain Consumer Awareness

Being among the first companies to deliver innovation is always a good way to excite the consumer. Some newer marketing options out there haven’t yet found digital advertising market saturation, which gives early adopters an edge due to the limited pool of competitors. A few emerging technologies to consider include:

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Geotracking:

While beacon technology has been around for a few years, companies are finding more precise methods of geotracking in apps to pinpoint a consumer to their location within a store. This allows for better, more accurate mobile advertisements that reach consumers at that all important moment when they’re in the shopping aisle.

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Augmented Reality:

A few companies have rolled out their own augmented reality (AR) apps as a means of tying the digital and physical worlds together. Because AR is in high demand, the best mobile advertising companies are seeking out ways to leverage AR to engage with consumers.

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Voice-based Assistants:

Smart home devices, like smart speakers and wearables, primarily rely on voice to allow users to work with them. Companies planning marketing campaigns in the future may need to look for ways to offer voice integration.

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Mobile Pay:

Consumers are shifting their payment methods to the digital universe with mobile wallets. As the technology becomes more widespread, expect consumers to want more mobile payment options. Mobile payment options are also a good time for upsell opportunities since additional products and services can be recommended to the consumer based on what is in their shopping basket.

Adopting advanced tech—like any of these four features—will help a brand stand out. Moreover, integrating them into your mobile strategy could help improve the adoption and retention of your branded app. A publisher offering these services is one that’s clearly at the forefront of trends. However, remember that all the high-tech features in the world won’t mean a thing if that company can’t provide high-quality traffic.

Seeking Out Companies That Combat Ad Fraud

Any company engaging in a mobile marketing campaign needs to work with those who combat ad fraud. Ad fraud associated with pay-per-impression and pay-per-click campaigns can vary  but typically uses false traffic—which appears to be coming from real users—to collect revenue from a company that has paid to display an ad. To avoid the possibility of this kind of fraud, work with a company with a proven track record of combatting ad fraud, seek out industry recognized anti-fraud credentials from respected organizations, and ensure the company you choose has policies that protect both the users of the program and the clients they partner with. To verify this, look for:

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Partnerships with the Trustworthy Accountability Group:

This group provides a TAG Certified Against Fraud Program certification badge for publishers that meet certain guidelines in actively preventing fraud.

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Audits from the Media Rating Council:

MRC compliance covers the proper measuring of traffic. To be considered MRC compliant, a company needs to pass an audit of their prior traffic and measuring processes.  

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Clear User Terms:

When working with a mobile app, you should carefully review the terms of service users of their service sign to ensure that data is stored carefully and collected legally. Consumers must give retail mobile apps permission to access user information and the permission type should be clearly stated in the user agreement, so the company ensures they’re only accessing data that the consumer agreed to release.

Companies that have these certifications and protocols in place are ones that are prepared to offer real, relevant traffic for your mobile app marketing strategy, which provides a greater impact for marketing budgets while also giving relevant information to marketers. The data required to validate traffic is the same data needed to advise on marketing campaigns.

Gaining Detailed Analytics Through Mobile Marketing Moments

A good mobile marketing platform doesn’t just offer impactful campaigns, it also gives the data needed to create better campaigns in the future. The data a mobile platform can gather through customer permission can be used to gain valuable insight on clear purchase indicators. This data can give information on:

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Incremental Sales ROI:

With the right data, brands can see exactly how marketing impacts a customer through all parts of the purchase journey. This allows brands to adjust or expand strategies as needed.

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New Customer Acquisitions:

Companies should be able to see how many individuals who purchased something through the campaign are new—versus returning—customers. New customers are necessary for gaining market share. Data that shows how effectively a campaign converts new customers into buyers will directly impact the company’s bottom line.

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Ad Impressions and Completed Views:

These metrics offer  insight particularly on video ads, which can be expensive to produce and roll out on a mass scale. This data informs brands how long users are watching videos, the completion rate as well as the actions taken afterward. Such information helps determine the level of brand awareness created by running mobile ads and whether the ad is worth rolling out on other mediums.

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In-store Product Engagement:

Getting consumers to engage with products in the store is often the first step on the path to purchase. In-store product engagement, whether it’s obtained through geotracking-based data or barcode scans, shows a brand how often consumers are seeing their product in-store as well as how often those consumers make a purchase afterward.

These are only a few of the insights that are available through a well-managed mobile marketing campaign. Platforms providing this data use it to both show the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and to give advertisers insight into consumer behaviors. This goes a long way towards helping a brand build the reputation it needs to gain attention in the crowded marketplace.

Vetting the Reputation of Mobile Advertising Companies

Attracting the best user base means working with the best companies. Mobile advertising platforms are only as good as their reputation, so you want to thoroughly vet the mobile advertising company you’re considering. The best way to do that is online.

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Look for testimonials and case studies:

Brands with proven experience share that experience via their client testimonials. However, when looking at these testimonials, you need to look for real numbers that discuss incremental sale lifts and new customers acquisitions. This will provide the real data needed to determine if a company can deliver impact.

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Seek out online reviews:

Consider looking for online reviews in places like Google and on industry-specific sites. These can provide the customer’s perspective and will help you determine if the firm is a good fit for your brand.

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Find company leaders in the news:

Often, when a company is particularly promising, information about them is available from interviews the leadership team has completed in publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Business Journal, and more. Such stories are typically a good sign that the company has come up with an innovative idea or product and can give you the edge you need. Just be careful of “advertorials,” which is an article that a company has paid to have placed in a magazine. (Most are identified as such.) While the company may still have a strong base of industry knowledge, the article is not unbiased like a regular article in the business or marketing news section.

A little reputation research will help you differentiate experienced mobile advertising companies from those that may not have the clout your brand needs to stand out. Read all the reviews, good and the bad, to make a determination about the company before you enter a contract. After checking the company’s reputation, you can then move on to vetting their features, certifications, and advantages.

Hiring a mobile advertising company is essentially about establishing a partnership: You want any company your brand associates with to reflect well on you. By thoroughly vetting and evaluating mobile advertising companies, and by hiring only the highest rated that can deliver emerging tech, you can see a strong ROI on sales, new customer conversions, and market share growth.

Shopkick is a mobile app offers real marketing insight and ROI to our partners. For more information, contact us.

How to earn Best Buy rewards points on a budget

Posted on by shopkick

My boys are of the age where they are starting to discover things about life that make my job as a parent more complicated. That’s right, they’ve discovered the wonders of electronics and Best Buy! They are just collectively freaking out about all the new gadgets, video games, and gear they’re finding. I love to see them so passionate about innovation and tech—it’s the future after all!—but I don’t think my wallet will ever be the same.

I have, however, found some effective ways to mitigate their budding love of all things digital—specifically, the Best Buy rewards points program. The rewards program is free and easy to join using your email address, and once you’re set up, you get points for every Best Buy purchase: up to 1.25 points for every dollar you spend, depending on your membership level. Once you get 250 points, you can trade them in for a $5 Best Buy reward certificate. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you have three tech-obsessed boys at home like me, it really adds up!

earn Best Buy rewards points

By their nature, electronics can often be expensive. So, to satiate my boys and make sure my bank account doesn’t implode, I’ve had to find other ways to earn Best Buy rewards points on a budget. Not to brag, but I think I’ve come up with some good ones. That’s why today it is my pleasure to share with all of you a couple of my favorite techniques!

Maximize on Best Buy Rewards Points with Sales

The first and simplest technique—at least in my humble opinion—is to keep your eye out for sales. I know that spending $1,500 on a new TV nets you far more points than spending $500, but if you can’t afford that $1,500 TV you won’t be getting any points at all. Keeping your eyes open for great sales at Best Buy is a fantastic way to afford more electronics, which, of course, then earns you more Best Buy rewards points.

Here are some of the places I like to keep my eyes out for sales at Best Buy:

  • The Best Buy Ad: This sounds super old school, but each week I still like to browse the Best Buy ad that comes in the Sunday paper. My family still gets one of those—what can I say, I’m traditional like that—but even if you don’t get the paper, you can easily browse the ad on Best Buy’s website, taking in all the great sale prices they have to offer.
  • The Best Buy Go Mobile App: The Best Buy Go Mobile app does a great job of serving as a resource for the store’s sales. With it, you can browse Best Buy’s daily deals, the aforementioned weekly ad, clearance sales, and even open-box discounts. That way you know what kind of great sale price you’re getting before you even head out to the store.
  • Social Media: If you keep your eyes on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, you can also find many users who love to share info and tips on Best Buy sales, both for purchases in your area as well as online. We’re all in this together, so why not use some communication?

Double Up On Best Buy Rewards Points With a Shopping App

I think the most effective way I’ve found to earn Best Buy rewards points is by using a third-party shopping rewards app like Shopkick. The app awards you points for certain behaviors you do while you’re shopping, things like scanning the barcodes on products to get more info, scanning your receipts after you’ve made purchases, and—my personal favorite—just for walking into the store! You can then trade those Shopkick points in for Best Buy gift cards (or gift cards to many of your other favorite stores), making them as good as cash back.

Let’s face it, technology is an integral part of our daily lives, but it’s also still pretty expensive, especially for those of us with kids.

The best part of all of this is that you can combine Shopkick with the Best Buy rewards program which essentially doubles your earnings! Oh, and you can also use Shopkick online. It’s really comprehensive and easy to use, which is why I can’t recommend it enough.

Let’s face it, technology is an integral part of our daily lives, but it’s also still pretty expensive, especially for those of us with kids. Fortunately, by monitoring sales and also using my favorite rewards app, Shopkick, I’ve been able to find great ways to make the most of sales, rack up Best Buy rewards points, and earn gift cards with all my purchases. At least technology, and apps like Shopkick, can help turn our trips to Best Buy into extra savings. What a wonderful time to be a shopper!

Looking for the perfect app that will help you earn Best Buy rewards points on a budget? Download Shopkick for free, give it a whirl, and join a community of Shopkickers who love the rewards of shopping with us!

Or join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and check in every day on your phone, no matter where you are, to learn about the hottest, newest deals.

Image courtesy Jonathan Weiss

Get a move on: the best apps that pay you to walk

Posted on by shopkick

I take a lot of evening walks. I just love to stretch my legs, get some fresh air, and see my town at a slower pace. It’s easy to miss out on things when you’re zooming by, running errands. Then a funny thing happened on one of these walks: A friend pulled up and asked if I needed a ride. She couldn’t believe I was walking for fun!

Once I explained why I was walking, she also decided to get on board. Now, a whole group of us get together and walk around town. Recently, one of the girls remarked that it would be even better if we could make our walks more productive, maybe by becoming professional walkers who make money for their walking skills. After a good laugh, I fessed up and told her that I actually know of apps that pay you to walk!

three apps that pay you to walk

I was surprised to find out that not one of all the ladies in our walking crew had ever heard of these apps. Especially since I’ve been using them with great success (#humblebrag) for some time. That got me thinking: how many others have never heard of apps that pay you to walk? So, because I love to walk, and I love to make some extra money, too, I thought it time to share my favorite apps that pay you to walk!

Step Up for Cash: The Best Apps that Pay You to Walk

Gigwalk

The area where my walking crew and I live is a mix of suburbs and city. The community is mostly walkable, with a few areas where, if you plan well, you can pass little shops, bigger stores, cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants. Still, it’s not so hectic and filled with traffic that you’re overwhelmed. This makes it ideal for Gigwalk.

Gigwalk is free to download, although be warned: for it to pay you, you do have to foot the bill for some small PayPal fees. The way it works is by providing you with a map of your area with participating stores and restaurants (or “gigs”) represented by a red pin. Click on the pin and a set of instructions pops up, something like: “go to [a specific location] and photograph [a specific item] with your phone.” As you walk, the map updates with additional gigs. For each one you complete you get paid!

In general, I’ve found that gigs only take a few minutes to complete and often pay less than $10, although demanding gigs can pay up to $100! The more gigs you complete, the more money you make obviously. Within a week of completing each task, you get paid via PayPal. Add Gigwalk to your daily stroll and you might not even notice you’re working!

Charity Miles

This next one doesn’t pay you directly. Instead, it donates to a charity of your choice. Charity Miles benefits more than 30 charities and organizations, including Stand Up To Cancer, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Special Olympics, and Habitat for Humanity.

When you’re out walking, the app uses motion detection within your smartphone to measure your total distance. It banks up to $.25 per mile you walk, or $.10 per mile when you bike if that’s more your thing. Then, Charity Miles’ corporate partners—companies like MasterCard, Kenneth Cole, and Humana—make the donation to your chosen charity. It’s walking with a cause—and it makes an already refreshing hobby even better!  

Shopkick

Of the apps that pay you to walk, this one is my favorite. Shopkick and is a perfect choice for walkers, like me, who like to combine their favorite hobby with quick trips to the store. How it works is that Shopkick gives you points—known as kicks—for doing things you already do when you go shopping, like scanning barcodes on certain products for more information, scanning your receipt after you’ve made a purchase, and—ding ding ding!—just for walking into featured stores. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to participating stores.

One of my favorite things about Shopkick is that it makes my nightly walk even more fun by turning it into a sort of scavenger hunt for points. As my ladies and I are walking, we just pay attention to the alerts Shopkick sends us about nearby stores. Sometimes we duck in and score some points that way. Other times we plan ahead and do our shopping, too. We share tips about places where we’ve found the most kicks and just generally have a good time. I can’t recommend it enough!

One of my favorite things about Shopkick is that it makes my nightly walk even more fun by turning it into a sort of scavenger hunt for points.

So, there you have it: my personal list of the best apps that pay you to walk. I suggest integrating walks into your daily schedule because they’re a peaceful way to get some exercise and see the community where you live. I also suggest using one (or all) of these apps, because if there’s one thing I think you’ll enjoy more than walking, it’s getting paid to do it!

Get to know one of the best apps that pays you to walk. Download Shopkick today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how much you can earn with the help of a free shopping sidekick.

And, if you’re on social media catching up with friends, be sure to also join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy maridav

How to optimize mobile technology in the retail industry

Posted on by shopkick

How to optimize mobile technology in the retail industry

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Mobile technology in the retail industry is no longer just a trend. Today, as consumers increasingly turn to their smartphones for help with purchasing decisions, it’s a necessity for retailers. Mobile transcends sales avenues. It can be used in brick-and-mortar locations, for mCommerce, and in hybrid purchase situations. When optimizing mobile technology in the retail industry, companies should focus not solely on mCommerce, but also on how this technology can improve the shopping experience across all channels.

For retailers, embracing mobile technology offers challenges and opportunities. Consumers are using apps more frequently than ever before, but for retailers, launching a standalone app and gaining adoption remains a challenge. When it comes to mobile technology in the retail industry, a variety of solutions—from partnering with third-party apps to optimizing apps for curbside delivery—can help retailers capitalize on mCommerce and improve the in-store experience for consumers.

Capitalizing on the Growing Demand for Mobile Commerce

Already, nonstore sales—which include online, mobile, door-to-door, and telephone sales—are up nearly 10% over 2017. Much of this growth is attributed to the increased demand for mobile commerce. By the end of 2017, 82% of online users in the U.S. reported making a purchase via mobile at least once, with 35% of those users reporting they had only used mobile for online shopping.

Retailers that want to capitalize on mobile payment trends must be prepared to offer a robust mobile experience.

Barriers to Success in Retail Mobile Apps

Even successful brick-and-mortar retailers face challenges driving online sales, especially when competing against the industry powerhouse Amazon. A retailer that wants to leverage retail mobile app technology toward online sales may face challenges in driving traffic to their app, including:

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Adoption:

That consumers use an estimated nine apps per day seems to indicate they should be receptive to retailer apps. However, the most frequently used apps fall into the tools and utility categories—typically native apps that come preinstalled—followed by networking, communication, and social media apps. When consumers do download mobile apps to assist them with shopping, they tend to choose those that represent multiple retailers and brands over single-brand apps.

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Retention:

While adoption of an app is essential, continued use of the app is critical. As technology in mobile apps advances rapidly, any app that is not frequently updated will experience diminished consumer interest.

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Expense:

Creating an mCommerce app is already an expensive and lengthy process. It can become even more costly when a retailer wants to add additional functions to their preexisting app, such as giving consumers the ability to pick up products at the store or participate in mobile rewards programs. The more features a mobile app contains, the more expensive it will be to develop and maintain.

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Segmented operating systems:

There is a strict divide between Android and iOS users. Since every mobile platform uses a different programming language, retailers creating an app will need to either develop apps in each language—which can be costly—or pick just one of the major platforms, which will limit audience reach.

These are just a few of the challenges retailers may face when attempting to leverage technology in the mCommerce space on their own. A route to mCommerce success, with the benefit of driving new audiences, is through partnerships.

Partnering with Third-party Apps for mCommerce Sales

Some of the benefits third-party apps provide to retailers include:

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Existing audience:

Third-party apps come with existing, active audiences built in. A retailer choosing a third-party app to boost their mCommerce gets the benefit of marketing to that existing user base. Before signing up with that third-party app, the retailer should evaluate the app’s user base for demographic match.

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New technologies:

Adding new technology to an existing app also requires extensive research, development, and testing. Third-party app providers tend to be technology forward, as their primary business is maintaining consumer use of their app. Third-party providers that take a consumer-first approach are typically more likely to adopt technologies quickly when consumer demand rises, and also to encourage continued use of the app.
Third-party app providers may also offer additional technologies and services, like beacons for in-store shopping and rewards program management for consumers who want to collect points for purchases.

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Multiplatform capabilities:

Because the goal for a third-party app is typically mass adoption and retention, the app provider will make a version available for users on all operating systems. Updates for each system—Android, iOS or whatever—are also managed by the app developer, not the brand.

A third-party app can offer the mobile technology optimization a retailer needs to reach the consumers they’re after, without the expense of developing a proprietary app. Third-party apps can also be used in conjunction with an existing mCommerce based retailer app to provide additional tools and services for customers.

Using Mobile Technology in the Retail Industry to Merge Digital and Physical Spaces

Retailers that want to leverage mobile technology, both as mCommerce and within the brick-and-mortar world, must be prepared to offer features that bridge the gap between digital and physical locations. A few ways to achieve this include:

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Mobile payments:

While consumers want to be able to pay for items via mobile commerce, they also want to use their apps to pay at the physical store. Companies that offer mobile payments must ensure their platform is secure and allows consumers to store and access payment information without risk.

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Proximity marketing:

mCommerce may be the goal of most retailer apps, but proximity marketing remains essential for retailers wishing to manage in-store sales as well. Proximity marketing connects with consumers and, for marketing purposes, can even encourage them to visit specific locations within a store.

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Online order/in-store pickup:

Target’s recently-launched Drive Up option, within the delivery portion of the Target app, allows consumers to fill their shopping carts using their mobile phone and send their order to a local store. Upon arrival, the customer can have their completed order delivered to their car. Curbside pickup is an option many consumers want, as it offers the convenience of ecommerce without the delay of delivery.

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In-store discovery/online ordering:

For every consumer who wants to order a product online and pick it up in the store, there’s another who wants to go to a store to view a product and then purchase it online. This is often true for large items, like furniture, where the consumer wants to be able to view the product in person before ordering it online, as returning large items can be both difficult and expensive.

In such situations, retailers should make it a goal for consumers to view their product specifications physically in the store and then order that same product online through the retailer’s platform—rather than from a competitor’s site. Making it easy to find the specific product online after viewing it in-store helps retailers ensure they can win the mCommerce sale.

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Mobile rewards programs:

With a shopping app, like Shopkick, consumers can earn points for making purchases both online and in the store. Shopkick also offers consumers the ability to obtain points simply for walking into the store, driving incremental traffic through the door. The ability to collect points for both online sales and in-store interactions will drive engagement with a retailer across platforms while incentivizing purchases.

Mobile technology offers retailers an opportunity to bridge the gap between physical and digital spaces. The right apps will allow retailers to connect with consumers as they’re in the shopping aisle, ensuring they can make the most of every customer interaction.

Making the Most of Mobile Technology in the Retail Industry

Mobile technology can also include tools like GPS tracking and proximity-based marketing that are designed to reach consumers where they are. Retailers can use mobile commerce as a way to guide consumers to products and help them discover new ones both in the store and online. As mCommerce continues to grow, brands that feature the most optimized mobile technology will be the ones to succeed.

Mobile technology in the retail industry will offer an opportunity for brands to blur the line between digital and physical sales. By providing consumers options like mobile payments, rewards programs, proximity marketing, and in-store pickup, retailers will be able to improve sales and gain market share. Third-party apps can be a valuable option, providing the tools retailers need to ensure they’re making the most of their interactions with consumers, no matter where they shop.

Shopkick offers a powerful app that our partners in the retail industry use to connect with consumers both at brick-and-mortar locations and via mobile commerce. For more information, contact us.

7 budget-boosting apps that give you free stuff

Posted on by shopkick

7 budget-boosting apps that give you free stuff

As I’m fond of mentioning, I’m the mother of three beautiful boys who tend to like little boy stuff. They absolutely love Star Wars, video games, and Marvel movies. They’re also kids, so they don’t always have the best grip on reality. For example, my youngest recently asked me what it would be like to meet Iron Man, and if he could invite The Hulk to his birthday party. It was adorable, and it also got me thinking about what kind of fictional character I would want to meet.

I thought about Princess Leia since I idolized her when I was a kid, and about Marge Simpson since her calm amid all the other Simpsons’ craziness has been an inspiration for me as a mom. But, I actually think that the fictional character I’d most like to meet is one of my own creation: the Budget Fairy. She’s like the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz, except she visits me when I have my budget spreadsheet open and shows me really cool new ways to save money. I know, I know, it’s a fantasy.

Actually, I’ve kind of turned myself into the Budget Fairy in a way, mostly because I’ve discovered so many apps that earn me cash back and gift cards and other freebies. So now, like the Budget Fairy herself, I’m going to share some magic with those in need: a list of the seven best budget-boosting apps that give you free stuff. Most help you earn free gift cards or extra cash, but some are useful in other ways, too. Overall, with a little work—and using your favorite device—you may become your own Budget Fairy!

Budget-Boosting Apps That Give You Free Stuff

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Free Stuff Times

There may be plenty of deals online to get free stuff, but when you’re busy raising three boys, you don’t have the time (or energy) to scope out all those deals. That’s where the Free Stuff Times app comes in handy. It’s essentially an aggregate site for finding free stuff on the Internet!

Many of the other budget-boosting apps that give you free stuff on my list work with a sort of points-and-rewards system, meaning they ask you to do a small task and in return, you receive points that you can later trade for rewards. The Free Stuff Times app, however, serves as a directory for ways to get free stuff. It contains things like digital coupons or a link to a list of ebooks that are free to download. Essentially, it’s an online newspaper filled with connections to ways to save. Or, as the name implies, ways to get free stuff! The app also allows you to set up push notifications which help ensure you don’t miss out on offers.

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Checkout51

One of the most reliable ways to get free stuff and become your own Budget Fairy may be to clip paper coupons, but it feels so antiquated! Thankfully, the idea of coupons has been translated into digital apps like Checkout51, which solves the hassles of carrying around pocketbooks stuffed with coupons.

Checkout51 lists items you can buy at the store, and it also gives you digital coupons for those items. After purchasing of an eligible item, you simply scan your receipt and Checkout51 banks the difference between the full price and the discounted one for you. It might be a few cents on mouthwash here or a nickel for chips there, but it adds up, and eventually, you can get that money back through PayPal or gift cards to some of your favorite stores.

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Scratchy

When I was a kid, my uncle would give me a stack of scratch-off lottery tickets and a quarter to go wild with every year for my birthday. I never won any big prizes, but I always had a ton of fun scratching off the silver paint. Well, it takes a bit of patience and luck, but Scratchy is sort of the digital version of that.

I generally spend a few minutes on Scratchy each morning. First I choose which brands or stores I want to win a prize from, then I scratch off a digital ticket in hopes of revealing three matching logos, in which case I get a prize. Scratchy has levels to advance through, and the more time you spend playing, the higher the level you’ll reach and the better the prizes. I once won a $50 gift card to Amazon. That was a lucky day!

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Fronto

Turns out you can now use your boring old smartphone lock screen to earn free gift cards, thanks to Fronto. All you have to do is swap out whatever photo is on your lock screen for news and ads that are selected by Fronto. Every time you view one of these ads, Fronto gives you points. Sometimes, it even asks you an interactive question that allows you to earn even more points. Once you’ve earned $10 worth of points, you can exchange them for gift cards. One word of advice: Fronto can seriously drain your data plan and battery life, so make sure you have data to spare and your charger in hand before you start using it in earnest!

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Claim it!

Like Scratchy, this app requires a bit of patience and a lot of luck. It’s called Claim it! and it’s basically an entire social media network made up of free stuff! Individuals give away free stuff on Claim it!, and so do local stores.

The interface is super simple to use. Each week the app lists sweepstakes you can enter, and you throw your hat in the ring by simply clicking a button that says Claim it! For the data nerds out there, it also lets you know your chances of winning, how many other people have entered, and the value of each item. Just be aware that the more valuable an item is, the lower your chances of winning. For example, I found I had a 100% chance of winning a free yogurt at my local grocery, but a less than 1% chance of snagging a fancy pair of noise-canceling headphones.

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Viggle

When I have a chance to unwind, I usually spend it binge-watching shows or streaming music. I’ve always been a big fan of streaming media as it makes it so easy to access entertainment you might not have found otherwise. As it turns out there’s also an app that gives you free stuff for all the media streaming you do, and it’s called Viggle.

Viggle is an app on your phone that listens for music and TV shows, and then gives you points for all the shows and songs it’s able to identify. You can then convert those points into gift cards or cash. It does, however, tend to take a long time to accumulate enough points to cash out. For example, listening to a Drake song might earn you just two of the 20,000 Viggle points required for a $20 gift card. Then again, if you’re streaming regularly like I am, that might not be a big issue.

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Shopkick

Shopkick is kind of magic itself, in that it turns every trip to the store into a super fun scavenger hunt for points, which they call kicks. It’s super easy to use, and all the tasks users do for kicks are ones you do whenever you shop, anyway. Simply put, Shopkick is a free app that pays you to shop. How it works is that basically, you download the app, then walk into one of the many featured partner stores—and earn kicks. Scan featured item barcodes, get kicks. Buy a featured item, get more kicks! You can even shop from your sofa using the app, and you still get kicks! Once you’ve earned enough kicks, you can trade them in for free gift cards to a super wide range of stores.

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One of my favorite things about Shopkick is how I barely have to go out of my way for free stuff. And, you can combine Shopkick with other shopping rewards apps—including many of the ones listed here—to double up on rewards! For example, Shopkick works really well with Checkout51.

Not only is Shopkick easy and fun to use, it also has a great social media community full of other Shopkickers who love to share tips about everything from deals to ways to maximize the number of kicks you can earn. It’s a small thing, but it makes a BIG difference.

Let’s cap our list today at seven because it’s such a lucky number, and some of our apps—Claim it! and Scratchy—have luck as a main component. I love all the apps on this list, but if I were to pick a favorite, it would definitely be Shopkick. Maybe it’s because I have three hungry, growing boys and seem to be at the store all the time, but having a fun way to hunt down and redeem points (which also ease my budget) is invaluable. The Budget Fairy couldn’t have crafted a more effective way for me to save!

Ready to explore the best budget boosting apps that give you free stuff—and have fun doing it? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us and become your own Budget Fairy.

And, if you love social media as much as you love stretching your budget, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.