I Hate Shopping. But I Love this Shopping App.

Here’s the thing. I don’t like shopping. I’m a ‘know what I want before I get there, get it quickly and run the other way’ kind of shopper. Sometimes, though, I am pulled into a shopping bonanza with my sister or my mom. Plus, there is always my once-a-year power-shop in the 24 hours before December 25th. As much as I hate shopping…I can’t completely avoid it. But now, at least my pain and suffering has a kickback.

With a new loyalty app called ‘ShopKick’, I can get relevant offers and earn points to redeem for cool stuff…just for walking into a store. That’s right, you don’t need to buy anything – just walk in. So whether I’m running in to grab something, or I’ve been dragged along with someone else, I will get rewarded. Oh yeah, and if you actually like to shop and do so frequently, this is probably the coolest thing ever.

ShopKick is still in its infancy, and admit they have ‘a lot of work to do,' but they already have some big brands signed on, like Best Buy, Macy’s, and American Eagle. Their founders/employees also seem to have great creds in the mobile space. With enough buzz, this could be a company to look out for. ~ p

Tryvertising: 3 Best Ideas (so far) of 2010

Tryvertising is starting to pop up in cool new ways all the time. Thanks to new apps and technology, what started as a privilege for the elite (as seen with expensive, premium cars given out to ‘special’ guests at high-class hotels), and big brands like Starbucks (with their highly successful ‘Try & Buy’ in-store promotions) is now open to the little guy, too. Entrepreneurs have been jumping on the tryvertising bandwagon with innovative new ways to get their products into the hands of customers. Here are the three best that I’ve seen this year:

Nuevo Watches. This Montreal-based company has launched an iPhone app that lets you ‘try on’ their selection of watches without actually touching them. (If only Rolex could make an app that made it look like I was wearing one of their watches.)

Tatmash. This site lets you see what a real tattoo would look like on you before you get it done. (This should be made a requirement for every bachelor party going to Vegas.)

Shiseido Digital Mirror. This company from Japan has found a way to use Augmented Reality to show you what different types of their make-up would look like on you. (I can’t personally associate with this, but it sounds pretty cool.) 

(Source: springwise.com)

Are you on the Hotlist?

The Hotlist is the world’s first geo-social aggregator that shows you what’s going on today, tomorrow and throughout the week with your social networks. It grabs data from Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps, Yelp and others to rank the popularity of specific events and venues to give you a customized ‘hotlist’. You can see where and when you’re friends are going to be, even if it’s the local pub or sandwich joint. 

Through ‘check-ins’, the iPhone app also shows whether or not your friends are actually there, and the male-female ratio at a given spot. To top it off, you can read Yelp reviews and Twitter posts to help make your meeting-spot decisions. ~ p