Most of us in Lake Travis feel like we’re not only trapped in a polar vortex, but also a time warp. How is it already time for Christmas and holiday shopping?! We were just sunning ourselves on the lake and then-BOOM!-winter. Black Friday and Cyber Monday commercials are running 24/7, so it must be true.
This year you can turn to technology to help you keep your wish lists on-hand and accurate. Whether you’re shopping for kids of any age, friends, family members, neighbors or sweethearts, we’ve got you covered. Oh yes, Lake Travis friends, there is an app for that! Here’s a round up of the ones that have us joyfully saying, “Woohoo! Bring on the holidays!”
TARGET
The Target Wish List is one of the coolest apps this holiday season and it’s kid-friendly, so extra points for entertainment value. If you received your Target Toy Book in the mail, which is probably a crumpled mess by now since you’re kiddos have memorized and/or circled everything on it, you’ll see an ad for the app on the inside cover. This free app can easily be downloaded in the iTunes store and it is worth the 5-second wait.
The beautifully illustrated app features a virtual Target wonderland with festive music and the ability to create multiple profiles. You can also sync this list with stores, so people can search and find your wish lists at Target stores nationwide, just like a gift registry.
After you create a profile, you can choose a character and decorate a tree in for your Wish List HQ room. The Wish List app has seven stores like “Fort Awesome,” “Electro-Area,” and “The Playpen” where you can watch a virtual conveyer belt of fun holiday gifts slide across your screen and easily “flick” toys of choice into a magical tube that places them on your wish list.
You can pick up to 50 toys/items per profile, so if the list gets overloaded, users can easily remove items to make room for more. The coolest features of this app are the ability to easily send a letter to Santa and the app works with the catalog, so the Toy Book springs to life.
GIFTSTER
Looking to de-stress your holiday shopping? Giftster is one of the top-ranked gifting apps (not a shopping site) especially designed to share between family members and friends. If you’re an organized wish-lister with a big family, this is the app for you.
Giftster gives you the ability to list items for all occasions with plenty of details and then share them seamlessly, so gift list items can be added, saved, reserved and purchased. You can create lists for everyone and include specifics about gift items like price, quantity, where to buy, etc.
What makes Giftster unique is you don’t shop for anything first. You simply make a list. If you’re using Giftser on an iPhone, iPad or iTouch, you can sync your list with the Giftster website, so you can edit and check lists anywhere. Giftser also features a family events calendar, so it’s something you can use all year long.
VICTORIA’S SECRET
Just in time for the holidays, Victoria’s Secret has updated their PINK Nation app to include special holiday deals and interactive social media contests. PINK Nation is dedicated to breast cancer awareness because these items have a splash of pink or feature the Love Pink slogan. At Victoria’s Secret, you can create a wish list called a Love List (of course it is) and share it with friends. The PINK Nation app suggests a variety of gifts at every price point from beauty items and sleepwear to yoga clothes and UGG boots.
PINK Nation has plenty of interactive offers for the social media wish-listers. For example, right now you can post what you’re loving this holiday season and tag it with #LovePINK and #UnlockFreebie on Instagram, Twitter or in the PINK Nation app for a chance to win a free gift. The app also has a section dedicated to what’s trending now with most-loved Pink gifts that have rankings from shoppers.
DICK’S SPORTING GOODS
You won’t get the warm holiday fuzzies with the DICK’s app like you do with the Target app, but DICK’s does have a pretty cool Holiday Deals section in its iTunes app. If you click “Holiday Deals” you can see exclusive online deals in your area and take advantage of buying items online and picking them up in-store. That way you can buy the gear you want and as soon as your item is ready, you get an email notification and then you can go to the store and pick it up in the Online Order Pickup Station.
This is designed to help you pick the perfect item and stay in your gift-giving mode rather than shopping in the store and getting stuck in I’m-too-distracted-by-all-of-the-cool-stuff-and-only-buying-things-for-myself mode. The DICK’s app also has a neat “Social” section where you can see people out and about enjoying their new DICK’s gear. If you do venture into the store, just use the “In-Store Mode” on the DICK’s app to scan bar-codes, check out weekly offers and keep track of your My ScoreCard points.
What’s you favorite holiday shopping app? Share it with us in the comments!
