By: Brad Wilson, National Lifestyle Content Desk
In this week’s Q&A, Brad Wilson from Brad’s Deals answers questions on his favorite shopping strategies — and how to use technology to find the best deals.
Q: What’s your strategy for getting everyone crossed off that shopping list?
Brad: Sometimes figuring out what to buy for someone can be hard. When that comes up, I definitely make it a point to regularly check out the Brad’s Deals Holiday Gift Guide. It has tons of giftable options at different price ranges, and new deals are added throughout the holiday season. There are classic gift items, and also creative, outside-the-box ideas. You can view the gift guide online and through our mobile apps.
Q: When it comes to online tools, what do you prefer using?
Brad: I love using the combination of the Brad’s Deals app and deal alerts. It is such a timesaver. I just go to the “Deal Alerts” section on the app, and enter keywords or brands, and then select if I want an email notification, a text notification, or both. I usually go with the text notification. That way I find out right away when a new deal is posted that matches my alert. Once I’ve ordered what I need, I can turn off the alert (and probably set a few more).
Q: What’s trending for tools this holiday season — are shoppers more apt rely on text alerts, social media, emails, or apps?
Brad: Social media is getting a lot of buzz these days in terms of online shopping, but most of the increase there is coming from younger consumers. We are seeing that, across all age groups, more consumers are using retailer apps more frequently, as well as apps like Brad’s Deals.
Q: Finally, what apps do you recommend for holiday shoppers?
Brad: I definitely recommend the Fakespot app, especially if you frequently shop at Amazon. Fakespot tells you if the reviews on a particular product are trustworthy, or if they show signs of being faked or incentivized. You might think that if you see something has a bunch of really positive reviews on Amazon, that it is a safe bet, but that really isn’t the case. At Brad’s Deals, we do a Fakespot check all of the third-party deals we post from Amazon, and I recommend it to everyone as a valuable tool to ensure you aren’t disappointed when you get your order. It shouldn’t be a big surprise that I also recommend the Brad’s Deals app. It is a great one-stop shop with a lot of flexibility.
Have a question for Brad? Send it to askbrad@bradsdeals.com