Tag: Shops »

Buying online has always been something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's convenient. On the other, there's lots of potential for thievery. Of course, nowadays there are all manner of anti-theft measures in place and purchases have been made even simpler with payment info storage and the like. But what about those spontaneous instances of shopping need where there's no computer present? Well that's what TapBuy Deals is for of course.

TapBuy Deals is something of a dream come true for super-saving shopaholics. The app stores billing and shipping information using "bank-grade encryption," so once the desired item is found it only takes a tap or two and the order is completed within seconds. For added security, it requires a PIN for each purchase so if the iPhone is lost or stolen no one else will be able to run up unwanted charges. But this ease of use coupled with security is only a part of the draw.

In addition to all that, TapBuy Deals will group purchases (from the same vendor, of course) together to reduce shipping costs. Sometimes this even leads to zero cost. On top of all that it also automatically finds coupons and applies them as needed, saving users the most money it can. Of course, they can also add their own if they'd like.

TapBuy Deals is sitting in the App Store right now for free. And my apologies for the phrase "lickety-split." It's just that the opportunity to use it comes along so infrequently I couldn't resist.

Maybe I'm an increasingly grumpy person or maybe it's because I've worked in service industries a lot in the past, but I can't stand bad customer service. I reckon it comes down to two things most often: individual workers simply not having the right attitude for the job and companies not knowing what changes they need to make to improve service. Both problems can frequently be solved by the customer letting the company know what the issue is, but how easy is that to actually do? Hopefully iSuggest will make things much, much simpler.

iSuggest is a virtual suggestion box app that lets customers leave instant feedback to any retail business within the US, all from their iOS device. Customer feedback is delivered straight to the management, cutting out the potential problem of feedback going 'missing' or the customer struggling to find someone to tell.

Using GPS functionality, users can see a list of nearby businesses so it's easy to select the relevant store. There's also a historical element to things enabling the user to browse for nearby stores, such as a store that was visited in the past. Anonymous feedback means that the user can speak freely without any worries of reprisal, but with the hope that changes will be implemented.

Despite the anonymous nature, users can still view the progress of the suggestion as it gets delivered, read and (hopefully) responded to along with any follow up messages from the business involved or the complainant. Businesses can even supply coupons or special offers through the interface.

How successful iSuggest becomes does depend on the businesses themselves but considering most businesses enjoy making a profit and keeping their customers happy, this has the potential to be hugely successful. Hopefully in time it will spread to other countries. For now, iSuggest is available for free for all US App Store users.