Apps We Love: Retail

Who doesn’t want to be better organized? With today’s apps, there are lots of opportunities available to organize various aspects of your business and personal life. We asked members of the CPA Practice Advisor audience and family to share some of their favorite retail apps and this is what we learned.

Kelly Grace, tax partner at Eide Bailly, told us, “I use Zappos all the time. Once you are a VIP, they offer free next day delivery. And, there is always free returns!”

Alina Nikishina, VP of firm management and senior accountant at Insperience Business Services, says she recommends Instacart. “Instacart lets me order groceries and supplies from stores close to me on my phone and on my computer. They have fast delivery service and helpful customer service. I love it because it adds a couple of hours back to my life each week. It’s a life saver during tax busy season!”

GoPuff is the “ultimate convenience store at your finger tips. With locations in many major US cities you can have snacks and more delivered to your location in approximately 30 minutes or less. Great for those late nights at the office!” according to Rosalind Sutch of Drucker & Scaccetti.

Michael Tomkins of CPA Technology Group uses VarageSale to buy and sell items locally. “My wife uses it all the time for buying kids clothes/toys, although I’m sure there’s a lot more on there. She’ll buy things in good condition at times for 10% of retail. Just the other day, she bought a nice kids’ Ralph Lauren tee for $3!  If someone rips you off, you can report them and they’ll be banned from participating anymore.”

Twilio is the app recommended by Chris Ragain, founder and CEO at Tax Planner Pro. “This app allows you to send a quick text message to a customer right after a purchase. For instance, to thank a customer for their purchase or offer a companion product to them. It allows you to monetize a cell phone number or email address right away.”

“One of my Favorite retail apps is RedLaser,” said Caleb Jenkins of RLJ Financial Services. “I have used the app lots of times to find items locally and I have used the barcode reader in the app to compare prices with online and offline retailers. I also love the ability to save items for later which is great if you think you might want something in the future.”

“Target rolled out a new app, Cartwheel, that provides additional discounts while you are shopping,” said Sarah Johnson Dobek, president of CPAsNET.com. “I also like Curbside (even though it’s not in Denver yet). It lets you shop local stores for pickup. You order and it’s ready when you arrive. It can save you tons of time!”

Jordan Miller of CliftonLarsonAllen uses the Ibotta app. “It allows you to earn cash on everyday purchases primarily at your grocery store, but also at pharmacies, restaurants, and retail stores.”

“I recommend an app called RetailMeNot, which allows me to find and use coupons for several of the stores I visit frequently for clothing and home goods,” said Elizabeth Pittelkow of ArrowStream. “The app lets me save my favorite offers in a ‘wallet’ for me to reference later. “

According to self employed cloud accountant Blake Oliver, “Facebook recently added a new feature to the mobile app: Facebook Marketplace. Think of it like Craigslist, but also linked up with your list of friends on Facebook. Next time you’re thinking about buying some furniture, it might be worth taking a look for something gently used on Facebook instead.”

And finally, Ian Vacin of Karbon sent us a treasure trove of apps. “Limited time to shop for that wedding, brunch business meeting or just to lounge around town? Inspired by something you saw? Use Trunkclub to get a stylist to understand you, what you like, and what and why you need clothes that are perfect for you and then have a ‘trunk’ of clothes sent to you immediately. No more hunting!

“Forgot the critical ingredient for the cocktails you were going to make for your party guests? Sports game on and you forgot to go to the store?  Use the Saucy app or Drizly to have alcohol delivered to your door within an hour… or in less than 30 minutes.

“Bored while waiting for a client? Want to get the best deal while paying a fraction of the cost? Looking for goods that aren’t name brand but essentially the same? Wish.com brings a huge shopping mall into the palm of your hand. Goods are 50-80% cheaper. Just note, you get what you pay for and most come directly from China manufacturers. But, if you want to be a true consumer, go for it.”