This shopping app for clothes will have all your friends envying you!

One of the best feelings in life is when someone compliments your outfit, and then asks you where you found such a cute shirt or pair of shoes. I’m always happy to tell my friends where I got something, but I would be lying if it didn’t make me feel good to be a subject of their envy, if even for a moment. I love the attention so much that it motivates me to spend more time and energy shopping at my favorite stores. However, the problem with spending more time and energy at my favorite stores is that I’m also spending more money. Luckily for me and my budget, I recently discovered a shopping app for clothes that rewards me for making purchases

Now, not only are my friends envying my outfits, but they’re also envying the fact that I’m able to use a shopping app to help me shop for clothes (and make money while shopping). But don’t worry, I don’t mind sharing the wealth. So, if you’re looking for a shopping app for clothes, I’ve got you covered. 

How to Find the Right Shopping App for Clothes

learn how to use a shopping app for clothesOne thing I should note right away is that there are lots of different shopping apps for clothes to choose from. There are apps that you can use to find and buy clothes, there are apps that you can only use at certain stores, and there are apps that work like digital coupons, although those are much more common for something like grocery shopping than for clothes. At the same time, there is also a certain type of shopping app for clothes that you can use at many different stores, and these are the ones I would recommend. If you’ve done as much clothing shopping as I have, you know that to find the perfect shoes or handbag, you may have to visit more than one store. You need a shopping app that you can use at your favorite stores

You also want to make sure you find an app that gives you rewards for shopping online, too. When I was younger, I used to buy all my clothes in physical stores, but these days I buy about half my clothes in-person and the other half online, especially now that I shop at stores where I automatically know what size and fit I need. Many of my friends do the same, and I suspect you’re nodding your head right now too, thinking about your own shopping habits. So make sure to get a shopping app that you can use online, too!

Look for Apps That Reward 

In addition to being versatile, the best shopping apps for clothes, in my opinion, all work with a rewards system. What this means is that instead of having some kind of sale alert or coupon functionality, they give you rewards points instead. You can then trade these rewards points in for gift cards or use them to earn cashback. I think it’s pointless to use an app that doesn’t reward you. If you’re rewarded for making a purchase, you’re probably going to purchase again to earn even more rewards. 

In addition to being versatile, the best shopping apps for clothes, in my opinion, all work with a rewards system.

Give Shopkick a Try

If you’re in need of a suggestion for a shopping app for clothes, I would recommend Shopkick—it checks all the boxes I talked about above. You can use it both online and in-person. It gives you points for several different activities, including walking into stores, scanning barcodes on items, and making purchases. Finally, it also gives you rewards points, which it calls kicks, that you can trade-in for gift cards that are just as good as cash.

What I also like about Shopkick is that the list of stores where you can use it is so large. I can use Shopkick at stores with great savings on designers like T.J. Maxxx, Marshalls, and Kohls. I can also use it for the stores where I like to get my work or going out clothes, like Lane Bryant and Banana Republic. I can even use it to get workout clothes at Under Armour! The list of stores is always growing so it’s best to check with the app often so you know which stores to find the best deals and earn the most kicks. And, while you’re checking it, click the “Discover” tab to learn about new products, too! 

I highly recommend Shopkick as the shopping app for clothes that will have all your friends envying you. The list of stores is unmatched, you can use it both online and off, and it’s a whole lot of fun. With Shopkick, I’ve been saving more and more money while shopping for clothes. And you know what that means, I can afford to buy more clothes at my favorite stores!

It’s time to get your kicks while shopping for clothes! Shopkick is the best shopping app for clothes that will have all your friends envying you. Download the app today! 

Image courtesy of Syda Productions

5 Easy Cooking Ideas for Kids

If you’re in the middle of spending more time at home, your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry are likely fuller than they’ve been in weeks. Rather than focusing on the “why” behind the increase of food to enjoy at home, think of this as an opportunity to explore the kitchen with your kids. From meals to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner to sweet treats to whip up together, we’re sharing five quick and easy ways to inspire you and your kids to have fun in the kitchen.

5 Easy Cooking Ideas for Kids:

Try a New Recipe:  

Every family has their favorite go-to recipes, so mix things up and try something new! To make this more fun for your kids, encourage them to choose the recipe you will all try together. Maybe it’s not a new recipe at all but instead enjoying breakfast for dinner, for example. Delish has plenty of kid-friendly recipes for any type of eater, so make sure to take a peek.

Cupcake Decorating:

Cupcakes are fun and easy to make no matter the reason, and days spent at home are definitely a reason for some levity! Mix up the batter together and bake your cupcakes. Then encourage your kids to ice cupcakes themselves. If you have vanilla icing on hand, consider adding food coloring to make things more fun. Fruit is also a great thing to use to make faces, and you can always add candy. What will your kids create on their cupcakes?

Chopped Challenge:

At Shopkick HQ, “Chopped” is one of our favorite cooking shows! A Chopped Challenge is a fun and easy way to make your kids feel like they’re competing on the show. The directions are simple: pull three random ingredients from your freezer, refrigerator, or pantry, and encourage your kids to get creative as they decide what dish they want to make. Next, set a timer and get cooking. Once the dishes are complete, make sure to have a taste test to decide on the winner! For a little more direction: consider creating the challenge after specific meal times.

Cookies:

Like cupcakes, cookies are always a great idea! If you have favorites you look forward to during the holiday season, now is a great a time as any for them to make a comeback. You can also try something new! If you’re looking for a great recipe source, Sally’s Baking Addiction blog has incredible recipes that never disappoint. Of course, sugar cookies are always welcome, and kids can have fun decorating them as well.

Pizza:

Every day likely feels like Friday, so tonight sounds like a pizza night! Purchase pre-made dough (or make your favorite recipe), and divide the dough so each member of your family can create a personal pizza. Then, add your favorites from sauce and cheese to toppings galore! For an added layer of fun, do a taste test and decide which pizza turned out the best. P.S: English muffin pizzas are always a hit too! Top with your go-to options, then bake at 375-degrees for 10 minutes.

How do you like to cook together? Let us know on Facebook!

P.S: Yesterday, we shared five simple and easy crafts to do with kids!

Use one shopping app to make money at your favorite stores

When I was little, my mom had a plastic case to store all the coupons she cut out of the newspaper. Her coupon case was red and inside it looked like a miniature file cabinet with little tabs for all the different stores that she and I shopped at all the time. When she got to the cash register at many of these stores, she would put on her glasses and tab through, looking for the perfect coupons to match her purchases. I was a little kid then, but I remember thinking: “there has to be a better way!” 

Thankfully, nowadays, there is a better way. If you’re a savvy tech-friendly shopper like me, you have moved on from using coupons, and instead, you’re using a shopping app to make money. A lot of stores have their own shopping apps or rewards programs, which you can pull out at the register just like my mom used to do with her coupons. The apps for specific stores are fine, but they’re really just like fancy coupons in my opinion. I prefer to use one shopping app that can be used at my favorite stores. 

If you’d like to reduce the number of apps you have to use to make money or earn rewards points at stores, you’ll definitely want to check out what I have to say. 

How to Use One Shopping App to Make Money

As I mentioned before, there are a number of store-specific shopping apps that reward you for being loyal to one store; these are fine but not as versatile as I’d like. That’s why my favorite type of shopping app to make money is a shopping rewards app, which—as the name implies—gives you rewards for shopping!

Find a Shopping Rewards App That Works for You

use a shopping app to make moneyOne challenge with shopping rewards apps is that there are quite a few out there, which is why I suggest putting some thought into what would make you want to use a shopping rewards app each time you go shopping—which is very important because, in order to really maximize your rewards, you need to use the app frequently.

I like shopping apps that work with both Android and Apple smartphones. I have an iPhone but I like to share different deals with my mom who has a Samsung Galaxy. I also like a shopping app that works both in stores and when I shop online. I’m about 50:50 when it comes to how much shopping I do in-person versus online, and so I need an app that works for both. Finally, I want a shopping app that’s fun to use! That way I don’t have to try hard to remind myself to use it when I go to the store. 

Give Shopkick a Try

With all of that in mind, my favorite shopping app is this app called Shopkick! In my opinion, it’s the perfect shopping app to make money at your favorite stores. The way that Shopkick works is that it gives you points it calls “kicks” for doing things you do when you shop already, things like walking into the store, scanning barcodes on items, and making purchases both in-store and online. Once you’ve earned enough kicks, you can trade them in for store gift cards—which are just as good as cash. I’ve redeemed some of my gift cards to restock my groceries for the week or buy household items

My favorite thing about Shopkick is that it turns every trip to the store—in person or online—into a fun scavenger hunt to earn kicks. Once I started using Shopkick, I found myself actually looking forward to shopping. I also love that I’m rewarded for learning about new products by watching videos on the app. Not only is Shopkick fun, but it’s also helpful; the “Discover” tab in the app is great when you need recipe inspiration or want to learn about new products.  

My favorite thing about Shopkick is that it turns every trip to the store—in person or online—into a fun scavenger hunt to earn kicks.

Shopkick really is an amazing thing—a single shopping app to make money in the form of gift cards that can be redeemed at your favorite stores. If you already have shopping apps you love, you can even pair Shopkick alongside them to earn kicks through Shopkick while claiming discounts or points through other apps. Shopkick is also available for both Android and Apple smartphones, and you can use it for both online shopping and when you go out to the physical store. That kind of versatility is just so valuable, and I can’t say enough good things about it.

It’s time to get your kicks with one shopping app at your favorite stores! Shopkick makes shopping a rewarding experience. Download the app today and start earning kicks today! 

Image courtesy of Dean Drobot

5 Easy At-Home Craft Ideas for Kids

If you’re like us, you’re suddenly spending a lot more time at home. And, you’ve likely had more than one moment in which you (or your kids) asked what to do next. So, we thought we would launch a new series of five easy things you and your kids can do together. From crafting to cooking and even outdoor fun, we think there’s something for everyone in our top five ideas for each category.

First up: let’s dive into five easy crafts to do at home!

5 Easy At-Home Crafts for Kids:

Homemade Play Dough:

For an added layer of creative fun, try your hand at making Play Dough at home! With flour, salt, water, and food coloring or paint, Play Dough proves to be a simple and easy thing to make at home. With 1.7+ million views, we recommend following the recipe and instructions found in this YouTube video by Sea Lemon.

Shaving Cream Marble Art:

Marble art is abstract, so it’s impossible to create pieces a “right” or “wrong” way! Whether you have young kids who enjoy sensory play or older kids happy to try any craft, creating marble art with help from shaving cream and food coloring is sure to please. Simply add white shaving cream to a tray, spread evenly, add drops of food coloring, swirl together with a toothpick or stirring stick, and place your paper on top to create your masterpiece. Here’s a great tutorial with more information from Alice and Lois.

Friendship Bracelets:

Did you grow up making friendship bracelets every summer? Teach your kids this vintage and fun art! Rather than explaining all of the different designs you can make, we recommend checking out this blog by DIY Projects for Teens or this video by A Girl and a Glue Gun. Both have step-by-step instructions with visuals. Purchase thread and enjoy! P.S: While kids can’t see friends, making bracelets for them and dropping off finished creations in mailboxes is a wonderful way to still feel connected.

Cool Whip Bath Painting:

Think about making bath time more fun with painting! Cool Whip acts as a great base for paint. Simply separate Cool Whip into cups, add a few drops of food coloring, and mix together. In minutes, your kids have paint they can use in the tub that’s completely washable. Busy Toddler mentioned this has provided many minutes of fun for toddlers who can sometimes be hard to keep entertained!

Coloring:

Don’t forget about coloring! Markers, colored pencils, and crayons can provide hours of entertainment, and there have also been studies done that suggest coloring helps to lower anxiety (adults: we’re looking at you!). If you type “coloring book pages” into your search bar, plenty of free printables will pop up if you don’t have coloring books on hand. You can also color freeform on computer paper. Think about hanging up your pages on your front door and windows to help to brighten the sights your neighbors can see while walking through your community.

Let us know what you and your family are doing together on Facebook! Don’t forget: we’re all in this together!

P.S.: We think our schedules will resume again soon, so save these ideas for a rainy or snowy day when you’re back inside once more.

The 3 key elements of a successful brand recall strategy

The 3 key elements of a successful brand recall strategy

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Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the American economy, with more than 32.2 million small businesses competing for market share. The digital world has leveled the playing field for startups to compete with household names for brand recognition. But how can a newer brand achieve name recall with consumers when there are so many other companies to choose from? All brands want to be synonymous with their industries, but it takes a carefully plotted strategy and keeping up with the latest proven technologies to stay one step ahead of the curve. 

Here, we explore the concept of brand recall, how this next-step in awareness is best achieved, what three essential components you’ll need for a successful brand recall strategy, and where to find partners to help you move from being “a” brand to “the” brand that first comes to mind as shoppers consider who can best meet their needs.

Defining Brand Recall

Brand recall is one of two forms of awareness. Aided brand awareness occurs when a shopper is browsing the aisles in the store and recognizes your company when they see the label. 

Unaided brand awareness goes one step further, with consumers thinking of your brand as soon as a need arises, without prompting. A greater degree of brand recall is a clear sign of marketing success.

It’s a powerful position to be in when your brand becomes synonymous with the solution for a particular pain point. Brand recall customers typically become frequent buyers, staunch loyalists, and informal brand ambassadors.

How is brand recall achieved?

  • A Visual Presence: Colors, songs, logos, mascots—there is a reason these ingredients are part of every sports franchise. The same rings true for the most memorable brands today. Neuroscience tells us that visuals light up the emotional response centers in the brain, which in turn leads to more vivid memory processing. Visual learning, pattern recognition, and decision-making are all closely intertwined.
  • A Meaningful Ideology: Shoppers gravitate to brands with unique selling propositions and meaningful messages that match their core values. They want to know your mission statement and what you stand for before they turn over their hard-earned dollars. Establishing your brand’s ideology and offerings can bridge the gap between unaware audiences and what you stand for, thus reinforcing your brand’s importance.
  • Direct Engagement: Your marketing efforts should focus on ways to transform passive audiences into engaged prospects. For instance, a person is more likely to remember your brand name if they are writing with a branded pen that has your logo on it every day, as opposed to someone who simply walks past a branded sign. High attendance at your brand-sponsored events, newsletter subscriptions, social shares, and loyalty program app downloads are all signs that you’re actively engaging consumers and positioning yourself for better brand recall. 
  • A Consistent Effort: Awareness is not something you can set and forget. Establishing reliable, long-term communication channels to facilitate continued awareness is crucial in becoming someone’s go-to brand. The most successful brands are omnichannel sellers that take their business from social media and online marketplaces to mobile devices and brick-and-mortars. While your brand may evolve in purpose and imagery over time, you want to keep your marketing generally consistent across channels over time to form a cohesive picture in consumers’ minds.

3 Key Elements of a Brand Recall Strategy

A brand recall strategy is a plan of action designed to enhance advanced levels of awareness in consumers. Many specific tactics can be added to the plan, but overarching strategic components will include content creation, data collection, and partnership opportunities.

Content

It’s no secret that consumers flock to the internet in search of content that is tailored to their personal interests. Increasingly, they’re searching for local content. You’ll need to invest in regular publishing of professionally-generated content that contains both industry- and location-based keywords designed to attract the right crowd. There are plenty of places to peddle content these days—your homepage, blog, email newsletters, social media sites, third-party niche sites, and video platforms. 

Performance Tracking

Powerful data collection will form the cornerstone of your branding strategy, as this information offers a window into the minds of your prospects. Who are you targeting? What are their pain points? What do your buyers have in common? CRM software can help you track a person’s engagement with your enterprise across all channels so you can move from short-lived single-serving interactions to sustainable relationship building. In physical stores, you can install beacons or in-store sensors to understand how shoppers are experiencing your brand.

Collaboration

Data analytics, keyword research, social listening, and customer relationship management will likely lead you to discover potential partnerships for your brand. You may find organizations that share the same goals as you, though they may not be direct competitors. Sports teams, charities, community groups, service providers, retailers, or tech providers can all make valuable partners. With newfound partners, you can get your brand out in front of new crowds, launch mutually-beneficial campaigns, and take advantage of your partners’ existing marketing infrastructures.

Brand Recall Technology

The utilization of modern technology is not to be overlooked when creating a brand recall strategy. The average adult spends approximately 3 hours and 43 minutes on mobile devices each day. For brands looking to acquire and hang onto market share, there is no more valuable medium than the smartphone. 

Over 230 million Americans own a smartphone, and 79% of these users have made a purchase through a mobile website or app within the last six months. Not only are shoppers buying with mobile, but they’re increasingly using mobile to enhance the in-store experience and assist with purchases.

Technology like beacons, QR codes, video, virtual reality, and mobile apps represent the new frontier of marketing. What better way to stay fresh in the mind of shoppers than to make your appeal while shoppers are in-store and ready to buy? Unaided brand recall is not enough in this environment, as nearly a third of shoppers will change their mind on a purchase based on information from a mobile device in-store.

Shopkick is one of America’s top mobile shopping rewards platforms. The app has a highly engaged, highly loyal user base who shop on a regular basis. Here’s how the rewards platform works: Shopkickers begin their purchase journey by browsing engaging in-app content from several brands and retailers, whether they’re at home or on-the-go. This content includes curated lookbooks, informative video ads, and more. For partners, this content helps build pre-shop awareness and consideration and cements your brand in shoppers’ minds. Users can check the Shopkick app to see which brands or retailers offer “kicks,” or rewards points, which incentivize shoppers to visit a store or browse online. In-store, Shopkick utilizes an engaging gamification strategy that drives shoppers to products at-shelf and encourages physical product interaction in exchange for kicks. This allows brands to boost product awareness when it truly matters most—in-aisle, with the product in hand. By offering users an additional kick incentive for making a purchase, Shopkick closes the loop and drives sales. Eventually, Shopkick users redeem their kicks for free gift cards, which builds a positive affinity and loyalty for the brands and retailers that awarded them, aiding in the ability for consumers to recall those brands. 

Brand recall is easy if you’re McDonald’s with its iconic golden arches or if you’re Nike with its memorable “Just do it” slogan. The process of brand building and recall takes decades to achieve, even for the nation’s most popular, well-established companies. Given the number of company mergers and collapses over the years, it’s clear an enterprise can’t rely upon name recognition alone to thrive in the modern environment. A robust brand recall strategy will give you the foundation for success, but you must harness the latest technology to go that extra mile, remaining fresh, relevant, and ever-present in the lives of consumers. 
Interested in joining the mobile shopping revolution? Learn how our partners use our platform to boost recall, drive sales, and cultivate brand affinity. Contact Shopkick to find out how easy it is to create your first measurable campaign.

The 5 best shopping apps to save money on groceries

The 5 best shopping apps to save money on groceries

I’ll never forget the day I discovered that I could save money on groceries by using an app. At the time, I was completely annoyed with spending so much money on groceries but it wasn’t like I could just stop buying them—trust me, my kids wouldn’t allow me to do that! I needed a quick and easy way to save that didn’t also require a lot of effort on my end. I’d looked into couponing but I knew I didn’t have the time to spend on searching through newspaper circulars to clip coupons. 

After sharing my frustration with my friends, one of them suggested I check out shopping apps; I had no clue where to begin. I did a quick Google search for the best shopping apps to save money on groceries and I came across a grand list of apps from which to choose. I knew all of them wouldn’t fit my lifestyle and needs so I decided to choose five and try one out each day while the kids were in school. I was surprised to learn that while many of these apps were designed differently, they all pretty much helped me accomplish the same goal of saving money on groceries.

If you’ve been looking for the best shopping apps to save money on groceries, you’re in luck. I decided to write down the five apps I chose to save the next person a little time. I hope you find them as helpful as I have.

5 Shopping Apps to Save Money on Groceries

1. Coupons.com

If you’re new to money-saving apps for groceries, Coupons.com is a great gateway app because it revolves around a familiar concept: coupons. If you’re ever used coupons, I’m sure you remember searching through newspapers for the best deals of the week, cutting them out with scissors, and carrying them along with you to the store. Or, perhaps you remember walking down the aisles and pulling the strips out of the coupon machines. Either way, this app features a familiar way to save.

Before Coupons.com was an app, it was a website for printing coupons. Now, it has evolved into an app that makes using coupons a bit easier. You can definitely still use the website to print out coupons if that’s your thing, but now you can also scan deals with the app and have the coupons applied at the register—paper-free!

Who Should Use This App:

Anyone who is new to shopping apps and wants a familiar system—like clipping coupons—as an entry point

2. Target Circle

You might remember the Target Cartwheel app, well now it’s called Circle. Basically the way this app works is that it rewards you for purchases made at Target. The more you purchase, the more rewards you receive. For me, shopping at Target isn’t a problem at all. The unfortunate part, for my budget, is that I end up spending way too much on other items; it kind of defeats the purpose of saving on groceries when I’m just going to use it as an excuse to spend the savings on something else.

But, if you have self-control and only shop for the items on your list, this app is great for you because you can redeem your earned rewards points on future grocery purchases. There’s one thing to note with store-branded apps like this one, they can obviously only be used at the store offering the program.

Who Should Use This App:

Loyal Target shoppers

3. Rakuten

The next app on my list is called Rakuten, but until recently, it was a site called eBates. For a long time, it was a great site to use for online shopping. It would basically give you cash back for online shopping from a variety of online stores—that’s now changed.

Under its new name, Rakuten has worked hard to offer its users cashback on purchases made in stores as well, and this includes groceries. You can’t use Rakuten at all grocery stores, but some places like Safeway, Walmart, and Sam’s Club offer deals through Rakuten. If you ask me, it’s still best for online shopping, which is how I primarily use it.

Who Should Use This App:

Online shoppers

4. Shopkick

When I came across this app, I knew it was special. Not only can you use the app when making purchases online, but it can also be used at almost every store. The way that Shopkick works is that it gives you rewards points—which it calls kicks—for doing things you do when you shop for groceries already, things like ordering groceries online, walking into stores, and making purchases. Once you’ve earned enough kicks, you can trade them in for gift cards that can be used on future purchases. 

Shopkick is so easy and simple to use; I don’t even have to think twice about opening the app to see where I can earn the most kicks. Even when I forget to open the app, I can still earn kicks for the purchases I’ve made with my linked Visa or MasterCard. And, whenever I need a bit of meal inspiration, I can count on Shopkick to provide me with recipes right through the app. The best part, though, is that Shopkick makes shopping so much more fun, turning basically any trip out to the store into a super fun scavenger hunt for points. Fun and savings—it doesn’t get much better than that!

Who Should Use This App:

Anyone who wants to save money on groceries both online and in the store.

5. SavingStar

SavingStar is another cashback shopping app worth adding to the list but it is a bit more complicated to use than the others. Because SavingStar is a rebate app, you’re only rewarded cashback on purchases that have an active rebate. This can be helpful if you find that most of the items on your list offer rebates but it’s likely to change on a regular basis.

To take advantage of SavingStar, you have either link a store loyalty card or submit receipts after you make purchases, similar to Checkout 51. Also like Checkout 51, you have to have earned at least $20 in rebates to cash out.

Who Should Use This App:

Shoppers looking to earn cashback on grocery purchases

Learning about shopping apps to save money on groceries has really changed my life—primarily by helping me stretch my budget but also because some of these apps have made shopping something I look forward to. For example, I look forward to discovering new recipes with Shopkick and searching for ways to earn kicks. It’s great fun and I can hardly remember how I used to go to the store without it.

I hope my list today is helpful for you. I recommend giving all of these apps a chance, but I especially recommend using Shopkick! It’s just the best of the shopping apps to save money on groceries.

It’s time to get your kicks! Shopkick makes shopping for groceries a rewarding experience by saving you money. Download the app today and start to get your kicks instantly!