Author: shopkick

How to earn cash for shopping so you can shop even more

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No matter how much shopping I seem to do, I can always think of additional things I’d like to buy, browse, or learn more about. Shopping is definitely a rewarding hobby. I can always count on being able to shop on any given afternoon or early weekend morning when I have nothing else going on.

In fact, if I had unlimited money, I imagine that I’d find myself out shopping all the time. Unfortunately, I do have a limit on how much I can spend. That’s why I’ve found a way to earn cash for shopping. With shopping rewards apps, I can earn cash for shopping so I can do even more shopping. It’s a great way to infuse my budget with extra cash that allows me to do more shopping than ever before.

Today, I want to share everything I know and love about shopping rewards apps. Come along with me as we discuss how to earn cash for shopping! Chances are, you’ll be kicking yourself just a little bit for not knowing about this sooner.

Earn Cash for Shopping with Shopping Rewards Apps

First things first, in order to earn cash for shopping with a shopping rewards app, you really must understand the ins and outs of a shopping rewards app. Simply put, it’s an app that lets you earn discounts and rewards for all kinds of shopping, from shopping for groceries to shopping at the mall for the latest fashion trends.

However, there are many different shopping rewards apps from which to choose, including two types you can use to earn cash for shopping. Let’s take a look at the two types:

  • Coupon Shopping Rewards Apps: The first type of shopping rewards app is what I like to think of as a coupon app. Oftentimes an app like this feels like a throwback to those old-school days of taking a pair of scissors and clipping physical coupons out of the Sunday newspaper. Some of these apps require you to actually scan paper coupons, which you can then store in your phone and use when you’re out like normal. Others let you select from a number of online deals. What’s important is finding one you’ll use regularly in order to maximize your savings and invest back into more shopping!
  • Points-Based Shopping Rewards Apps: Points-based shopping rewards apps are actually my personal favorites, and how they work is that they give you points for things you do when you’re out shopping. The exact nature of these apps vary—and we’ll definitely get into some of my favorites—but the best are the ones that turn your shopping trips into a game so that you’ll want to continue using the app each time you’re out.   

Earn Cash for Shopping with the Best Shopping Rewards Apps

ways to earn cash for shoppingWhile there are many different apps you can use to earn cash for shopping, the exact ways to earn vary with each app. When choosing an app, I look for particular qualities that make using the app worth my time.

Here are some qualities that I look for in all of the best shopping rewards apps:

  • Free of charge: This one is so important. You shouldn’t have to pay money to earn cash for shopping. All of the best shopping rewards apps should be free. 
  • Available for Android or iOS: These days, I think people have a tendency to switch the type of phone they use. I know I do, and I don’t want to have to quit my shopping rewards app because of it. That’s why I highly recommend selecting an app that works with both Android and iOS devices. 
  • The option to shop from home: Online shopping has been a major change in the retail industry. It’s amazing to be able to shop at my favorite stores from the comfort of my home. If you like to shop online, you’ll want a shopping rewards app that rewards you for online shopping too.

Earn Cash for Shopping with Shopkick

While there are many different shopping rewards apps from which to choose, I have narrowed it down to the best app to earn cash for shopping. My personal favorite is Shopkick. With Shopkick, I get points for things I already do whenever I go out shopping, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. I can then trade those points in for gift cards to my favorite stores, which I can then use to do even more shopping!

With Shopkick, I get points for things I already do whenever I go out shopping, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases.

Not only that, but with Shopkick, I can also earn points on those rare days when I don’t feel like physically going out shopping. In fact, there are tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks for watching videos and instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more.

I think it’s pretty safe to say with Shopkick I’ve taken what was already a healthy shopping hobby and kicked it up a few levels. I can now earn cash for shopping, which I can then turn around and use to do even more shopping. It’s quite a revelation.

I highly recommend that you check out Shopkick. If you’re anything like me, you already enjoy the shopping you do now. But, just imagine what it would be like if you could do even more shopping.

Start using one of the best ways to earn cash for shopping to do even more shopping! Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with a free, smartphone app sidekick.

And, if you love social media as much as you love your smartphone, join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Dean Drobot

5 Ways to Launch a New Product That Will Beat Out the Competition

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5 Ways to Launch a New Product That Will Beat Out the Competition

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There are many ways to launch a new product, but only a few that garner the attention needed to make that launch a success. The failure rate for new products launched on an annual basis hovers around approximately 80%, so CPG brands already have the odds stacked against them. Rolling out a new product creates a need to shift marketing strategies for established products in a new direction.

A small but influential segment of consumers could have the potential to be responsible for a new product’s success. This segment represents the individuals who will drive awareness of the new product and make up its regular user base. For this reason, a new product launch must be targeted specifically to these consumers. This means connecting with influencers, testing markets, and preparing a pre-launch strategy. Most product launches will face challenges, but there are strategies that can be implemented to work around every single one and ensure success.

Common Problems in CPG Product Launches

While the measure of success for a CPG product launch can vary widely, it’s commonly recognized that the vast majority of new CPG products don’t achieve that status. The main reason is apparent. There aren’t enough consumers to go around when compared to the total number of products available. Beating the odds is about marketing. Often, when a new CPG product fails to catch on, it’s due to one of six reasons.

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Awareness

Pre-launch is a bit of a challenge, as brands must let the public know a product is coming out, without actually launching the product. Without the right pre-launch strategy, a product could be finished before it ever hits the market.

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Competition

Every day, a new competitor to any CPG product can potentially enter the market. It also doesn’t help that the economy is globalized thanks to digital access which creates a situation where consumers can easily purchase items sold anywhere in the world. Also, challenger brands can pull market share from established companies simply through the power of social media.

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Saturation

The sheer number of CPG products available to consumers creates a problem which is often insurmountable for brands. If brands can’t find a way to differentiate products in their crowded category, sales will flounder.

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Loyalty

Loyalty poses a threat to any brand when that loyalty is to a competitor. While it may be more challenging to establish loyal relationships with customers, once set, these relationships are stable.

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Longevity

Even products which start strong can fail to gain the momentum they need, with sales tapering off to nothing after the initial launch campaign is complete. While in some cases, that’s how the products were designed, in others, longevity is imperative to success.

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Marketing Mismatch

Strategies must align with an audience. Even the most innovative marketing methods can fail when they don’t align with the target audience. Brands must genuinely understand the audience they’ll be targeting when their new product is released.

There are a lot of pitfalls in launching a new product. However, even with the odds against them, brands can achieve success by laying out a strategy which includes taking advantage of technological innovation.

#1: Follow a Pre-Launch Plan to Improve Awareness

A brand can fail before their product ever reaches the market if a pre-launch marketing plan isn’t laid out. During a pre-launch is the time to iron out the kinks in a campaign by testing it in front of target markets. A few critical parts of a digital pre-launch include the following.

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Pre-order Priming

Getting consumers to pre-order a product before it’s rolled out to the masses can drive awareness and interest. It can also improve visibility for the product in online shopping sites, allowing it to rank even before its release.

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Establishing Critical Audiences

Brands need to develop the audiences which are essential for their success early on—before the product’s release. The pre-launch stage allows brands to calibrate this audience for the best possible awareness upon release.

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Review Aggregation

Brands must collect and cultivate reviews from various sources online to build anticipation for a new product. This is a time when contracts are solidified with influencers and any common concerns are rooted out.

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A/B Testing

Brands need to test market various campaigns to determine which ones resonate with consumers. They may conduct A/B tests, where both campaigns are released together in a smaller space, allowing consumers to watch and select their favorite. A/B testing can be conducted either through a brand’s website or via a third-party site. This strategy helps to ensure the brand is using the right media.

A pre-launch is the time to start the buzz before releasing a new campaign. These soft opens allow brands to test their products in front of target audiences. This way, if any areas are weak, the brand can pivot their strategy.

 

#2: Target New Markets to Differentiate a Product

When a product is in a saturated category, brands must find ways to distinguish it from its competitors. Through this, the brand connects with a new consumer pool. In some cases, this is the only way to gain a hold on a market where the share is established. Globalization provides opportunity here. As the economy is increasingly international, brands can reach out to markets where such products have not reached saturation. Nestle provides a prime example of this in the brand’s focus on the Chinese coffee market.

In the U.S., the coffee market is saturated. Consumers have a wide range of ready-to-drink, to-go, at-home brewed, and instant options. However, in China, there are fewer options in the instant coffee category. Nestle focused heavily on expansion in China just as the market for instant coffee gained about 1 billion yuan in value. The company continued its focus on China, moving on to selling higher-end coffee machines, just as demand was set to increase.

This strategy allows the brand to continue to expand its market share even in a crowded sector. Brands are able to use the internet to reach these markets, making international expansion less expensive. Brands that wish to take advantage of the momentum of new markets should consider them when launching a new product.

#3: Add Value to Marketing to Beat the Competition

Added value marketing is a means of enhancing the consumer experience. The consumer receives something valuable to them through the brand’s marketing. What the consumer gets does not have to be a high-cost item. Something low-cost and scalable, like collateral materials, are often enough to improve the perception of a brand. Collateral materials are merely the information which comes with the products, like directions for use, coupons, or other brand-related offers.

DIY hair color brand Nice’n Easy provides insight on how to pull off an added value campaign with collateral materials. The brand created an extensive Q&A that explains why its newest dye formula is better and how it reduces the risk of allergies as a way of rolling out an updated product. Much of the relaunch strategy centered on the formula’s molecular structure and how it solves common hair color problems. The brand refers to this as “damage blocking technology” which enhances consumer perception. Nice’n Easy differentiates a common product by focusing on educating the consumer. As consumers understand how the formula prevents damage, they’re more likely to trust and remember the new product.

Added value marketing also works in the shopping aisle. Consider a third-party app, like Shopkick, which allows consumers to scan UPCs in the store in exchange for valuable rewards points. This type of marketing encourages consumers to seek out the product in the store by rewarding them for their interaction with the brand. The app also gives brands an opportunity to share product information and provide value to the consumer at the point of purchase. It creates a positive consumer-brand relationship, meaning it’s an ideal option for a new product launch.

#4: Gaining Market Share Through Influencers

Influencers provide brands with an opportunity to leverage the trust of a well-known person without the high cost of a celebrity endorsement. Influencers are typically limited to online communities, where they have large followings in a niche market. Their close relationships with these followers make them more trustworthy to consumers.

Influencer diversity is becoming increasingly important. An excellent example of diverse influencer partnerships can be seen in Red Bull’s marketing strategy. The brand works with a wide range of athletes in endorsing events and providing advertising partnerships. Through this, Red Bull gains access to those athletes’ followers. Red Bull has a unique group of these influencers working with them, representing a wide range of nations and cultures. This creates an inclusive, diverse following which the brand can leverage when releasing new products.

Influencers offer the benefit of creating content for brands. While a brand’s new advertising campaign may gain limited buzz, a post from an influencer about the brand builds trust and brand affinity. Creating strong influencer relationships is imperative for a successful product launch.

#5: Making Marketing Match the Audience

When a marketing plan doesn’t match an audience, brands will face challenges in gaining awareness for a new product. A marketing mismatch can be very costly for brands as it isn’t evident until the campaign is in full swing. Brands won’t realize until the content is already out there that it fails to connect with consumers.

In the worst case, it could alienate consumers. There are many cases where well-meaning brands have moved forward with campaigns without prior market research, and as a result, caused a lot of controversies. Virtually every major brand has created a marketing snafu by not thoroughly researching their audience. This makes the pre-launch stage even more critical, as brands must consistently test and retest marketing materials before releasing them.

A significant part of this lies in regularly reviewing the available data these campaigns generate. Brands should evaluate trending hashtags and interactions on social media not just to see if consumers are interacting, but how they’re interacting. If consumer data indicates the audience is not receptive, brands should have an alternate marketing strategy or audience to target. The key is catching a marketing mismatch early to ensure that the brand can pivot quickly and keep the product launch on track.

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Combining Ways to Launch a New Product for the Best Results

Consumers are receptive to new product launches, with 63% reporting they enjoy it when manufacturers offer new products. However, there are many ways to launch a new product, and not all of them are effective. Brands should combine the most successful options to ensure that consumer reception to new offerings is positive.

A robust pre-launch strategy, global focus, and influencer partnerships will help a brand gain the audience needed to ensure a strong debut. Meanwhile, consistent monitoring of the campaign along with incentivized interaction will keep the right consumers engaged. Choosing the right ways to launch a product is all about a brand knowing their audience. The more a brand understands that audience, the better prepared they are to cater to it.

Shopkick helps our partners take advantage of innovative, mobile app features early on, ensuring brands and retailers are always part of emerging trends. For more information on our app, contact us.

Celebrate Fall: Shop, Save, and Earn BIG Kicks with Shopkick

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Fall has officially arrived, and we are celebrating! This season always brings to mind the of changing leaves, apple harvests, layered outfits, treats mixed with a few tricks, and a general feeling of coziness. With crisper temperatures in the air and a palette switch to moodier hues, we always feel we need to break away from the bold palettes of summer in our fashion and home décor choices in favor of pieces that honor the season. We’ve come to the conclusion we cannot be alone in our feelings of wanting to properly mix things up, so we thought a weekend of BIG KICKS was in order!

What can you expect? We have all of the details for you.

Get big kicks in stores
9/21-9/23
100 kicks
9/22 ONLY
100 kicks
9/22 ONLY
6 kicks/$1
was 3 kicks
Ends 9/22
200 kicks
9/22-9/23
8 kicks/$1
was 4 kicks
9/21-9/23
100 kicks
9/21-9/23
10 kicks/$1
was 5 kicks
9/21-9/23
6 kicks/$1
was 3 kicks
9/21-9/23
6 kicks/$1
was 3 kicks
9/21-9/23
6 kicks/$1
was 3 kicks
9/21-9/23
Linked debit cards must be run as credit in order to receive your kicks.
Get big kicks online
9/21-9/23

25 kicks/$1
was 15 kicks

20 kicks/$1
was 4 kicks

15 kicks/$1
was 7 kicks

15 kicks/$1
was 4 kicks

15 kicks/$1
was 3 kicks
Some exclusions may apply. Please check the app for more information.

GET BIG KICKS IN STORES:

Even though the internet is always at our fingertips, there’s so much fun to be had when you shop in stores. You can see, touch, and feel products, try all of your finds on in store to find your best fit and avoid a trip for exchanges, and get advice from the pros. Plus, a day (or weekend!) of shopping is the perfect excuse for a girl’s day or night out – stop for lunch, browse through stores in person, and cap your day off with cocktails!

As temperatures start to dip, we like to make sure our selection of basics are at the ready. As much as we enjoy spring and summer’s warm temperatures and lengthy sandal seasons, some of the first pieces we’re most excited to wear again in the fall are jeans, blouses, and boots. TJ Maxx and Marshalls are two of the best stores to shop for all three. We’re always amazed by the bargains we find for pieces from top brands that allow us to keep our budgets in check.

Swapping accessories is another fun perk of fall! Brighton has a complete selection of unique jewelry pieces, including bracelets, necklaces, and rings that are unlike anything we can find anywhere else. Plus, the fall is the perfect time to swap out your purse for a new one in a deeper hue, and a new work tote is definitely in order. Just consider either one part of your back-to-school prep! Don’t forget to take a peek at Brighton’s fantastic selection of boots.

One of the best ways to stay inspired and on track with your fitness goals and routines are to look the part! Stop into Reebok and stock up on new workout gear, like tops, shorts, crops, socks, and sneakers. Their selection is wide, and their gear in on trend and in style for fall runs and classes and any errands you might run post-workout.

And, don’t forget to update your makeup! Even though your products may not have run out, the fall is a great time to toss products you have had for several months in favor of replacements. Talk to the pros at Ulta to make sure you’re using the best products for your skin, complexion, and overall look. They likely have a few suggestions for you that you may not have considered yet! Plus, Ulta also has one of the best selections of fragrance and hair products that sometimes feel hard to find.

GET BIG KICKS ONLINE:

Whether you’re prepping for the game and need a new jersey, shopping for new home gadgets in advance of fall’s biggest holidays, updating your towels or bedroom linens, or shopping for new clothes or shoes, Kohls.com always has some of the best deals! When you shop with Shopkick you will earn kicks, plus Kohls.com is constantly running additional sales. It’s a complete win-win shopping experience!

Whenever we’re looking for on trend pieces, we always visit ASOS.com! The brand’s online retail space is so vast it makes us feel as though we’re browsing in store. It’s a great place to shop to try out new-to-you pieces you’re not quite ready to invest in yet, and ASOS also has a wonderful selection of dresses and more for special events (wedding, formal, and holiday seasons, we’re looking at you!).

Overstock.com has a plethora of products from which to choose, but we’re always drawn to their home décor pieces, including their furniture! Browse their linens and accessories, and then pop over to explore their wide selection of area rugs, furniture, appliances, and more! The fall is one of the best times to revive your home because falling temperatures will have you spending much more time indoors very soon. Create a space you enjoy!

If you’re searching for an online destination that has a little bit of everything on your list, HSN.com is the place to go! The site has a complete selection of tech, including cell phones, tablets, laptops, and more, as well as a complete selection of home appliances, clothing, beauty, and more. We can never visit their site without leaving with at least one shipment on its way to our doorstep!

When we think of appliances, we immediately think of Sears.com! The online giant has some of the best deals all year long for large and small appliances, including dishwashers, washers and dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, and even ovens. Now is the best time to make sure the appliances in your home are ready to roll because there are a host of holidays on the horizon! If you’re looking for baby clothes, new outfits for yourself, fitness equipment, or new tools, you will find those and more too!

What’s on your fall shopping list?

If you haven’t downloaded Shopkick yet, make sure to change that ASAP before you set out on your fall shopping journey! Earn kicks in stores and online with all of the retailers we mentioned above as well as many more. Then cash in your kicks for free gift cards! Fall shopping has never felt so budget friendly.

Easy money: 3 ways to earn by watching videos for techies

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Like a lot of people my age, I grew up playing video games on Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation. I can remember the days when I used to come home from school, finish my homework, and then plant down and immerse myself in the television. One of the things I liked about video games the most, which I may not have realized at the time, was they pushed me to learn some key lessons.

By playing video games way back when, I learned the value of investing time in things like training and practice in order to beat challenges. I think this has stuck with me throughout most of my life, especially now that I’m an adult (or trying to be, anyway) who has to manage his own budget. I work really hard at my job, but I also have found a couple of ways to earn extra money that reminds me of finding shortcuts and other tricks in video games. More specifically, I’ve figured out how to earn easy money by watching videos via apps.

It really is a great “cheat code” for your budget, and it’s so effective! Today, I want to share three of my favorite apps I use to earn money by watching videos. To be totally honest, these aren’t as fun as playing video games, but with all the savings you’ll start to get through these apps, it’ll be no time at all before you can buy new video games and have fun. There are a lot of apps that let you earn, but I generally like to stick to three. Let’s take a look now!

Earn by Watching Videos With Make Money Earn Free Cash

One of my favorite games growing up was called Street Fighter, and it actually was what it sounds like: fighting in the street. This first app that you can use to earn money by watching videos has very little in common with that video game, save for also having a super telling name. That’s right, it’s called Make Money Earn Free Cash. To put it in the most basic terms, this is a very no-nonsense app that’s also a ton of fun to use, especially if you like learning about other new apps like I do.

ways to earn by watching videosYou don’t have to be a big techie like me to use it. All you really have to do with Make Money Earn Free Cash is download the free app, watch videos, and then complete the offers they give you from sponsors, which usually requires something like signing up for mailing lists or taking surveys. You have to do a bit more than watch videos, and obviously, this isn’t always fun, but sometimes you learn about really cool new apps, and to someone like me, that’s invaluable.

Earn by Watching Videos With App Trailers

The next app on our list is called App Trailers, and it actually has somewhat of a direct connection to video games, albeit a loose one. Like the other apps that let you earn money by watching videos, this one simply gives you videos to watch and rewards you for watching them. The cool thing is App Trailers lets you watch a lot of videos about things like video games.

Since I first started using App Trailers, I’ve watched videos about games from EA, Rovio (which makes Angry Birds), and plenty of other companies I like to follow in my free time anyway. The more videos I watch through App Trailers, the more points I’m able to rack up. Eventually, I can trade all of my points in and get paid via PayPal or in Amazon gift cards, kind of like incentive systems in video games!

Earn by Watching Videos With Shopkick

You know how video games often save the biggest and best weapons, levels, and foes for the very end? Well, in that tradition I’ve saved my favorite app you can use to earn by watching videos for last, too. It’s called Shopkick. How it works is you can use it to earn free gift cards by watching videos and also just by going shopping for groceries. Shopkick gives you points for things you do everytime you go shopping, such as walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade those points in for gift cards. That’s not all, though.

There are tons of ways people who use Shopkick can earn rewards right from the app without even physically going anywhere.

There are tons of ways people who use Shopkick can earn rewards right from the app without even physically going anywhere. These include watching videos and instant surprise kicks earned from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and, my personal favorite, Best Buy. And, guess what Best Buy sells? That’s right—video games!

I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid plenty of people told me I was wasting my time by playing too many video games. They felt I should be doing stuff like reading and studying instead. To be clear, I love to read, and I did study quite a bit when I was a kid. But, I also think there was a lot of value in playing video games. In fact, I’m not entirely sure I would have so easily figured out how to earn money by watching videos without it.

So, I highly recommend using these apps, especially Shopkick. Not only do I earn by watching videos through Shopkick, but I also get points (and eventually rewards) every time I go out shopping. With Shopkick I actually like going to the store because it makes those trips feel like fun scavenger hunts for points.

Ready to start to earn by watching videos on your phone and other smart devices today? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping can be!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Shutterstock

Need to stretch your budget? Here are 3 apps that pay you to watch ads.

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This may be shocking news for those of you who know me, but I recently started practicing yoga. That’s right—me. I know I said I’d never get into it, but I did and I absolutely love it! I go about three times a week, and I find the breathing, soothing music, warm room, and ambiance helps me to not only get a good workout but to also relax. My favorite part about yoga is the stretching.

I was actually explaining to my kids the importance of stretching and how it makes me feel so good. I just so happened to remark to my husband it was nice to be stretching something besides the budget for once. And, yoga aside, that’s actually what I’d really like to talk about today: three apps that pay you to watch ads so that you can stretch your budget, too.

Isn’t that a novel concept? Getting some extra money each month just for watching ads, which let’s face it, if you spend enough time online you end up doing anyway. While I’ve been using yoga to stretch my body and mind, I’ve been using apps that pay me to watch ads to stretch my budget. It’s a great combo, and I’m happy to share it with all of you!

Apps That Pay You to Watch Ads No. 1: App Trailers

3 apps that pay you to watch adsOne of the simplest apps that pays you to watch ads is App Trailers. The way this one works is it gives you a chance to watch ads for points you can trade in to receive cash or gift cards. In the time since I started using App Trailers, I’ve watched plenty of ads, some of which are about products for my house and others are about things my boys like, such as games from EA, Rovio (which makes Angry Birds), and plenty of other companies. It’s kind of interesting, but the best part is that the more videos I watch, the more points I get! Eventually, I can trade those points in and get paid via PayPal or in Amazon gift cards.

Apps That Pay You to Watch Ads No. 2: Make Money, Earn Free Cash

I think one of the reasons I was hesitant to try yoga at first was because I didn’t entirely understand it. Once I tried it though, I was immediately hooked. With this second app on our list, you won’t have a problem understanding it. Make Money, Earn Free Cash is an app with a name that comes right out and tells you what it’s all about. This is a pretty straightforward app, and it’s also one of my favorites of the apps that pay you to watch ads. All you have to do is download the free app, watch the ads on it, and then complete offers from sponsors, which usually involve signing up for mailing lists or sometimes even taking surveys. Obviously, this isn’t always fun, but it does help you stretch your budget!

Apps That Pay You to Watch Ads No. 3: Shopkick

My favorite pose in yoga is child’s pose, which we always save for last. In that spirit, today I’ve also saved my favorite of the apps that pay you to watch ads for last. This one is called Shopkick! How it works is you can use it to earn free gift cards by watching ads but also by doing other everyday things, such as going shopping for groceries. Shopkick gives you points for things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade those points in for free gift cards to stretch your budget!

There are actually tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks for watching ads and instant surprise kicks earned from going on Easter egg hunts within the app—you can even do this before or after yoga class like I do. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. It’s great, and quite honestly, I hardly even remember how I used to manage my budget without all the fantastic rewards from Shopkick.

With these three apps, and especially with Shopkick, you should be all primed and ready to stretch your budget much like I’ve been stretching lately with my newfound love of yoga. The thing about yoga, as you maybe know, is it isn’t cheap. With these apps that pay me to watch ads though, I’ve found I have plenty of extra money to keep practicing my new hobby!

If I had to pick just one of these apps that pay you to watch ads, I’d definitely pick Shopkick. In addition to watching ads, it provides plenty of other great ways to earn points, too. It’s really become a crucial part of my regular shopping routine, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to run a budget these days without it!

Ready to earn money to stretch your budget by getting in on apps that pay you to watch ads? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping can be!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Shutterstock

3 ways to earn extra cash from home and maximize your shopping potential

Posted on by shopkick

When I shop, I spend a lot of time hunting for bargains, and I’m not afraid to admit it. In fact, I believe a good percentage of being a skilled and experienced shopper is all about being able to find the best deals and bargains. After all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with saving money, which feels great and also enables you to squeeze more purchases into your budget. However, hunting for bargains isn’t the only way an experienced shopper can make room in their budget.

Another great way to get this done is by earning some extra cash. Now, I’m not talking about going out and getting another job. What I’m talking about is finding ways to earn extra cash from home to maximize your shopping potential. If you’ve never done this, you might not know where to start. Don’t worry! That’s what we’re going to talk about here today. Stick with me, and I’ll tell you all I can about my three favorite ways to earn extra cash from home.

It’s amazing to not have to leave the comfort of your home and still be able to find great ways to maximize your shopping potential. Frankly, I have been doing it for years!

Ways to Earn Extra Cash From Home No. 1: Take Surveys

3 ways to earn extra cash from homeOne of the ways to earn extra cash from home is by downloading apps and taking surveys. I think by now practically everyone has at least heard about taking surveys online, and the reason it’s so common is it works. There are several different apps pay you money to take surveys at home on your smartphone. There are tons of different survey apps out there, so you will definitely be able to find one that works for you. All you have to do is download a survey app, enter your demographic information, and then the app begins to send you relevant surveys. The more surveys you take, the more money you can earn through the app—all from the comfort of your home.

Ways to Earn Extra Cash From Home No. 2: Watching Videos

Another one of the best ways to earn extra cash from home is to download an app that rewards you for surfing the web and watching videos. The one I personally use is called Fronto. It encourages me to do things that I would normally do online anyway, things like reading news articles, finding product deals, and writing product reviews. In exchange for doing those things, Fronto gives me points. The more points I manage to accumulate, the more I can trade them in for PayPal cash, gift cards, or coupons to my favorite stores. While this may not be the most fun way to spend some time, at least you can do it right from home, which—let’s face it—is a major plus for busy people like you and me.

Ways to Earn Extra Cash From Home No. 3: Shopkick

Out of all these great ways to earn extra cash from home, my all-time favorite is this really cool app called Shopkick. Now, you may have heard of Shopkick, a lot of people have, and sometimes they think they have to physically go to the store to use it. But, how it works is Shopkick gives you points for doing the normal things you do whenever you go out shopping, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. Then you trade those points in for gift cards to fuel your next shopping spree.

Out of all these great ways to earn extra cash from home, my all-time favorite is this really cool app called Shopkick.

However, that’s not the only way Shopkick works. There are actually tons of ways Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks for watching videos and instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where they can earn big points and rewards by shopping on their phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and more!

Now you know all of my secret ways to earn extra cash from home, so you can start using them to maximize your own shopping potential. I would start with Shopkick. Once you get used to using an app like Shopkick, it’s only a matter of time before you wonder how you ever managed to do any shopping without it. I personally love Shopkick, and I’m almost certain that you will too. Download it and start earning—either at the store or right from your home. It’s just so nice to have the option!  

Ready to take advantage of these ways to earn extra cash from home and maximize your shopping potential? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping can be!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Shutterstock

Free apps to earn money for Amazon gift cards while you shop

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For as much as I like to shop, there used to be some things that I could never remember to buy on time: shampoo, the Clif Bars my husband and I depend on for quick snacks, or those little pods for our dishwasher. It seemed like I was never remembering to buy any of them until the exact moment I ran out. But that all changed when I discovered monthly subscriptions from Amazon. Now, Amazon automatically sends me certain products I have to buy every month, right to my door.

I’ve been using Amazon subscriptions for at least a year and a half now, and in that time I’ve actually gotten better at using it. Weird to say about an automated service, right? But these days, I’ve started getting rewarded—and paid—for my shopping.

When I first signed up, Amazon would just charge my credit card for my subscription items. But now, I’ve discovered free apps to earn money for Amazon gift cards. I can use these apps to earn points while I shop at my favorite stores like Target, Walmart, and Walgreens—points I can later cash in for Amazon gift cards to use toward my monthly subscriptions. In fact, I’ve gotten my system down so well that it’s been months now since Amazon had to charge them to my credit card.

Now, I don’t have to actively buy things like paper towels, hand soap, or laundry detergent—and I don’t have to pay for them either! What a beautiful concept. Here are my personal rankings for apps that help you earn Amazon gift cards—for free!

Good Apps to Earn Money for Amazon

Amazon’s subscription system is just one small way that shopping has gotten better in recent years. New technology has made shopping both more efficient and more fun! I don’t know about you, but for me, the combination of phones with high-quality cameras and the rise of Instagram has made it a blast to take pictures.

In those pictures, of course, are so many of the things my ladies and I buy when we’re out shopping: jeans, handbags, sunglasses, cute shoes, etc. Would you believe me if I said I recently found an app that made Instagram officially a member of my shopping crew? If it seems too fun to be true, pay attention because I’m about to blow you away:

  • CoSign: With CoSign, whenever you upload an image to any social networking site (Facebook, Instagram, you name it), you can tag certain items that you and your friends are wearing, and include the price, brand, and other product info. Then, if any of your followers go online to actually buy select items in those pictures, you earn a 35% commission on the product’s price! And, it’s not just fashion. You can use this app to take photos of other featured items: furniture, books, food, and even movies! Once you rack up $40 in savings, you can then cash it out for what? Ding, ding, ding! Amazon gift cards to keep your subscription service running smoothly!
  • Other apps that fit this category:
    • Stylinity
    • Iconzoomer

Better Apps to Earn Money for Amazon

When I was growing up, one of my best friends worked at our local grocery store. She told me a story about something called a mystery shopper, who was actually someone the manager sent in to pose as a customer and then write a review of the service they received. It was a way to keep employees, like my friend, on their toes.

Well, technology has changed the way that mystery shoppers work too. With free apps on your phone, you can become a mystery shopper. These apps will assign you to go out and investigate a store’s service, then report back to the app. It’s a really cool system, especially if you happen to be heading out to that exact store in the first place because then you can make money for what you buy anyway!

  • Mobee: In terms of mystery shopper apps, my all time favorite of the bunch is Mobee. Mobee works exactly as I just described above, but it’s my favorite because you can get rewarded for your mystery shopper reports within 24 hours, redeeming the points you earn for gift cards or tickets to events. I, of course, always go with the Amazon gift cards so I don’t even have to think about paying for my monthly subscription service items anymore.
  • Other apps that fit this category:
    • Gigwalk
    • Zapiddy

The Best Apps to Earn Money for Amazon

This final app, in a class of its own, is Shopkick. You know what they say: save the best for last!

What I love about this app is that it rewards me for every part of my shopping experience. How Shopkick works is that you earn points, called kicks, for every aspect of your shopping routine: walking into the store, scanning the barcodes of certain products to get more info, and, of course, making purchases. Then, when you save enough of these points up, you can trade them in for Amazon gift cards! It has all the efficiency of the mystery shopper apps, plus all the fun of the photo apps, but also turns every trip to the store into a game that feels like a scavenger hunt. I even use it to get paid for shopping for groceries.

I mean, the Amazon subscription model has made my life so breezy, at least when it comes to keeping the house stocked

It really makes me wonder what kind of shopping tech is just around the corner that will make our lives even easier. I mean, the Amazon subscription model has made my life so breezy, at least when it comes to keeping the house stocked. And Shopkick has made all my other shopping trips so much more fun! It’s a win-win combo kick from shopping buddy, Shopkick.

Ready to start using free apps to earn money for Amazon gift cards while you shop? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding it is to shop with us!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy elenathewise

Learn how to make money from apps to fuel your techie needs

Posted on by shopkick

The thing about working your hardest to stay up on all the latest tech trends is your work is never really done. That’s both the blessing and the curse of being a techie. Almost immediately after you invest in a new device with a new set of functionalities, tech companies are getting ready to turn around and announce the next evolution of what you just bought. It’s kind of exciting when you think about it, but the big problem is after a long enough period of time it can really put a strain on your wallet.

That’s why it’s absolutely vital to learn all you can about how to make money from apps. If you really get into it, I’m here to tell you, you can learn how to make money from apps at such a prodigious clip you can ultimately fuel your tech needs! At least until the next big things comes out. Kidding! Well, at least a little bit. Anyway, the point is that every little bit of money makes a difference when you’re really engaged in following new tech trends. Today, I’m going to share all I’ve learned about how to make money from apps.

We’ll go over the keys to success, the different types of money-making apps you can choose from, and, of course, my all-time favorite. I honestly wish someone would have sat me down and given me these tips sooner, but, hey, there’s no time like the present to start!

How to Make Money From Apps: Keys to Success

how to make money from appsThere are a number of different money-making apps you can use once you learn all there is to know about how to make money from apps. However, the key to success is consistency. And, that’s why I want to start by talking about the most important tips for using apps to make money.

Here are a few qualities I look for when deciding to use apps to make money:

 

  • Easy to use: In my experience, overly convoluted or complex technology is pretty much never a good thing, and this is especially true with apps, which are more or less always intended to help improve or simplify your life. So, with money-making apps, you’re going to want to make sure the one you settle on is simple and easy to use.

 

  • Consistency: To be frank, there are no money-making apps that you can use a couple times a year and expect to earn enough money to make a dent in your tech budget. Every one of these apps requires you to use them consistently. You’ll want to choose an app you won’t mind spending time on.
  • Fun: This sort of ties into the previous point, but you want to make sure the money-making app you go with is one you have fun using. If you’re able to do that, the consistency question basically takes care of itself.

 

 

How to Make Money From Apps: Type of Money-Making Apps to Choose From

Now that you’re an expert on the qualities to look for when choosing an app from which to make money, it’s time to look at your different options in terms of types of apps. App development is one of the broadest disciplines of new technology, with more and more apps coming out every day; money-making apps are no different.

There are three general types of money-making apps I’ve seen. The first is the most common: survey apps, and how it works is super simple. You download the app, put in your demographic info, and get paid to take surveys relevant to your lifestyle. The next type of common money-making app is a coupon app, which a whole like old-school coupon clipping but updated for the modern era. The third type of app is actually my favorite. It’s called a third-party shopping app.

How to Make Money From Apps: The Best App For You is Shopkick

My all-time favorite money-making app is called Shopkick, and it meets all the requirements in our first section: it’s easy to use, it lends itself to consistency, and it’s a whole lot of fun. How it works is pretty simple. With Shopkick, you get points for the things you do whenever you go out shopping, things like walking into stores, going down aisles browsing products, and making purchases. You can then trade these points in for gift cards to your favorite stores, including places like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy.

That’s not even the best part. There are also tons of ways that Shopkickers can earn rewards right from the app—no need to go anywhere. These include kicks (points) for watching videos and instant surprise kicks from going on Easter egg hunts in the app. Users can also get amazing deals where you can earn big points and rewards by shopping on your phone at stores like Amazon, Walmart, and, again, Best Buy! It’s really cool, and I use it basically any time I shop.

Keeping up with tech can be expensive and nobody knows that as well as tech-savvy folks like you and me. Luckily, you can also use tech to lessen the load your wallet has to bear. That’s why it literally pays to learn how to make money from apps, money that can fuel your techie needs.

That’s why it literally pays to learn how to make money from apps, money that can fuel your techie needs.

Like I said earlier, my all-time favorite money-making app is Shopkick. There’s just so many different ways to use it to earn points that you can trade in for gift cards. In fact, it’s gotten to the point that every trip out to the store feels a little bit like a scavenger hunt for me, and I’m definitely not complaining about upping the fun factor for my regular shopping!

Ready to learn more about how to make money from apps to fuel your techie needs? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how rewarding—and fun—shopping can be!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Rido