Take advantage of Cyber Monday with a few handy iOS apps

Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year, is currently upon us.

But don’t panic! Unlike Black Friday, just because you weren’t up at 4 a.m. waiting in line at the local Wal-Mart doesn’t mean you’ve missed out on all the best deals. With Cyber Monday, all you need is an Internet connection and a few seconds and you can take advantage of some deals.

And with an iPhone or an iPad, things are even easier. There are a number of great iOS apps that can help you capitalize on the Internet’s giant blow-out sale that’s running for the rest of the day. Just be aware, as PCWorld reports, that iPad shoppers tend to buy items twice as often as users shopping on computers or Android devices.

Start with Amazon

The biggest retailer on the Internet is offering lots of its Lightning Deals all day today, and has been running them all weekend. Deals span all categories and hundreds of items, but they’re all time-sensitive. This means you need to be paying attention, or you could miss the opportunity to purchase and end up on a dreaded “wait list.”

Fortunately, Amazon has an app just dedicated to its Lightning Deals. Aptly named Amazon Deals, it allows you to tie into your Amazon account, scan through all the Lightning Deals going on during Cyber Monday’s madness, and make purchases with as little as one click. Even though the deals are all only on for a limited time, Amazon Deals keeps you tied in no matter where you are or what you’re doing. Perfect for a little impulse-buying.

You can also find handy deals through services such as eBay and get in on big sales through primary apps for big online retailers. Best Buy’s app will tie you into its Cyber Monday sales, as will apps like Buy.com. If you have a favorite retailer, search iTunes for their native mobile app – chances are good you’ll find great ways to save thanks to them.

Hit Up Google

There’s also the good ol’ fashioned way of finding Cyber Monday deals: a Google search.

Grab the Google Search app and a quick “Cyber Monday” search can put you on to all kinds of new deals, even if you’re out riding the bus or waiting in line at the bank. You can also use a search to find Cyber Monday ads, which can make it easy to find deals from retailers you might not expect, like Target, Sears and Wal-Mart – all of which also have online deals but aren’t really known as online retailers.

And then there are a few more dedicated apps that can help you find deals a little more close to home. PriceGrabber allows you to comparison shop among several different sites and deals, and Shopping by The Find lets you see local inventory at stores near you, in case you need to brave a brick-and-mortar location to pick up your products (Best Buy, for example, does a lot of in-store pickup).

The best way to go about getting best prices on Cyber Monday, though, is just to be persistent. Use all the tools available to you, ranging from retailers’ apps to searches and even just word of mouth from friends and co-workers. You’ve got the rest of the day to capitalize on deals, so act fast and keep checking!

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