When you’re holiday shopping this year, there’s little doubt that Amazon would prefer that you buy that copy of the Steve Jobs biography or Snuggie on their site, rather than in an actual store. That’s why the e-commerce giant offers things like free shipping and a mobile app that lets you scan barcodes and compare prices.
In many cases, the price Amazon pulls up on its Price Check app for iOS is going to smaller than the one stuck to the item you’re holding in your hand. They know this, and so to further encourage you to buy from them, Amazon is offering a 5% discount on items purchased via the Price Check app.
The promotion has its limitations. For one, the deal is only good this Saturday, December 10. According to Amazon’s press release, the 5% discount is good on up to three “qualifying products in eligible categories.” That list of categories includes electronics, DVDs, toys, music and sporting goods, but there’s no word on how many products are eligible for the price cut.
As smartphone adoption continues to grow, more and more people are engaging in mobile commerce, and the buying isn’t limited to when consumers are at home or work. More than one third of smartphone owners used the device to make a purchase while standing in a bricks and mortar store, according to recent data from ComScore.
Amazon is well aware of the trend, and they’re hoping to cash in on it even further by running this promotion. For physical retailers, many of whom have already felt the heat from Amazon’s success, it puts them in a difficult spot. Amazon is able to offer lower prices thanks to its very structure, which includes less overhead than businesses that operate out of a physical storefront.
For consumers, the bottom line is who has the cheaper price, and who can get them their purchases in time for holiday gift-giving. As long as Amazon can deliver in those two areas, we can only see this trend toward mobile commerce continue.
