shopping

The App Store is full of games the let you pet cute little animals, but most of them differ only by how nice the cats or dogs have been drawn. But have you heard about annolys? What about pogonips? If not, it's time to visit the Monster Pet shop. It's a well-designed game disguised as a store management simulator, with charming little monsters and onscreen tips disguised as Uncle Oscar, your guide.

It's so nice to see a good story and great drawings, even if they are monsters. Monster Pet Shop has one clear goal: to keep … Read more

Here's a deal of the day that normally would make me sit up and take notice:

RedTag has the Proscan PLEDV2488A 24-inch LED HDTV with built-in DVD player for $169, plus $1.95 for shipping.

Just one problem: it's refurbished.

Surprised? Normally I'm a champion of refurbished gear. You'll often hear me touting deals on refurbished laptops, tablets, Blu-ray players, and the like. In fact, I think if you're shopping for any Apple product, you should go the refurb route every time.

But there are exceptions, starting with the aforementioned deal. Here's a rundown … Read more

Some people just cannot stop buying.

They wander into stores during their lunch hour, they're constantly attuned to online shopping. Who can wonder that the wise people at Amazon decided to name their online clothing store MyHabit?

And yet, as everything goes mobile, is it really quite as easy to shop through your phone, as it is on your cute little PC or iPad? Everything is a little smaller, for example. It's harder to zoom out and imagine.

However, new research has entered my laptop that offers a far more rational perspective on mobile shopping. Apparently, a substantial … Read more

Social media's traffic contribution to online shopping sites increased 77 percent in one year, but few users actually buy anything, according to a new report published today by marketing firm Monetate.

The firm's study shows that search engine and e-mail referrals are more than holding their own against social media sites when it comes to generating sales in the second quarter of 2012.

Social media sites only contributed to 2.85 percent of online shopping traffic in the second quarter, but the figure did grow a substantial 77 percent from the beginning of 2011 to the beginning of … Read more

In cities like San Francisco, shoppers have a number of ways to order groceries online for home delivery. But one startup there thinks that by mimicking Amazon's Prime service and selling subscriptions for unlimited free delivery, it can change customers' behavior and generate a great deal more orders.

Instacart, a current Y Combinator company that came out of stealth mode earlier this month, has been letting users in an invite-only beta buy groceries with quick delivery through its iPhone app for some time. One-hour delivery costs $10, while three-hour delivery runs $4.

Now, CNET has learned, the company has … Read more

Socialvest, a company that says it's raised tens of thousands of dollars for nonprofits through its shopping site, has launched an iPhone app to make it easier for people to help others while shopping.

The site lets shoppers give to the charities of their choice by working with online retailers like Target, Home Depot, Macy's and Amazon. When a user buys something from a partnered shop, between 1 to 15 percent of the purchase will be donated to a nonprofit.

It seems like a great way to be a do-gooder while satisfying your commercial needs.

According to a … Read more

eBay has historically been a place for adults to buy and sell goods. But in the coming months, kids might make their way to the service.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published today, eBay's president of global marketplaces, Devin Wenig, said his company is currently working on plans to allow kids under 18 years old to establish accounts and start participating in auctions.

Aware of the obvious privacy and parental implications, Wenig told the Journal that the accounts would be opened only with parental authorization. Wenig said eBay would not allow "a 15-year-old unfettered … Read more

For me, there are no worse time-sucks than social media and online shopping. Online games, however, have never been a problem. Until now.

Tip or Skip, which launched today with $2 million in funding from 500 Startups, John Ason, Corinthian Group, and angel investors, combines a Fancy or Pinterest-like online shopping experience with a game element.

Started by two childhood friends -- Michael Weiksner, a persuasive-technology specialist who has studied under B.J. Fogg, and Nathaniel McNamara, a mobile-commerce specialist -- the site aims to keep shoppers engaged by appealing to their trend-spotting sensibilities. The idea is that if you … Read more

I've written many times before of my love for cashback services, which pay you back a percentage of your purchase just for going through their shopping portals.

For example, FatWallet recently started offering 3 percent back on Amazon Instant Video and MP3 purchases. And Ebates is currently paying 4 percent to 5 percent back on purchases from Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

Of course, there are lots of cashback sites out there, and some offer bigger bonuses than others. How can you make sure you're getting the maximum rebate for each store you visit?

Simple: click the Cashback Comparison bookmarklet. … Read more