Imagine getting notified of deals automatically when you enter a store, stop in the sports sections, try on jeans in the fitting room and other tasks you normally do when you shop.

Well that time is upon us with the new Shopkick App that promises a new shopping experience. Available on iPhone and Android mobile devices, the ShopKick app will ping your phone with points, discounts, and rewards for just shopping. It sounds like it is similar to current geo-location apps like Foursquare, Gowalla, and MyTown, but it’s very different as well.

The Lowdown:

With ShopKick, you don’t have to “check-in” to places in order to see specials. Stores with the ShopKick equipment installed in their stores will be able to send specials to your phone based on where you are in the store and what you are doing. So If you are near the store, you will get a “kick”, if you enter a specific isle, or department, you will get a “kick” as well as trying on clothes and actually buying items.

So far, Macy’s, Best Buy, American Eagle Outfitters, Sports Authority, as well as the Simon Property Group (they own the majority of malls in the U.S.) have installed to equipment that sends a specific frequency to your phone and waits for the bounce-back to determine where you are (like radar).

No of course, that means the store will know where you are at all times with the ShopKick app installed, so you will have to decide how much your privacy means to you when you are shopping. The workaround is you have to turn on the app for the notifications to start. So if you don’t want you phone going off every time you do something different while in a store, you can close the app.

A Brotha’s Take:

I think its cool (not just because Best Buy signed on) because technology is getting smarter. With the majority of Americans using mobile devices like smartphones to handle more and more tasks, I think it’s only natural to be able to use our devices to find the best deals or rack up rewards points ON THE SPOT. Since I don’t plan ahead and clip coupons when I shop, it would be cool for my phone to buzz to let me know I could get a special deal on something I was gonna buy anyway.

Outro:

If you like to shop, and your iPhone or Android device stays on your hip, check out the new ShopKick app and get ready to be bombarded with points, rewards points and specials just for doing what you would normally do – spend money!