Best holiday shopping apps from Appolicious Inc.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Holiday shopping is not all about Black Friday and Cyber Monday anymore. Apps, e-commerce sites and shipping logistics are making it easier than ever to purchase items later. In some cases, you can purchase and ship on Dec. 23 for arrival before Christmas Day.

Brad Spirrison, Managing Editor of Appolicious Inc., shares the best holiday shopping apps to save time and money.

Newly Revamped Target App (iPhone, iPad, mobile website, free)

Target is incorporating cutting edge geo-location technology in its app to give shoppers Google Maps-like visual navigation when they are looking for products within the store. The app is essentially divided into two parts. Before entering the store, users create shopping lists (made easier with auto-correct and predictive search technology). The app detects when they enter individual stores (different layout for each store) and then shows easy to find icons with aisle numbers and locations on the internal store map. Icons also show specific sales going on in that store at that time (and only available on the app). This technology is now being rolled out by Walmart, Lowes and other retailers. An example of how big brand stores are combatting showrooming: when shoppers are in a store, find a better deal from Amazon and eBay and purchase from a competitor.

Pounce (iPhone, iPad free)

This app uses gee-whiz image-recognition technology that lets shoppers snap pictures of products - or pictures of products in circulars - that they want to buy, with the option of purchasing that product or something similar within a couple clicks. There is a little bit of set-up time involved entering a profile, providing payment and shipping information. From there, you will see the exact product, or a close representation of it, with options to purchase it from six of the top seven big box retailers.

Raise (iPhone/iPad free)

This one is like StubHub for coupons and gift cards. It is a secondary market where people with a gift card they are not interested in redeeming can sell it for a slight discount for cash. So, say you get a $50 gift card from Macy's. You can sell it through the app for $40. The buyer gets the benefit of $10 off (minus transaction fees). It's a win-win - an opportunity to clean your drawer out and remove all the old or unused gift cards before they expire.

Buy Local (iPhone, iPad, Android free)

While not the most elegant app in the world, this is a very useful search engine that helps you identify independent retailers near you or wherever you specify. It's a great resource to support local businesses this holiday season.