As any follower of Carbon Chic will know, I’m always touting that trite saying “patience is a virtue”. When I find something I want to buy that’s just out of my price range, I watch it like a hawk, closely monitor their stock levels (this is both online and in-stores, folks), then feel my heart drop into my bowels when the item goes out of stock unexpectedly, and then that rush of euphoria when the item comes back into stock. I didn’t actually realise how useful an app that could monitor all this for me would be until I came across it earlier this month, and I haven’t stopped using it since.
Here’s a quick video in a cute ocker accent describing the main features of Stalkthis:
For the lazy ones, Stalkthis is a browser application that allows you to save items from a large selection of your favorite stores onto a stalklist and then notifies you via email (or even SMS!) when those saved items go on sale. I had to read the description twice before it sunk in how amazing such a feature would be for future shopping/stalking.
An additional and equally as interesting feature that is currently being implemented is the ability to track low and sold out statuses of items you’re watching, which will definitely take a load off my shoulders!
Here’s a quick rundown on how to use this fabulous app:
1. Once you’ve dragged their little widget into the bookmark bar, you navigate to the particular page of the item you want to stalk and click on it.
2. The Stalkthis app will load up and give you a list of options. I pick the thumbnail that is most appropriate for the item so I don’t forget what it is.
3. You can then elect if you want to be notified of any changes to the price whatsoever, or if you’d like it to drop a certain amount before you’re notified.
4. Leaving this option as-is will put your item in an uncategorized folder, but I like to have a well-organized stalklist, so I categorize my victims by store name.
5. ..And you’re done! You can continue shopping now.
It’s currently in the beta stage of testing which means it’s not 100% finished, but it still works a charm at its most basic level and the developers seem very, very open to new input and fresh ideas from their users. Their list of retailers at the moment is huge, and still growing, and covers all the basic places I shop; including The Iconic, Target(AU), AliExpress, eBay, and ASOS. You will find their huge list of compatible stores here, and if you don’t find your favorite there, tell them(!) and they’ll add it to their to-do list for sure.
For one example, trying to add items from AliExpress was initially impossible, but within half an hour of my attempt, they emailed me (it was quite a pleasant surprise) with a notification that they were adding AliExpress to their list of online stores you can stalk! They’ve currently upgraded my status to “Featured Stalker”, which is honestly quite fun and so lovely of them, despite the sudden realisation that some of my more shady fashion decisions would be thrust into the public eye.. You can find my lists here, but I’m entrusting you with this information under the conditions that all the items are mine and you are not allowed to buy them, especially in cases of low stock numbers in my particular size. Okay? Okay.
(I’m just kidding.. or am I?)
I’m super excited about this web app, if you can’t tell, and the added sophistication of low stock and sold out notifications will really be the icing on the cake once it’s released and give me even more incentive to use the site for stuff that I’m not even particular waiting for to go on sale.
Are there any features you’d like to see in an app like this? Leave a comment below or even email them to share–they seem to have a very open andĀ empatheticĀ team who are just itching to make this app the best it can be. One particular modification I would love to see is a browser plugin instead of something to put in my bookmarks bar–my bookmarks bar is very full at the moment and it would be nice to keep my browser as streamlined as possible. Something like the Pinterest plugin below:
So that’s about it! While it’s still in the beta stage, give it a try, frugalistas, you won’t be disappointed! Click here to find out more:
