Christmas shoppers are becoming smarter than ever before buying goods by using their smartphones instore to check if they have the best deal

AUSTRALIAN shoppers are becoming choosier than ever by using their smartphones instore to snare the best prices possible.

Woman using mobile phone while shopping in supermarket

SHOPPERS are becoming savvier than ever by using their smartphones in store to snare the best prices possible.

The Westpac Christmas Finance Report found about 72 per cent of shoppers use their smartphone or tablet to price check while wandering the aisles instore and to see if they can land themselves a better price elsewhere.

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The bank’s spokeswoman Jessica Power said the holiday period can be expensive and encouraged customers to use all electronic tools at their disposal to prevent over spending.

“A large proportion of shoppers have gone over budget and a further 21 per cent don’t have a Christmas budget,’’ she said.

Westpac spokeswoman Jessica Power said shoppers should stick to a budget this Christmas to avoid any festive blowouts. Picture: News Corp Australia.

“With so many costs to cover during Christmas creating a budget to map our expenses is important.”

Consumer watchdog Choice’s spokesman Tom Godfrey said shoppers should be alert when on the hunt for gifts and ensure they aren’t paying too much.

“It’s really important to price check before you purchase if you want to get the best deal,’’ he said.

“If you find a more competitive price elsewhere, it’s always worth asking a retailer to match it.’’

Some retailers will pricematch for customers if the exact same item they are purchasing is at another store for the same price.

Some may even take a small discount off.

National Australia Bank’s digital general manager Todd Copeland said the bank has seen a surge in customers using their smartphones to keep a check on their finances in the past week.

“A new daily record for NAB internet Banking logins was set this week, with consecutive days of around 1.75 million customers logging in via desktop and or a mobile device,’’ he said.

“We expect this activity to continue, with Thursday, December 18 — the last Thursday before Christmas — expected to see over 2 million logins in to internet banking for the first time.”

For those shoppers looking to buy goods online the Australian Retailers Association’s chief executive officer Russell Zimmerman said this weekend will be the busiest weekend of the year.

He urged them to get their orders in by Monday to avoid potentially missing out on receiving gifts in time for December 25.