Chrome Extension in The Form of Android App

NovaAlpha on 28/07/2026 - 22:48

I usually check Cheapies to find any available coupons or deals before making a purchase decision. However, I’ve noticed that when I’m shopping in a physical store, I rarely check Cheapies at all.

I think the main reason is convenience. Compared to using a PC, it feels like too much effort to take out my phone, open Cheapies, and search for deals on a smaller screen. This is despite the fact that I use a Galaxy Fold 7, which has one of the largest phone screens available. Even with that screen size, I still find browsing and searching on mobile slower and more tedious.

To find relevant deals manually, I have to:

  • Search for the store name
  • Apply filters to remove expired listings
  • Hide comments and forum posts
  • Apply Relevance sort filter, otherwise I may get irrelevant but somewhat related posts in the results
  • Review the results to find active long-running deals or coupon codes

While none of these steps are difficult individually, the overall process feels like too much friction. Sometimes I simply can’t be bothered going through all of it.

However, I realised that my behaviour is different when I’m on a PC. If I’m already browsing a retailer’s website (for example, Warehouse Stationery), I can simply click the Cheapies Chrome extension and instantly see all relevant active coupons and deals, including long-running offers. This is much faster and more convenient than manually searching through Cheapies.

This made me think: if Cheapies had an Android app with a similar experience, it could solve this problem. Instead of searching through the website, I could simply open the app, select the retailer, and immediately see the relevant coupons and deals available for that store.

This would make it much easier to quickly check for savings while shopping in person, providing the same convenience as the Chrome extension but in a mobile-friendly format.

I'm actually considering to just convert the Chrome extension to Android app with Claude. But if the creator can make it and add improvements to it, that'll be even better.

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  • Alan6984 on 28/07/2026 - 23:18

    I usually check Cheapies to find any available coupons or deals before making a purchase decision. However, I’ve noticed that when I’m shopping in a physical store, I rarely check Cheapies at all.

    I think the main reason is convenience. Compared to using a PC, it feels like too much effort to take out my phone, open Cheapies, and search for deals on a smaller screen. This is despite the fact that I use a Galaxy Fold 7, which has one of the largest phone screens available. Even with that screen size, I still find browsing and searching on mobile slower and more tedious.

    This is exactly how I am too - I almost never bother if I have to use my phone.

    Can't honestly say that I would install an app either though :-)

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  • scotty on 28/07/2026 - 23:55

    On the mobile site, open search, your in a few letters, select the store to go to that store's page on Cheapies — it would show coupons, deals and cashbacks as well. However you do need to be on Cheapies first. Having an app doesn't really solve it as you still need to open the app, which breaks the flow.

    Cheapies extension does work on Firefox for Android though…

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    • NovaAlpha on 29/07/2026 - 00:55

      Yeah, but it's still a lot more taps/clicks than I'd like. I'd still have to type in cheapies.nz in the browser on my phone, or click Cheapies in my bookmark or speed dial, then type the store name (albeit a few letters) and select.

      I think the point of apps on phones is to reduce friction and makes it quick and easy for you to get to what you want. In this day and age, the attention span we have on mobile phones or tablets is short and it's not really a good thing, and it's not something I can change easily. I tend to just want to get things done quickly on my phone, I just want to check/find what I need quickly and move on, rather than stand there at the store and fiddle with my phone for 5 mins to find deals.

      I was thinking, the Android app could use location to see where you are, you click on the store and it immediately shows you relevant coupons and deals. Very quick and easy. Kind of like how Google Maps works, it shows you businesses or restaurants, you tap on it and it shows you relevant info (website, phone number, photos, menus, etc). If we have a Cheapies app that does that, it'd be great. Coz if I'm at a mall and I'm just walking around, I could quickly check what codes or deals are available that way.

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      • scotty on 29/07/2026 - 07:59

        On Android you can 'install' Cheapies from Chrome which gives you an icon like an app, saving you typing in the url or opening the bookmark.

        As of location based suggestions — no, the scope would be far bigger than what Cheapies currently is.

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