Shoppers face a dizzying array of offers of help in the form of new Web sites, services and mobile phone applications as they set out for their holiday shopping this year.
To make the most of new services, experts advise employing them often and early, even before the season kicks off with Black Friday next week.
Here are four ways to track down holiday bargains and a look at whether each could work for you:
1. GET SOCIAL. Many consumers are following their favorite brands and retailers to networking Web sites like Facebook and Twitter, where the companies are posting deals not seen in stores.
"I don't think it's going to be all about the Black Friday or Cyber Monday," said Michelle Madhok, CEO and editor in chief of shopping sites Shefinds.com and Momfinds.com. "I think those deals are going to go on and on."
This year's best deals will be online, she said. It's easier for retailers to launch and retract deals online, where matching inventory with customers is less of a challenge than in stores.
- IS IT FOR YOU? If you're a regular on Twitter or Facebook, social networks are good places to start shopping. But if you're new to social networking, it may take time before you can efficiently find deals. And there are other ways to find bargains online (see No. 3).
2. GET ORGANIZED. Other new services include budget applications for mobile phones; they can help you stay within your limits even though they're intended to help coax shoppers into spending.
JPMorgan Chase's "GiftPlanner" lets users list recipients and how much they want to spend and then track their total budget. Both GiftPlanner and AOL's "Holiday Plan" are free for the iPhone, and the latter enables users to click through to sponsor Walmart.com to start shopping.
- IS IT FOR YOU? You may...

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