SAUGUS – Shoppers at the Square One Mall were able to gain an upper hand on deals and discounts on Black Friday using mobile shopping apps, including one introduced by the mall’s parent company.The app, available for iPhone and Android devices, features deals and sales going on at each store, plus upcoming events, a mall navigation tool with maps, and information such as hours of operation, contact information and driving directions.Simon Malls General Manager Matt Bourassa said that even though shopping apps are still in their infancy of use because they need continuous WiFi to work, he believes they will be the go-to shopping tool of the future.”We’re pretty confident that we’re on the edge of this marketing platform,” said Bourassa. “Everybody loves to have the information right in the palm of their hand. It’s just getting over the technology hump – one day it’s difficult, the next day it’s the norm, and the day after that there’s something new.”Some shoppers at the mall in Saugus were already experienced app users. Jon Thomas, of Malden, was using Foursquare, the location-pinpointing app, at the stores he went into.”I check in some places and they have discounts,” he said. Thomas said he’s used the app before to score deals at stores like Abercrombie, but he had not received any deals like that on Black Friday at the Square One Mall in Saugus.John Mallace, owner and general manager of Pet Express, said smartphones provide customers with a new way to check out the background of the store’s puppies.Using a scanning app such as ScanLife, customers could “scan” the Quick Response bar code on the side of each puppy’s pen and pull up information about the animal, such as date of birth, its parents and veterinary records.Mallace said the information could do away with the perception of some pet stores as puppy mills.”We’re trying to be as transparent as possible,” said Mallace.Smartphones as a shopping tool seemed to be popular among teens.Jared Brogan of North Reading, 16, was using Shopkick, an app that gives customers points, or “kicks” for just walking into stores. The kicks add up to rewards like gift cards. Brogan had earned 200 kicks while browsing the mall, which got him closer to the 1,250 kicks he would need for an American Eagle gift card.Dayanna Vasquez, 15, said she wasn’t using any apps, but she was checking her Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates from friends telling her where the best sales were, which led her to Wet Seal and Sears on Friday morning.Caleb Ezewuzia, 18, said he was using his phone to check his email for coupons, and used one of the coupons to buy a laptop at Best Buy. Ryan Costello of Stoneham, 19, said he got an email with a coupon as soon as he walked into Express.Bourassa said he’s happy with the progress of the apps, but with 75 percent of retailers opening early for Black Friday, he’s happiest with lines of customers making purchases on the biggest shopping day of the year.”Just seeing all the bags – that’s the best part,” he said.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].