The retail landscape is undergoing a seismic shift. Real-time data, uber-connected consumers, social media, and the mobile web are forever changing how we shop. Countless emerging technologies are empowering consumers, giving them the resources to make the most informed purchase decisions.
As the mobile web and smartphones approach mainstream adoption, we will see more robust uses of mobile technology in retail environments. The growth of the mobile application economy, spurred by the launch of the iPhone, has succeeded in bringing tools to market that make our daily lives easier (inside and outside of the home).
“We are at the cusp of this technology really driving a lot of activity during the shopping season,” said Stacy Janiak, United States retail practice leader at Deloitte. “It is both an opportunity and a challenge for a retailer, because you can have a consumer who can cross-shop your store with other bricks-and-mortar stores or online, all from the convenience of your aisle.”
Retailers need to embrace the mobile web and smartphone applications. Consumers are increasingly using applications from companies like ShopSavvy, RedLaser, and My Coupons to ensure that they are getting the best deals at retail. While it can be argued that applications like ShopSavvy and Red Laser, barcode readers for real-time price comparisons, hinder bricks-and-mortar retail, these consumer-based tools, in truth, challenge retailers to evolve. They push retailers to learn more about their customers, react more adeptly to changes in consumer demand, and enhance their shopper marketing efforts.
When a consumer pulls his iPhone from his pocket and scans the tag of a leather jacket to get price comparisons from nearby retailers and e-commerce sites, it creates a clear opportunity for the retailer whose store he’s in to rise to the challenge. Accepting the fact that consumers have product buying guides, price comparison tools, customer reviews, etc. at their fingertips, pushes retailers to adapt to a marketplace now dominated by empowered consumers.
Whether it be in the form of matching prices customers receive from mobile applications, delivering real-time mobile coupons, offering customer loyalty incentives, or providing value-added services at no cost, offline retailers must flex their marketing, customer service, and sales muscle to stay competitive.
If someone standing in one store scans a product with ShopSavvy, for example, a retailer down the street could deliver the shopper a coupon for the same item. A major retailer is already doing that in a few test cities, including Seattle, said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan, the start-up that created ShopSavvy.
Other applications, including Yowza, use the GPS location information in cellphones to send shoppers coupons for stores within walking distance of where they’re standing. “This empowers consumers to make a smart decision,” Mr. Muse said. “Already, retailers are starting to figure out, ‘I need to be in this game.’ ”
There was a fantastic article in Friday’s New York Times that detailed the depths to which mobile applications are being utilized at retail during the holiday season. The piece is a must read. Not only do I recommend the article, but I implore you to read it.
Dave Haynes is one of the most experienced people in the still-nascent digital signage industry. He has held senior management and business development positions with some of the biggest names in the industry. He’s also well-known and respected as one of the most widely-read industry authorities through his blogs, Sixteen:Nine and Buzz, Not Buzzwords.This is the second time around for Dave as new media pioneer, having been one of the first large daily newspaper editors in North America to put his paper online. Haynes brings a strong technical and operational perspective on the industry, as well as communications skills developed over 20 years working in print journalism. 
