With more and more consumers shopping with their
smartphones in hand, bricks-and-mortar retailers are looking for ways to offer
more in-store services, such as mapping inventory and mobile advertising
networks.
Retailers are trying to better understand their
customers through the use of indoor location technology, which can measure how shoppers
move through the store. For instance, Walmart is working on a hyperlocal
in-store search component for its mobile app that will make it possible for
customers to find out the availability of specific items.
Apps are also in the works to deliver special promotions
to users based on their location in the store, and in-store mobile advertising
could be the next step for big stores, according to Patrick Connolly, senior
analyst for ABI Research.
“That is the long-term goal, certainly for the big
retailers,” Connolly said in an article in Mobile
Commerce Daily.
“They will look to launch their own smartphone apps and start building indoor
location and mapping, and, ultimately hyperlocal advertising.”
But for the time being, this is technology for large retailers
with deep pockets.
“The big retailers are going to make their own
decisions and they are going to want to be on the cutting edge,” Connolly said.
