Retailers want to take advantage of smartphones

Thanks to smartphones, shoppers are increasingly using apps such as ShopSavvy to check prices at other venues –physical and online- without leaving the store.
Shopkick Inc., a start-up based in Palo Alto, wants retailers to take advantage of this phenomenon: it has signed up Macy’s and Best Buy as partners for the launch of a new app for Android and iPhone that detects when we are in or near a store. It will offer highly targeted promotions, information and coupons, right when shoppers are more likely to buy.
The technology exploits location-based capabilities and the cameras that customers use to scan bar codes.
Ultimately, these initiatives will help retailers find new ways to attract and communicate with consumers, delivering the right offer.
For those interested in knowing how the future shopping experience will look like, the app will be launched over the next few months.