Mobile devices can turn a store into a 2x3 inch price war zone.

  

Take Best Buy. Customers walk through the store and compare prices on the mobile web. Best Buy doesn’t have a voice on all the sites that consumers are accessing. 

  

It doesn’t have to be that way. Best Buy can purchase ads on nearly every website that customers access while in the store. They show the ads seamlessly, without making their customers download apps, check-in or sign up for text messages. 

  

For example, a consumer at Best Buy who is searching for a Sony TV would see all the sites as normal. Except all the ads would be for ‘Same-day installation from Best Buy.’ Those same sites, viewed from outside, would have different ads. 

 

The same goes for shoppers browsing the aisles of Best Buy on Facebook. They would see sponsored stories from other satisfied customers, especially if they are friends. (Perhaps Facebook can monetize mobile after all.)

 

This type of targeting can be accomplished by setting up a ‘Geofence’ in a store. ‘Geofencing’ is a technology that can tell an advertiser where a mobile device is located. It can be used to target ads that are served through the web and apps.

  

Retailers need not be afraid of mobile price shopping. They have the upper hand. Customers want instant gratification, and they trust the retailer enough to walk into the store. What’s missing are mobile ads to seal the deal.