Search. Shop. Pay. All With Your Phone.

The mobile web is changing how we live our lives in fundamental ways. It is changing the way we interact and communicate with each other, and it is even changing the way we shop. With the holiday shopping season approaching, it makes sense to consider the likely trends of the future. One of those shopping trends is using your smart phone to do everything, from finding what you are looking for to paying for it -- even if you are out in the “real world.”

Android Phones Positioned to Drive New Shopping Trend

Last Thursday, we reported on Google's new credit card phone. Google’s Android phones are well-positioned to drive the new mobile shopping trends of the future. Google is so pervasive in search -- including mobile search -- that just about anyone who wants to use the web to find something is likely to use Google. And that gives Android an edge when it comes to mobile search while shopping. The following graph from 5site illustrates the possibilities:

Now, with smart phones able to help shoppers search on the go, the way we shop is changing. It is possible for you to look for an item, and locate the store, and get directions to that retailer using only a smart phone. People can search while shopping, looking online for what they want while in the car, on the bus or even at the shopping center. Android phones allow shoppers to scan barcodes and get instant information on price comparisons. Google is already the leader in search on the web, and the company is looking to become the place to go for shopping information.

Not only is it possible to scan barcodes and comparison shop from wherever you are, you can also make a payment. This applies to online shopping you might do from your mobile phone, of course, but it might also soon apply to how you pay in a brick and mortar store. Google is planning to release a smart phone that is capable of acting like a credit card, making it possible for you to search for what you want, then go to the store and buy it by waving your smart phone in front of a credit card terminal.

Are Retailers Ready for Mobile Web Shopping?

As smart phones become more popular, and the further integration of the mobile web into our lives becomes a reality, retailers are going to need to learn how to compete on the mobile web. In some ways, retailers are just now grasping the importance of SEO on the “regular” web. It is already time for them to move on to mobile search. Brick and mortar retailers need to be prepared for the integration of search and buying with the help of smart phones and other mobile devices. They need to learn how to use the mobile web to their advantage if they want to help their local, retail clients.

The mobile web really does offer a number of opportunities for retailers. Text messages are beginning to become popular as a form of marketing, and could easily alert customers to potential deals, drawing them into the store. A smart phone, used as a credit card, could be even more convenient. Retailers could offer targeted messages to people in the area, encouraging them to come in and save 25% -- as long as they pay by phone. It is also possible to encourage customers to share information with people in their networks, by increasing the discount when the message is forwarded to a certain number of people, or by providing a coupon code.

If Google really does come out with more tools aimed at personalization of the mobile web, it will become especially important for retailers to learn how to target customers. From being search friendly to accepting credit cards from mobile devices, brick and mortar stores need to prepare for what’s coming. Plans to create smart phones that call customer attention to retailers of interest in the area could change the way people decide where to shop. If your brick and mortar store isn’t ready, you could easily be overlooked as smart phones become, well, smarter.

This post was included in the November 28, 2010 edition of the Carnival of Wealth.