Mobile Retailing: The Next Technological Frontier The next technological development in the modern shopping experience is the incorporation oformobile retailing. The time has come for, retailers to embrace mobile retailing as they did online retailing. Some brick-and-mortar and online retailers have begun to supplement existing shopping experiences with mobile apps. For instance, Kroger's app allows customers to find information and discounts on products available for purchase while shopping in-store. In some cases, retailers are selling to consumers exclusively through mobile apps, similar to online-only retailers. For example, an app called Myntra sells thousands of fashion brands of clothing, shoes, and household dcor directly to consumers. 21 This shift toward mobile retailing is taking place in many innovative ways to enhance the consumer shopping experience. Several emerging trends in mobile retailing are listed below: - Push-Based Apps. Initially, most retailing apps were pull-based, whereby consumers would have to initiate an interaction with an app, such as requesting information or putting something in a shopping cart. Now, more and more apps are push-based. The apps anticipate user needs and provide related information through automatic updates. For example, Saks Fifth Avenue uses push notifications to invite consumers to livestream their holiday window unveiling. Consumers who opted in to the push notifications also receive a variety of tailored alerts, ranging from the availability of Saks' holiday gift-giving guide to promotional gift card giveaways. and-mortar stores to alert mobile customers (within the signal's range) of product information, sales, and customized ads. Target uses this technology to let shoppers know, via push notifications, of nearby deals as they walk throughout the store. Target's app even includes indoor mapping that provides walking directions to the aisle location of desired products-and indicates whether those products are on sale. One-Click Mobile Payments. Mobile payments through apps are not uncommon; however, prior to 2017, Amazon had exclusive rights to the "one-click" payments technology. When Amazon's patent expired, this enabled many more retailers to begin using one-click mobile payments-because they no longer had to pay a licensing fee to Amazon. One example is TGI Fridays restaurants. Once a customer's payment information is stored in the TGI Fridays mobile app, ordering food and drinks is more streamlined. Patrons can reorder drinks to their table without requesting a server, or they can order takeout to be picked up from any restaurant location, all with a click of one button. - Augmented Reality (AR). Some retailers are experimenting with AR to allow consumers to visualize a product in their homes, on their bodies, or in other contexts. For example, Anthropologie has an app that gives consumers detailed 3-D views of their furniture superimposed over images of the rooms in the consumers' own homes. The app also allows consumers to view furniture from different angles, in various degrees of lighting and shadows. Anthropologie's AR technology helps Artificial Intelligence (AI). Retailers are using artificial intelligence technology to interact with consumers in various ways. For example, apps with AI can learn consumers' preferences and subsequently make personalized suggestions. One such AI tool is the "chatbot." H\&M uses a chatbo to engage its consumers by first asking a few questions about their preferences. Based on the consumers' responses, the chatbot then follows up with various suggestions of products available fo purchase through the app. More generally, retailers use "chatbots" to manage customer service and facilitate the purchasing process for their customers. As new technological trends continue to emerge, and consumers become increasingly familiar with them, it will become increasingly more important for retailers to remain current to provide optimal shopping experiences for their consumers. Critical Thinking Questions: 1. Consider the new mobile retailing technologies discussed in the insight. Do you feel these technologies enhance the customer's shopping experience? Why or why not? 2. Consider your own previous experiences with mobile retailing as a consumer. Answer the following questions and be prepared to share with others. a. As a consumer, have you experienced any of the new mobile retailing trends? b. If so, which, and how would you describe your experience? c. Are there any of these emerging trends in mobile retailing that you would prefer not to engage with as a consumer? Why or why not? 3. Some consumers have ethical issues with mobile retailing. What potential negatives could you see with these emerging technologies and how might you recommend that retailers address them