The Perfect Combination of Online and Mall Shopping

[Valerie S. Johnson]

By Valerie S. Johnson

Many people are happy buying their retail goodies on the Internet, but some still like shopping in a mall or otherwise in person. Several companies now make it possible to search online for the precise products you want to buy in person.

NearbyNow has an application that lets shoppers use cellphones and PDAs to “turn online browsing into in-store buying.” Customers in a specific mall send text messages to receive sales information. You simply input the product name, type, brand, or store and receive a message listing stores in that shopping center with the desired product and current price. Twenty-two malls are currently participating in NearbyNow or are scheduled to start soon.

GPShopper ("Mobilizing Main Street!") has a free cell phone application called Slifter which is not specific to a shopping center. Shoppers ask about a product and are provided with prices and location of nearest store. Product images and maps of the store location are also provided. Retailers pay a fee to GPShopper when a customer selects a product on their cell phone from Slifter.

Slifter enables you to send a text message to friends or families showing them product information. Letters to Santa have officially gone fully electronic.