迟来的爱：零售商拥抱WiFi

    不过顾客似乎并没有留意。梅西百货在一些大门上粘贴了告示，提醒顾客“内有WiFi”。然而在服装货架上并没有安放任何标牌，提示该百货公司提供无线网络。

    顾客想要连接网络，首先需要同意出现在他们手机屏幕上的一系列服务条款。一般来说，协议都会声明网络并不安全，商店会跟踪顾客访问的网站和使用的设备类型。

    室内定位服务供应商Nearbuy Systems的董事长布莱恩•瓦格说，这些数据最终将被用于帮助商店提供个性化的优惠券，同时确定需要加入货架的商品。Nearbuy Systems是一家新成立的企业，帮助商店监控顾客在使用WiFi时的行为，同时分析所得数据。比如，顾客经常使用WiFi访问竞争对手的网页，查看红色的开司米羊毛衫，这就提醒商店该开始囤积这类货物了。

    瓦格说：“商家能够了解哪些商品正在被‘展览’，他们可以问问自己：‘我是不是该降价了？’‘我是不是应该给顾客打折？’”根据瓦格的说法，有很多商店正在使用Nearbuy的产品，不过他拒绝透露他们的名字。所有受访商店都声称所搜集的数据仅用于防范黑客。

    弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester）的分析师萨查瑞塔•穆尔普鲁对WiFi数据的价值表示怀疑，并警告道称手机营销市场只是刚刚起步。她提到了杂货店，那些商店长期使用忠诚度项目来追踪个人的购物习惯——可是成效有限。穆尔普鲁说：“无论从哪点来看，杂货店都已经持有这些信息很多年了。不过他们仍然只是在货架上标明折扣，而不是给顾客一个定制的优惠。”

    WiFi在店内还远未普及。比如Gap公司的门店，包括Gap、香蕉共和国（Banana Republic）和老海军（Old Navy），都未提供WiFi。百思买（Bust Buy）也只在部分门店提供WiFi。与此同时，小型企业往往不会提供WiFi。

    为了填补这一空白，Facebook正在测试一个项目，向商家分发无线路由器，让他们自己建立网络。然而这个项目也附带了条件。想要使用网络，顾客需要首先在Facebook上签到，让Facebook确定自己的位置，然后才会跳转到该商店的Facebook页面。只有这样，顾客才能使用网络访问其他网站。

    审计和商业咨询公司德勤（Deloitte）负责消费者业务的领导凯西•罗保提出了相反意见，认为WiFi的好处还没有得到充分认识。他说，商业机遇要远远超过通过移动设备进行的直接销售。根据德勤对1,557名智能手机用户的调查，在店内使用手机的顾客，只有14%更愿意在那家店里购买商品。而如果他们使用了店内专有的网络或是应用，就有33%的可能在当日就把商品买走。

    However, shoppers didn't seem to pay attention. 

Macy's affixed stickers that announced "free Wi-Fi inside" on some of its doors. But there were no signs among the racks of clothes mentioning the network.

    To connect to a network, shoppers must first agree to a terms of service that appears on their smartphone screens. The agreement generally spells out that the network is not secure and that the stores will track the Web sites customers visit and the type of devices they use.

    Such data could eventually be used to help stores offer personalized coupons and identify merchandise to add to their shelves, said Bryan Wargo, chief executive of Nearbuy Systems, a start-up that helps stores monitor customer behavior on Wi-Fi networks and dissect the data. Customers frequently using the Wi-Fi network to search a rival's Web site for red cashmere sweaters, for instance, could signal that the store should start stocking them.

    "Merchants can understand which products are being showroomed," Wargo said. "They can ask themselves 'Should I reduce the price? Should I offer the customer a specific discount?'"

A number of stores are testing Nearbuy's product, according to Wargo, but he declined to name any of them. No stores interviewed acknowledged using the information they collect to do anything except to keep out hackers.

    Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst with Forrester (FORR), was skeptical about the value of Wi-Fi data and cautioned that mobile marketing was still in its infancy. She pointed to grocery stores, which have long used loyalty programs to track individuals' shopping habits -- to limited success. "Grocery stores have, for all intents and purposes, had this information for years," Mulpuru said. "But they still just put a discount on the shelf rather than give you a customized one."

    Wi-Fi is far from universal inside stores. For example, Gap Inc.'s (GPS) stores, which include Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, do not offer it. At Best Buy (BBY), availability varies by store. Small businesses, meanwhile, are often a black hole when it comes to Wi-Fi.

    To fill in the gap, Facebook (FB) is testing a program to give away wireless routers to merchants so they can set up a network. The program comes with some strings, however. To use the network, customers must first check in their location on Facebook. They are then diverted to the business' Facebook page. Only then can customers use the network to visit other Web sites.

    Kasey Lobaugh, who leads the direct to consumer practice at Deloitte, the auditing and business consulting company, countered that the benefit of Wi-Fi is underappreciated. The opportunity for businesses far exceeds direct sales through mobile devices, he said.

    People who use their smartphones in a store are 14% more likely to make a purchase from that retailer, according to a survey by Deloitte of 1,557 smartphone owners. If they use a store's specific Web site or app while inside, they are 33% more likely to purchase an item that day.