Get All Access for $5/mo

Mobile Phones Are Changing Retail. Here's How. (Infographic) Consumers carry access to the Internet around in their pockets now -- and that's upending the rulebook for owners of brick and mortar stores.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shoppers have the Internet in their pockets. For store owners, that's changing the game.

Almost half of shoppers admit to having participated in "showrooming," or going into a retail store to look at a product and then buying a less expensive version online. That statistic comes from an infographic generated by MobStac, a cloud-based mobile-commerce platform that makes websites and applications for businesses.

Related: 10 Questions to Ask When Optimizing Your Website for Mobile Users

As a retail store owner, you can try to prevent consumers from using their smartphones inside your store. But that's not much more than putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg. Mobile shopping isn't going away.

Instead, retail store owners should engage with customers through mobile technology and give them what they want. Four out of five smartphone owners say they would prefer to be able to read more about products on their devices while shopping in stores, according to the MobStac infographic.

Related: Mobile Commerce Has Completely Exploded (Infographic)

Check out this infographic for more trends in mobile commerce and for ways to make your retail store smartphone-friendly.

Mobile Phones Are Changing Retail. Here's How. (Infographic)
Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Starting a Business

He Started a Business That Surpassed $100 Million in Under 3 Years: 'Consistent Revenue Right Out of the Gate'

Ryan Close, founder and CEO of Bartesian, had run a few small businesses on the side — but none of them excited him as much as the idea for a home cocktail machine.

Franchise

The Top 10 Coffee Franchises in 2024

From a classic cup of joe to a creamy latte, grab your favorite mug and get ready to brew up success with the best coffee franchises.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

'Do You Sell Cars?': Tesla CEO Elon Musk Trolls Jaguar Rebrand on X

The team running Jaguar's X account was working hard on social media this week.

Business News

'Jaw-Dropping Performance in 2024,' Says a Senior Analyst as Nvidia Reports Earnings

Nvidia reported its highly-anticipated third-quarter earnings on Wednesday.

Marketing

How Small Businesses Can Leverage Dark Social to Drive Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Dark social accounts for 70% of social media shares and is crucial for small businesses. Here's how you can tap into this hidden marketing opportunity.