Why the backyard web will change your business for the better (Guide to Small Business E-Commerce Strategy)

Two quick news stories caught my eye this week that demonstrate the power of the local, mobile web clearly. First comes the announcement that Amazon is offering a new iPhone app, allowing customers to more easily check prices and (One-Click) order from Amazon on their iPhone. Given the iPhone’s rapid growth in mobile web market share, your customers might be buying from Amazon while shopping your stores.

And it’s not just iPhones and Amazon. Sarah Perez notes consumers are now scanning bar codes in stores to compare prices, something most stores don’t know exists.

The mobile internet will drive price transparency in ways we haven’t even begun to realize. Price cannot be your differentiating factor. Nor can you hide high prices or bad service by being “the only game in town.”

Getting customers to buy from you increasingly will rely (as it always has) on value, service and price. Otherwise, the competition is as close as your customer’s pocket.

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