The arrangement with Mobiquity Networks, which operates a national location-based mobile advertising network, also will notify ShopAdvisor’s mobile users of current price and offer details, and of the proximity of an offer for a product that is similar to an item for which a shopper has shown a preference. The arrangement builds on the importance of making an outreach personal, relevant and delivered in real-time to engage on-the-go consumers in the mobile age.

“The marriage of preference and micro-location brings great value to consumers who have selected products and categories that interest them,” said Jim Meckley, chief marketing officer with Mobiquity Networks, Garden City, NY. “The arrangement with Mobiquity Networks and ShopAdvisor enables app users to see more of what they are interested in and provides brands and retailers an avenue to what they all seek – an effective way to personalize communications that could lead to sales.”

Making matches
ShopAdvisor provides information on 210 million products from more than 16,000 retailers. With a Web site and mobile apps that advise users when, where, and what to shop and when prices drop on items of interest, the site matches what the user wants to buy with what stores and brands are able to offer.

Expanding the available range of tailored offers.

When consumers identify products in which they are interested, ShopAdvisor brings about tailored offers on those products.

The partnership will provide ShopAdvisor mobile users with more opportunities to access promotions and offers on products they love within their local area.

From a marketing standpoint, the combination of the user preference information provided by ShopAdvisor and the reach and proximity information provided by  Mobiquity Technologies’ network will increase the opportunity for brands and retailers to engage with potential shoppers.

The agreement comes as Mobiquity, which operates the world’s largest indoor shopping mall-based beacon advertising and app engagement network, increases its network footprint 17 percent to 240 United States shopping mall locations.

Last week, Mobiquity announced a partnership with Relevant Solutions, a provider of branded and white-label mobile applications, that will let any shopper with a financial institution’s app on a smartphone opt in to receive offers from brands and mall-store merchants and be prompted to pay with that particular institution’s card.

Besides opening an additional revenue source for banks and credit unions, the agreement lets the institutions engage app users well beyond the activity of payments and account-balance inquiries.

Beacon networks generally are catching on with retailers, brands and publishers enticed by the ability of the low-cost, low-energy transmitters to provide real value to consumers in a permission-based program.

Receiving offers
“The retail industry is adapting to the new mobile world and giving consumers additional reasons to go to malls and find exactly what makes them happy,” Mr. Meckley said.

Tapping receptivity to mobile offers.

“Research has shown, when in the shopping process, mobile users are most receptive to receiving offers and store-specific content. This agreement should make the ads that much more effective because they are personal, relevant and delivered in real-time,” he said.

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York