“It is an intimidating category with lots of complexity,” said Sam’s Club Chief Executive Brain Cornell in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “This will allow a member to walk up to a Samsung LCD Internet-enabled TV and see how to find his Facebook page or stream video from Vudu.”

Wi-Fi will also improve customers’ in-store Internet access on their smart phones and will allow them to easily find more information about a product and do comparison shopping within the store. Sam’s Club isn’t concerned about its customers doing price comparisons with its competitors. Consumer electronic analyst Stephen Baker from NPD Group, a market research firm, confirmed Sam’s Club has little to worry about in that respect. “[Retailers] know they are not going to lose customers over a few dollars, and many retailers have price-match programs.”

Retail analysts agree Wi-Fi access is especially important in stores like Sam’s Club, a place that is known for low prices and not necessarily for its customer service. One of Sam’s Club’s competitors, Best Buy, is also developing a mobile application for its customers this holiday season. Many other stores are sure to follow suit.

Kroger’s recently jumped on the mobile bandwagon by allowing consumers to download coupons via their smartphones. The mobile coupon clipping was implemented nationwide involving national brands such as General Mills.

Customers with a Kroger Plus card can register for a mobile coupon account at www.cellfire.com. Once registered, consumers can search for coupons on the go or at leisure, with the chosen coupons loaded into their Kroger card. The coupons are redeemed at checkout.

The wave of mobile marketing is moving fast. Making both the smartphone market more attractive and allowing retailers to reach consumers on a different platform. The trend for retailers to use mobile apps will continue to grow. In the future, we may see customer feedback apps or a mobile suggestion forum. There are endless possibilities for companies to reach consumers using smartphone applications.