????不過(guò)顧客似乎并沒(méi)有留意,。梅西百貨在一些大門(mén)上粘貼了告示,，提醒顧客“內(nèi)有WiFi”。然而在服裝貨架上并沒(méi)有安放任何標(biāo)牌,，提示該百貨公司提供無(wú)線(xiàn)網(wǎng)絡(luò),。

????顧客想要連接網(wǎng)絡(luò)，首先需要同意出現(xiàn)在他們手機(jī)屏幕上的一系列服務(wù)條款,。一般來(lái)說(shuō),，協(xié)議都會(huì)聲明網(wǎng)絡(luò)并不安全，商店會(huì)跟蹤顧客訪(fǎng)問(wèn)的網(wǎng)站和使用的設(shè)備類(lèi)型,。

????室內(nèi)定位服務(wù)供應(yīng)商N(yùn)earbuy Systems的董事長(zhǎng)布萊恩?瓦格說(shuō),，這些數(shù)據(jù)最終將被用于幫助商店提供個(gè)性化的優(yōu)惠券，同時(shí)確定需要加入貨架的商品,。Nearbuy Systems是一家新成立的企業(yè),，幫助商店監(jiān)控顧客在使用WiFi時(shí)的行為，同時(shí)分析所得數(shù)據(jù),。比如,，顧客經(jīng)常使用WiFi訪(fǎng)問(wèn)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的網(wǎng)頁(yè)，查看紅色的開(kāi)司米羊毛衫,，這就提醒商店該開(kāi)始囤積這類(lèi)貨物了,。

????瓦格說(shuō)：“商家能夠了解哪些商品正在被‘展覽’，他們可以問(wèn)問(wèn)自己：‘我是不是該降價(jià)了,？’‘我是不是應(yīng)該給顧客打折,？’”根據(jù)瓦格的說(shuō)法，有很多商店正在使用Nearbuy的產(chǎn)品,，不過(guò)他拒絕透露他們的名字,。所有受訪(fǎng)商店都聲稱(chēng)所搜集的數(shù)據(jù)僅用于防范黑客。

????弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester）的分析師薩查瑞塔?穆?tīng)柶蒸攲?duì)WiFi數(shù)據(jù)的價(jià)值表示懷疑,，并警告道稱(chēng)手機(jī)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)市場(chǎng)只是剛剛起步,。她提到了雜貨店,，那些商店長(zhǎng)期使用忠誠(chéng)度項(xiàng)目來(lái)追蹤個(gè)人的購(gòu)物習(xí)慣——可是成效有限。穆?tīng)柶蒸斦f(shuō)：“無(wú)論從哪點(diǎn)來(lái)看,，雜貨店都已經(jīng)持有這些信息很多年了,。不過(guò)他們?nèi)匀恢皇窃谪浖苌蠘?biāo)明折扣，而不是給顧客一個(gè)定制的優(yōu)惠,?！?/p>

????WiFi在店內(nèi)還遠(yuǎn)未普及。比如Gap公司的門(mén)店,，包括Gap,、香蕉共和國(guó)（Banana Republic）和老海軍（Old Navy），都未提供WiFi,。百思買(mǎi)（Bust Buy）也只在部分門(mén)店提供WiFi,。與此同時(shí)，小型企業(yè)往往不會(huì)提供WiFi,。

????為了填補(bǔ)這一空白,，F(xiàn)acebook正在測(cè)試一個(gè)項(xiàng)目，向商家分發(fā)無(wú)線(xiàn)路由器,，讓他們自己建立網(wǎng)絡(luò),。然而這個(gè)項(xiàng)目也附帶了條件。想要使用網(wǎng)絡(luò),，顧客需要首先在Facebook上簽到,，讓Facebook確定自己的位置,，然后才會(huì)跳轉(zhuǎn)到該商店的Facebook頁(yè)面,。只有這樣，顧客才能使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)訪(fǎng)問(wèn)其他網(wǎng)站,。

????審計(jì)和商業(yè)咨詢(xún)公司德勤（Deloitte）負(fù)責(zé)消費(fèi)者業(yè)務(wù)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)凱西?羅保提出了相反意見(jiàn),，認(rèn)為WiFi的好處還沒(méi)有得到充分認(rèn)識(shí)。他說(shuō),，商業(yè)機(jī)遇要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)通過(guò)移動(dòng)設(shè)備進(jìn)行的直接銷(xiāo)售,。根據(jù)德勤對(duì)1,557名智能手機(jī)用戶(hù)的調(diào)查，在店內(nèi)使用手機(jī)的顧客,，只有14%更愿意在那家店里購(gòu)買(mǎi)商品,。而如果他們使用了店內(nèi)專(zhuān)有的網(wǎng)絡(luò)或是應(yīng)用，就有33%的可能在當(dāng)日就把商品買(mǎi)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.