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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.

Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure you’re ready for the mobile, social, local web? Subscribe to thinks today and get more than just news. Get understanding.

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On the heels of a great New York Times article this morning about hyperlocal content, Fred Wilson touts the benefits of what he calls

“Blogging In The ‘Burbs” and of his portfolio company, outside.in. Outside.in provides tools and services for local content creators that want to make the most of placeblogging, and has a consumer facing service for people to track what’s going on in their neighborhoods. The point here: your customers aren’t waiting for local news. The tools exist for people to create it themselves. Your customers aren’t waiting to find things that interest them. The tools exist for your customers to find what they want. Your customers aren’t waiting for reviews of local businesses. The tools exist for them to tell other customers what they think. Now, the tools exist for you to engage with your local customers. So, what are you waiting for?

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Do mobile sites meet user needs? When they’re done right. David Armano gives an excellent overview of the Fox News mobile site. At the same time, Canalys provides a comprehensive overview of mobile phone platforms It looks like companies are starting to give thought to what the mobile sites will look like. They’re also thinking about how customers will use it. Are you?

[UPDATE 12/20 07:45AM] FYI, it’s worth checking out this BusinessWeek article for a solid overview of where wireless spectrum is heading, too.

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The local, mobile search market huge and growing…

December 10, 2007 Mobile

The numbers projected for mobile search – critical to local marketers – are staggering. One estimate projects local companies will spend $5 billion (US) in 2008, while another estimates 55 million local search users by 2011. In either case, the implications are clear for local marketers. Consumers are making use of this technology to find [...]

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