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6.5 Mobile Entertainment, Gaming, Consumer Services, and Mobile Marketing 181

increase effectiveness. The wireless system is also used to Mobile Marketing: Shopping and Advertising
improve security on the premises (e.g., video surveillance).
The secure Internet access is protected by a VPN and it can Mobile marketing refers to all marketing communication
block inappropriate content. The wireless system also oper- activities conducted with wireless devices. Generally speak-
ates the payment gateways and the POS terminals. For more ing, the use of mobile marketing is increasing exponentially.
recent material, see dolphinfastfood.com. For statistics of the growth, see Strout (2015).
Note: In many full-service restaurants, there are several
additional applications such as customers placing orders on Mobile Shopping
handheld devices, where the orders go directly to the kitchen
and to the cashiers, and mobile devices for advising waiting Online shopping can be easier when done from your smart-
customers to come in when their tables are ready. A vendor
phone or tablet. For shopping, one needs a mobile shopping
that provides mobile programs for tablets for menus, food platform such as the one provided by ADCentricity Corporation
ordering, entertainment, and payments is Ziosk.
(omni-channeltechnologies.com; acquired by Omni-channel
Technologies), or by adMobile Corp. (admobile.com). Many
Tablets and Other Mobile Devices in Restaurants
apps for iPhones facilitate advertising and shopping. For
example, you can download the Costco Mobile App for easy
Several restaurants worldwide are introducing tablets or smart-
coupon redemption (see costco.com/costco- app.html). For a
phones as a substitute to paper menus. For example, Au Bon list of smartphone applications for business, see the iPhone
Pain is using iPads in several of their locations. One option is
apps. Wishpond Technologies Ltd. (2014) shows how smart-
to provide the customers with iPads with a built-in menu. This phone shoppers use their devices for different shopping-
way they can submit the order directly to the kitchen. Using
related activities (e.g., checking prices, searching for reviews).
the tablets, customers can order food by themselves and pro- A popular app in Facebook is its “stores.” There are tens of
vide their credit card information. It seems that the use of tab-
thousands of stores on Facebook. In 2015, Facebook intro-
lets also facilitates customer relationships since self-ordering duced a shopping section for retail (see wired.com/2015/10/
expedites the service and reduces errors in ordering.
facebook-testing-shopping-section-app).
For examples of mobile advertising and shopping, see
Example: Genki Sushi
CSS Author (2014).
This Japan-based company has restaurants in several Asian
countries, as well as in California and Hawaii. If you love sushi,
you should try Genki Sushi in any of their locations. When you Example: Delta Airlines
sit at the counter, you are provided with a wireless tablet. Using Delta offers in-flight Wi-Fi connection on many of its flights
the tablet, you can find the foods and drinks you like to order (called Delta Connect). With Delta Connect, there is free
(listed by categories, photos are provided). Once you complete access to many shopping and entertainment sites, including
your selection on the tablet, a summary list is returned to you for eBay. For a nominal fee, you can purchase a Wi-Fi Mobile
final approval. Once you approve the list on the tablet, the order Pass and be able to connect to the Internet via your smart-
is delivered to you on a train-like tray. You pick up the food, phone, and send and receive mobile messages, check your
push a button to send the tray back to the kitchen, and enjoy the e-mail, and browse the Web. For more about Delta Connect
meal! It is fast, clean, and error free. Several videos are available and Wi-Fi Mobile Pass, see delta.com/content/www/en_
at genkisushiusa.com. For example, watch the 6:54 min video: US/traveling-with-us/onboard-experience/entertain-
“Bullet Train Sushi” at youtube.com/watch?v=PkzBGjjNzPU ment.html#wifi. Other airlines offer similar capabilities.
or youtube.com/watch?v=C6ISPgtrqOo.
In addition, consumers use mobile devices to locate stores,
Other Industries compare prices, and place orders. For example, Chinese con-
sumers can make purchases from inside WeChat (Millward
Mobile systems and applications can be found in almost all 2014). China’s largest e-tailers, Taobao and T.mall offered
industries. For example, extensive applications can be found special discounts in 2014, in order to encourage shoppers to
in m-government and m-learning (see Chapter 5). Two inter- buy from their smartphones. Finally, using text messages
esting applications are provided in the Motorola closing case greatly facilitates recommendations and advice for shoppers,
to this chapter (hospitals and manufacturing). The Department especially in social networks (see Chapter 7 and Butcher
of Homeland Security applies many devices, as do the trans- 2011). To see how mobile shopping is done, visit Amazon.
portation industry and the military. In agriculture, wireless com, JCPenney, Target, REI, and Crate & Barrel to download
devices can even guide tractors to work at night. their shopping apps.