
Amazon has a patent to keep you from comparison shopping while youre in its stores – The Washington Post
As grocery shoppers work to digest Amazons massive acquisition of Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, the digital storefront recently scored a victory that aims to reinforce the companys growing investments in brick-and-mortar retail.Amazon was awarded a patent May 30 that could help it choke off a common issue faced by many physical stores: Customers use of smartphones to compare prices even as they walk around a shop. The phenomenon, often known as mobile window shopping, has contributed to a worrisome decline for traditional retailers.But Amazon now has the technology to prevent that type of behavior when customers enter any of its physical stores and log onto the WiFi networks there. Titled Physical Store Online Shopping Control, Amazons patent describes a system that can identify a customers Internet traffic and sense when the smartphone user is trying to access a competitors website. (Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos is also the owner of The Washington Post.)
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