????不過顧客似乎并沒有留意。梅西百貨在一些大門上粘貼了告示，提醒顧客“內有WiFi”。然而在服裝貨架上并沒有安放任何標牌，提示該百貨公司提供無線網絡。

????顧客想要連接網絡，首先需要同意出現在他們手機屏幕上的一系列服務條款。一般來說，協議都會聲明網絡并不安全，商店會跟蹤顧客訪問的網站和使用的設備類型。

????室內定位服務供應商Nearbuy Systems的董事長布萊恩?瓦格說，這些數據最終將被用于幫助商店提供個性化的優惠券，同時確定需要加入貨架的商品。Nearbuy Systems是一家新成立的企業，幫助商店監控顧客在使用WiFi時的行為，同時分析所得數據。比如，顧客經常使用WiFi訪問競爭對手的網頁，查看紅色的開司米羊毛衫，這就提醒商店該開始囤積這類貨物了。

????瓦格說：“商家能夠了解哪些商品正在被‘展覽’，他們可以問問自己：‘我是不是該降價了？’‘我是不是應該給顧客打折？’”根據瓦格的說法，有很多商店正在使用Nearbuy的產品，不過他拒絕透露他們的名字。所有受訪商店都聲稱所搜集的數據僅用于防范黑客。

????弗雷斯特研究公司（Forrester）的分析師薩查瑞塔?穆爾普魯對WiFi數據的價值表示懷疑，并警告道稱手機營銷市場只是剛剛起步。她提到了雜貨店，那些商店長期使用忠誠度項目來追蹤個人的購物習慣——可是成效有限。穆爾普魯說：“無論從哪點來看，雜貨店都已經持有這些信息很多年了。不過他們仍然只是在貨架上標明折扣，而不是給顧客一個定制的優惠。”

????WiFi在店內還遠未普及。比如Gap公司的門店，包括Gap、香蕉共和國（Banana Republic）和老海軍（Old Navy），都未提供WiFi。百思買（Bust Buy）也只在部分門店提供WiFi。與此同時，小型企業往往不會提供WiFi。

????為了填補這一空白，Facebook正在測試一個項目，向商家分發無線路由器，讓他們自己建立網絡。然而這個項目也附帶了條件。想要使用網絡，顧客需要首先在Facebook上簽到，讓Facebook確定自己的位置，然后才會跳轉到該商店的Facebook頁面。只有這樣，顧客才能使用網絡訪問其他網站。

????審計和商業咨詢公司德勤（Deloitte）負責消費者業務的領導凱西?羅保提出了相反意見，認為WiFi的好處還沒有得到充分認識。他說，商業機遇要遠遠超過通過移動設備進行的直接銷售。根據德勤對1,557名智能手機用戶的調查，在店內使用手機的顧客，只有14%更愿意在那家店里購買商品。而如果他們使用了店內專有的網絡或是應用，就有33%的可能在當日就把商品買走。

????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.