Sometimes when I use mobile sites, I feel like I'm in some sort of race to win the Bizarro World's Daytona 500…
Last month, I wanted to buy an FM transmitter for my iPhone to talk to the car stereo. As I was walking from my office to my car at the end of the day, I pulled up Radio Shack's website. They sell FM transmitters — but there was no way to tell if any were in stock at the stores on my way home, or which of the dozen models were "online only" and which were sold in stores.
So I try Best Buy's site. Same problem. By now I've made it to my car and I'm boggling. I unlock the door and sit down. I hit Target's site. Same problem.
I start the engine, and listen to whatever is on the radio. Maybe AT&T, since they have retail stores and sell iPhones? Nope.
At this point I gave up and went home. I hit those same sites on my Mac. All of them, except AT&T, list retail inventory on their desktop PC sites. Half of them had what I wanted in stock.
If any one of them had put that information on their mobile site, they would have gotten me to pay full retail, just for the convenience of being on my way home.
Instead, I went to Amazon, paid half retail, and got it shipped to me the next day. Didn't even have to detour on my way home.
Think about this: someone at all fourof those giant retailers decided mobile shoppers don't need to know that they can buy a product nearby.
I guess it made sense to someone.
