Mobile data collection – or mobile market research – can help you to connect with your customers in new ways and learn what influences their buying decisions. In fact, while they're in your store, you could ask them about their experience? Or if they plan to return? And what if you had the power to act immediately on this information?

The scenarios this methodology could be applied in are tremendous, but the technology does have its limitations. Right now, you're limited pretty much to text messaging, some users have to pay per message which pushes a cost to them to participate, the user profile is going to skew to a younger age, and you can't get too crazy with question types. But the potential for reaching people at the point of experience is huge.