Is there an app for finding apples locally grown?

The October edition of Shopping Centers Today, the trade journal of the International Council of Shopping Centers, had an interesting article titled “Keeping Up With Smart Phones: Mobile Devices Pose a Major Opportunity — and Threat.” For rural retailers competing for customers’ purchases with the big chains, one lesson to be learned from the article is that technology is here to stay. More and more prime purchasing power demographics are adopting technology and utilizing it for purchases or, at least, for the making the purchase decision. One thing talked about in the article was the ability to scan a bar code on an item with a smart phone and find the prices of that item at nearby stores and online (my wife does this.) So, what does this mean for a rural retailer? Good question. Maybe a sign that says “yes, I know Costco has this item for $10 less, but I don’t charge for a membership, you don’t have to spend that extra gas and time and I won’t ask you to take it home in a pickle box!” Maybe target people who don’t use technology — forget the emails and hand write postcards telling the tech-averse that you’re so old fashioned, you’ll ‘ring’ up the sale on an abacus. The big thing that I think rural retailers should remember is to focus on customer service and creating a unique shopping experience. As technology makes appearing to be a market’s cost leader more difficult, larger retailers will probably focus on becoming more warm and fuzzy with the customer experience, the thing that comes naturally for rural retail in places like Hickman County.