This morning, Deloitte Canada released a new report that talks about one tactic retailers are taking to combat that little voice in my head. In its annual Technology,Media, and Telecommunications Predictions report, Deloitte says there's going to be a real trend towards free in-store WiFi to help customers comparison-shop. Rather than wonder about prices elsewhere, people will be able to use a smartphone or other mobile device to compare prices. It seems a bit counter-intuitive. If I run a store, why on Earth would I want to help my customers compare my prices to the competition? We've certainly heard a lot of stories recently about the dangers of unsecure, open WiFi. Activity can be monitored, and email and social networking accounts can be hijacked. All of the risks associated with open WiFi in coffee shops and airports and hotel lobbies apply to open WiFi in retail stores, too. Personally, I wouldn't do anything on a store's WiFi connection that I wouldn't want that store — or the whole world — to know about. There are risks on the retailer's side, too. Stores probably don't want customers using their WiFi to download illegal content, deface Wikipedia pages, or send threatening messages to the Prime Minister. Of course, stores can block access to certain sites and services, but this is the kind of thing that really needs to be closely monitored.
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