When Black Friday rolls around this year, consumers will have plenty of support in hunting for discounts. Since the 2009 holiday season, the number of shopping apps available for the iPhone alone has grown 43 percent, to more than 700, according to mobile advertising company Mob clix. Because 93 percent of sales still happen in stores, app developers are trying to use mobile technology to enhance old fashioned shopping, an effort that some industry insiders call Brick and Mortar 2.0. It s not altruistic on the retailers behalf, of course Part of the idea is to give shoppers a quicker way to get information ( Is that Blu ray player in stock? Will this sweater make me look paunchy? ), so they don t leave and shop elsewhere. Matt Murphy, a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, which has invested in an app called Shopkick, says the idea is to create a constant conversation between shopper and seller.
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