• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, May 11, 2015

The challenges in serving mobile shoppers are almost too numerous to count. But then again, so are the opportunities.

As marketers and mobile innovators ponder how many ways they can create a highly personalized experience for an in-store mobile shopper, those consumers seem to have some unwritten rules of their own about what they will accept.

Studies have shown that only a very small percentage of shoppers entering a store can be identified as a regular or loyal customer or if a person is coming to the store for the first time.

Every customer essentially looks the same, at least digitally, as they enter a store.

Various forms of phone tracking technologies have been tried to improve the identification odds, with the intent of better serving those loyal shoppers.

But it turns out that many of those shoppers are just fine being unknown as they cruise the aisles.

The majority (74%) of shoppers consider it a negative for a salesperson to greet them by name as they enter a store because their phone signaled their entrance, according to a new study.

Facial recognition technology that identifies age and gender to target ads on digital screens is also viewed as negative by 73% of shoppers, based on the survey of 1,000 consumers by RichRelevance.

On the positive side, scanning a product on a mobile device to get product reviews and recommendations was seen as positive for 76% of those surveyed.

Interactive mobile maps showing where items are located in stores also were viewed as positive by 69% and personalized product recommendations, promotions and coupons to show up on their screens as they shop is a positive for 44%.

The road to personalization and targeting in the world of mobile shoppers is hardly a straight shot.