Has the rise of smartphones changed how people shop? Yes, consumers have done more and more shopping via smartphone. Today, we see more and more companies creating apps to reach their smartphone carrying customers, and more and more people using these apps.

So why are these apps good for retailers?

These retail apps keep companies brands' in front of customers. The apps can be a constant advertisement keeping customers engaged with a brand even when not shopping or dining. Apps can reduce friction between the customer and retailer at check out by creating alternate payment methods making it easier for customers to purchase items. The apps can also help build brand loyal with 'gamified' in-app rewards programs.

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Jonathan Hipp

Jonathan Hipp began his career in real estate over 25 years ago. In his early years as a broker, he ventured into the net lease industry and quickly began leading the US net lease market, closing over $3 billion in transactions. In 2005, Jon founded Calkain Companies, a company focused solely on net lease investment services. As President and CEO, he has been instrumental in building the firm into one of the leading Net Lease real estate companies, transacting over $12 billion of net lease deal volume over the past 13 years. He has expanded Calkain’s services to include brokerage, advisory, asset management, capital markets, and industry research. He has become a well-known resource, panelist, and speaker at various Net Lease and Industry conferences and is a regular contributor to GlobeSt.com on real estate trends. In June 2015, Jon’s passion for the real estate business was again recognized as he was nominated for the Top Real Estate Player in the DC area by SmartCEO magazine.