Tt June 16 2017 post b

"Don't forget that Amazon is not in the business of retail storefronts."

Since at least 2014,
Amazon has experimented with and opened small, physical retail stores and kiosks.

And also in today's tech news, Amazon was recently granted a patent that gives the appearance that Amazon is highly interested in physical stores.

June 16, 2017 - WaPo - Amazon has a patent to keep you from comparison shopping while you’re in its stores

This would apply when using the Amazon store's free WiFi. Since it's their WiFi, they can do what they want.

Amazon was awarded a patent May 30 that could help it choke off a common issue faced by many physical stores: Customers’ use of smartphones to compare prices even as they walk around a shop. The phenomenon, often known as mobile “window shopping,” has contributed to a worrisome decline for traditional retailers.

But Amazon now has the technology to prevent that type of behavior when customers enter any of its physical stores and log onto the WiFi networks there.

Titled “Physical Store Online Shopping Control,” Amazon’s patent describes a system that can identify a customer’s Internet traffic and sense when the smartphone user is trying to access a competitor’s website.

Just because a company wins a patent doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll use it.