Best Buy sees mobile as business opportunity

I m still digesting Tracy Benson s amazing insight yesterday on retail and mobile. (More on that later.) But here s what I know we want to share right away.

Benson, senior director of interactive marketing at Best Buy, began her presentation at the Retail Innovation & Marketing Conference by asking people to swap cell phones with the person sitting next to them. There was a lot (and, I mean, a LOT) of hesitation, but most people followed directions. Then we were asked to trade phones with another person close by. More hesitation ensued, but most people obliged.

At my table, I ended up holding the BlackBerry of a guy I d never met and he (gasp!) was cradling my iPhone. It made me cringe. This short exercise was a powerful reminder to me and, likely, many other attendees of the personal value we place on our mobile devices.