The use of smartphones is proliferating at a rapid pace. In turn, showrooming – the practice of researching merchandise in a retail store and then purchasing it elsewhere – is also increasingly common. It is, understandably, a thorn in the retailer’s side.

Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, it's a bird, it's a plane, NO IT’S SUPERMAN. 

Starting a business? Confused about the planning, legal and regulatory steps you should follow?

Walk around the office of Dixon Schwabl in Victor, New York, and you'll see countless paper notes tacked inside the employees' cubicles. Each handwritten piece of paper from founder Lauren Dixon complimenting them on specific ways they have done a good job are a point of pride for the employees.

Let’s face it -- fewer and fewer people are just strolling in our front door. We have a new ritual in shopping and that is checking out stores and categories online. Years ago the Yellow Pages advertised “let your fingers do the walking.” Today, it is part of our culture.

Chris Brogan President, Human Business Works

Retailers are paying significantly less every time a customer swipes a debit card under a rule capping the fees that banks are allowed to charge.The Federal Reserve says in a report Tuesday that the average fee paid by merchants for debit card transactions covered by the rule was 24 cents in the fourth quarter of 2011. That compares with an average of 43 cents before the Fed's rule took effect Oct. 1.

The use of location-based services like Foursquare, SCVNGR and Gowalla has increased dramatically with the adoption of smartphones and mobile connectivity. By downloading an app that identifies where users are geographically, users can earn rewards and social recognition the more they check-in at registered locations. For local business owners, this can mean free advertising from customers eager to share their whereabouts with other users in return for discounts and rewards.