Tech-savvy parents can chuck the Toys R Us 100-plus-page holiday catalog and download the iPad app this year. If they check into the store on Foursquare, they could save a little extra on a Moxie doll or Sing-a-ma-jig. And those who sign up for the mobile mailings can expect a few scannable coupons sent to their smartphones.

This holiday season, more retailers will try to reach wallets by way of consumers’ mobile phones and computers. Apps to compare prices, social media deals and location-based discounts are among the most tech-savvy efforts. But while mobile technology and social networks have become more popular, their use as a shopping tool is in the nascent stage.

“There will be more people with their iPhones in hand shopping, and it’s going to be the highest number ever, no question about that,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. “But when you look at the big picture, most people aren’t going to have their smartphones in hand.”

Those banner ads trumpeting a store’s “lowest prices in town” can now be verified in some cases with the snap of a phone’s camera.

Several retailers are partnering with geolocation services such as Foursquare, Yelp and Facebook Places to offer discounts or other incentives to customers who “check in” on their mobile device upon entering the store. Such services take advantage of the GPS technology in many cell phones.

Sports Authority will give away 20 gift cards worth $500 each to Black Friday shoppers who use their mobile phones to check in on Foursquare and then Tweet their location to friends.

Though 16 percent of adults surveyed by Forrester said they intend to use their mobile device to locate stores, Mulpuru is unconvinced that they’ll all be checking in or broadcasting their retail decisions to Facebook friends.

“It’s still in its experimental phase, and companies are looking for what the value is,” she said.

 

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