Aug. 4, 2010 (United Press International) -- U.S. bookseller Borders Group's (NYSE:BGP) WiFi advertising deal with JiWire is an attempt to make its 500 retail outlets more relevant, a market analyst said.
The Detroit News quoted Michael Norris, a trade analyst at Simba Information, as saying WiFi at Borders stores is part of an ongoing effort "to make the physical store matter."
The retailer "is doing what it can to make the stores destinations. The feeling is if they go there for this, they'll stay for that," he said.
Borders would not comment on the deal with the San Francisco advertising firm that allows advertisers to target a defined audience that JiWire called, generally, a "cafe footprint."
The breakdown for that is 23 percent students and 66 percent in the 25-49 age bracket. Thirty-four percent of consumers in the "cafe footprint" come from homes with incomes of more than $100,000, said David Staas, JiWire's senior vice president of marketing.
