Have you noticed lately?  The convergence of brick and mortar stores and the digital world, that is.  I call this convergence “digital mortar”.

What is the difference between buying online and buying the in the store?  Location.  Perhaps price, but if there were a $5 and I could get it right now by walking down the street, “right now” and “down the street” wins hands down.

Well, thanks to some innovational companies, “right now” and “down the street” has a new meaning.  They’ve re-branded location and made it sexy, sleek, and glamorous.  Location isn’t just a latitude and a longitude coordinate anymore.

• Location is informational.
• Location is social.
• Location is good for the local economy.

Lost with the dot coms and digital networks of the 00’s, brick and mortar lost it’s appeal, it’s value, it’s ability to attain and retain customers.  Now, location-based services such as FourSquare, Gowalla, and Groupon take us back.  The convergence of these services with traditional brick and mortar stores has the ability to revive local economies, promote discounts otherwise overlooked, and attain better publicity through location social networks.

Digital mortar morphs two realities of ours – online and physical – to create a perpetual circle. This circle allows each other penetrate the opposite reality.  As a brick and mortar store, owners more successfully reach digital natives.  As a digital innovation, brick and mortar stores become clients, not competitors.  This is exactly the kind of partnership that FourSquare, Gowalla, and Groupon create.  This partnership allows all merchants to work on the same team.  In essence, by allowing the competition to join hands, everyone is able to win a little more.

Photo via Leonard John Matthews