The mobile impact on retail may be coming down to the big guys and the little guys. Three pieces of recent research highlight some of the division. One study found that when it comes to local mobile searches, nearly 86 million people in the U.S. do it and of those who who, a large majority actually go the store and make a purchase.

Are mobile shoppers about to hear from their phones as they shop? Voice pioneer Nuance Communications today introduced a new mobile advertising format that lets people have two-way conversations with brands. I'm not sure why a company would issue such an announcement on April Fools' Day, but in any case, Nuance says the new Voice Ads are designed to "transform traditional mobile advertising into an engaging and entertaining conversational experience."