Wireless carrier Cellular South debuted a hybrid retail model for customers, launching an online store and a bricks-and-mortar version of cellularsouth.com.

The integrated shopping experience is meant to make Cellular South's customers "Walk Through the Web," as the Jackson, MS-based company puts it.

"Most retailers build their Web site around their stores and approach each channel separately," said Suzy Hays, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Cellular South. "Our goal is to fully integrate the experience for the customer utilizing the Web site as the core.

"For example, a customer can start a sales transaction in our new cellularsouth.com store, save the information on what they're considering purchasing to their shopping cart, view it at home that night after discussing it with members of their household, complete the purchase on the site and have their order shipped or pick it up from the store," she said.

"Also, we believe that we can ultimately provide a better and more consistent customer experience if the Web site is at the core of the experience whether it's accessed online or in-store.

"Web-only functionality such as user reviews have become a critical part of the consumer decision-making process and we believe that what exists right now is just the beginning. We can also modify the presentation of available products and applications by watching how consumers interact with the site, which is more difficult and anecdotal to monitor and manage in a standard store."

Both the physical and Web stores have a package finder function that asks visitors a series of questions to guide them to the pertinent service plan and device. The package also includes accessories.

The site and store target consumers based on lifestyles, such as sports enthusiasts, business users and family managers.

The physical cellularsouth.com store is located in Ridgeland, MS.

The 4,000-square-foot store has 23 staff on hand and 28 in-store computers for self-service. The displays are all on wheels to facilitate accommodating a new store layout that matches navigational changes on the site.

"Our strategy is to help consumers get the most out of their wireless devices and applications," Ms. Hays said. "We've done this for years with voice and text services by providing a network that works virtually everywhere and pricing that opened up the door for consumers to change the way they use their cell phones.

"Early on we launched a free incoming calls plan which prompted the shift of using cell phones primarily for business and safety, and in 2001 we launched the first of our suite of unlimited plans which has long included text messaging," she said.

"As a result of this philosophy our customers talk twice and text six times the industry average and 25 percent don't have a landline compared to the industry average of 13 percent.

"The next step in spurring mass adoption is data. Flat rate pricing is still important, which is why we launched our nationwide flat rate pricing plans that include voice and data in October 2007."

Ms. Hays said that most carriers are just now launching flat-rate pricing for voice, but there are other key barriers to adoption of data by the general public.

"First, many consumers are just not aware of the data applications available that could add value to their daily lives," Ms. Hays said. "The cellularsouth.com site and store are the beginnings of helping guide the consumer to those applications that would be most useful to them.

"Second, consumers are often intimidated by technology and assume that additional services won't be either easy to find or use. We plan to address that as well," she said.