Mobile phones are quickly becoming the way consumers find coupons, research products, compare prices and make purchases. It makes shopping easier for consumers, but that doesn’t mean retailers are thrilled at the prospect of consumers consulting mobile phones from their aisles – after all, does Best Buy want you to know that the item in your cart can be had cheaper at Amazon – and purchased right now on your phone?

“There is fear, but it is the new reality,” said Dan Butcher, a reporter at Mobile Marketer. “Retailers are becoming aware that consumers are using their phones in the store to make decisions. They’re realizing that they need to support that platform.”

Indeed, retailers who don’t embrace the technology now will be left to play catch-up in the years to come. But there is reason for retailers to be excited about the shifting mobile landscape. Many of the mobile applications coming onto the market actually benefit bricks-and-mortar retail by improving the in-store experience or driving traffic to stores that are either nearby or boast the best deals.

A recent article on AdAge points out some of the recent retail-related mobile applications on the market today:

SHOPSAVVY
What it Does: With this app, users can comparison shop by scanning a product’s bar code with a camera phone. ShopSavvy finds the lowest prices online and at nearby brick-and-mortar retailers, as well as coupons, and lets users make transactions. Last month, ShopSavvy reported more than 42 million scans. Available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android and Nokia phones.

YOWZA
What it Does: Using GPS to determine shoppers’ locations, Yowza delivers coupons to nearby stores. Users can set the parameters between 1 mile and 50 miles. The app boasts more than 1 million unique users on the iPhone and iPod Touch and an additional 4 million users through a syndication deal for BlackBerry, Android and Palm.

RETREVOQ
What it Does: More of a mobile advisor than an application, RetrevoQ uses texts and tweets to dispense info. Shoppers can text 41411 or tweet @retrevoq including the make and model of the electronics product they’re considering, and RetrevoQ will respond with advice on whether it’s a good buy, a fair price, the price range available online for that product and a link to reviews at Retrevo.com, a consumer-electronics shopping and review site.

FASTMALL
What it Does: This iPhone and iPod Touch app provides interactive maps of malls, highlighting elevators and the quickest route to stores, as well as helping shoppers find food vendors and remember where their cars are parked. A shake of the phone turns up the nearest restroom location. Shoppers can also make lists and access coupons.

THEFIND: WHERE TO SHOP
What it Does: Shoppers can find which stores carry the products they’re looking for and where those stores are located, as well as compare prices with nearby retailers and online retailers. The app will even calculate the driving cost to each store. It is available on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

GROCERYIQ
What it Does: Coupons.com acquired the popular grocery app in January 2009 and released version 2.0 in December. The iPhone and iPod Touch app allows consumers to create grocery lists, organize them, access coupons and share lists with others. Shoppers can also take photos of bar codes to add items to their lists and create lists of frequently or previously purchased items.

To read the article from AdAge in its entirety, click here.