With the thrust towards expansion of location-based media channel across Wi-Fi and mobile devices, JWire today announced the acquisition of NearbyNow, a creator of mobile shopping applications for magazines, brands, and retailers. The fusion of broad, location-based audiences, and sophisticated mobile technology with deep expertise in retail and mobile merchandising  will pave way towards innovative ways for major brands to advertise their products.

The acquisition also entails a privilege for users to view product catalogs and confirm the availability of a product in a specific outlet, a feature that complements JiWire’s “check in” geo-location feature. Users can have a product reserved and just pick it up from that particular outlet.

“Brands and retailers are leaving a lot on the table if you are just targeting consumers that are already in  stores. To grow your business, you want location-based media that reaches new people and drives new revenue,” said David Courtney, CEO of JiWire. “We are regularly seeing seven-figure location-based advertising buys with brands that seek deep engagement with their on-the-go customers. With our 35 million unique consumers a month, these are location campaigns that clearly meet national brands’ needs for a smart combination of both local relevancy and national scale.”

The combination of Jiwire’s advertising platform on wi-fi and mobile devices, and NearbyNow’s ad platform means an expanded portfolio for advertisers to scale and attract in-store consumers.

The acquisition also gives JiWire access to NearbyNow’s almost 3 million mobile shoppers who uses apps from lifestyle brands such as GQ, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen and many more. The technology of NearbyNow is a match to the needs of JiWire clients which includes some of the leading Fortune 500 customers including Hyatt Place, Microsoft and Virgin America.

A recent report from JiWire notes the gaining relevanc of public WiFi, especially as it pertains to business opportunities and marketing campaigns for a growing range of industry niches.  We’re seeing local marketing tools growing in tandem with these trends, as a hyper-local spin can be put on a number of businesses, events, search and more.  Earlier today brought news of Yelp‘s check-in offers, leveraging a spin of its own.