When it comes to commerce, to a very large degree, mobile = local.

The reverse isn't true.

Only a small percentage of browsing and purchasing online are done on mobile platforms - iPhones and other smart phones, iPads and other tablets.

That is still true when it comes to local businesses, but the percentage is MUCH higher.

Someone looking for a restaurant is much more likely to be on their cell phone, than someone looking for a new supplier of steel I-beams.

In some cases the percentage becomes more than small. That particularly is true for what is called "LBS" - Location Based Services (Facebook check-in, Google maps, etc.).

Yelp - the review / recommendatons / check-in service - reports 35% of their visits are from mobile browsers.

I've been saying this forever it seems, months. This is the year of mobile.