With the iPhone recently named as “Invention of the Year,” by Time magazine and Google Inc. announcing its alliance with 33 partners to create cheaper cell phones that can access advanced Internet services, it comes as no surprise that buying via wireless devices is a big trend among consumers.

“Mobile phones are becoming more and more multipurpose devices, and they are integrating into our everyday life in every possible way,” says James Dion, founder and president of Dionco, Inc., in Chicago. “This is particularly true with the Millennials and Generation Xers who use their cell phones for voice and text communication just like the Boomers use e-mail, including to get information on products and to buy them.”

1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. is getting in on the movement as well. The company recently announced it will expand an existing relationship with Verizon Communications to reach customers over the wireless Internet, offering convenient purchasing strategies and lower prices to buyers who purchase via wireless devices.

Dion says that as long as retailers ensure that making purchases is secure, it works all the time and it’s fast, buying items using wireless devices will just increase with time. He points to a National Retail Federation study that says U.S. consumers spent $5 billion on mobile media content in the 2nd quarter of 2007.

“The prediction though is that, while it will take some time for most retailers to embrace this fourth channel, the opportunities are enormous,” Dion says.