Mobile Commerce

Mobile marketing is the hottest buzzword around these days. With consumers using their smartphones to do just about everything, putting your marketing message in their pocket is clearly a good idea. But any time you’re talking about mobile, privacy issues raise their heads. While consumers have clearly shown their passion for discounts and coupons, some of them have concerns about sharing their location in order to get location-based deals sent to their phones.

Findings from a new study won’t do anything to ease the fears of brick-and-mortar retailers that are anxious over losing sales to mobile-empowered shoppers. The survey by consumer electronics site Retrevo.com found that many smartphone owners aren't only using their devices to comparison shop in stores, but end up buying products online elsewhere

overstockArt.com has released third-quarter results for its m-commerce site. The art retailer has seen a nearly 270 percent  increase in mobile sales year-over-year, as well as a more that 200 percent increase in mobile site visitors. Its number of mobile sales grew 300 percent an sales on Android devices grew by 100 percent and on iPads 2,500 percent.

This year, the majority of phones sold in the U.S. were smartphones. Last year, smartphones and tablets outsold PCs globally. While it took 15 years for e-commerce to reach 5 percent of retail sales, Hilding Anderson, senior manager of research and insight at SapientNitro, says mobile will be at that level in three to five years.

Consumers throughout the country say that paying with your phone is a little like magic. Just look at the ecstatic reaction on the faces of our friends who made their first Google Wallet purchases on Oct. 13.

Gap claims the increase in shopping on its mobile site is one of the major reasons why it's tripled its online conversions in the last year. The retailer pointed to the important role that mobile plays for the company, saying that online conversion rate lifts can also be attributed to the company’s new mobile commerce platform.

A new way to pay for your purchases and get discounts at American Eagle Outfitters has just launced. Say hello to the Google Wallet app, a tap-and-go payment method that can be linked to your Citibank credit card or an American Eagle gift card (or you can add money to your Google Wallet account from any credit card online).

For the past few years, retailers have been refining their mobile offerings in advance of the holiday season. Keeping up with consumer demand has meant providing pricing information, product specifications and customer reviews to mobile users — all leading reasons why last year’s holiday shoppers turned to mobile.

The Starbucks Card has become a social phenomenon. Advocates willingly fill them up with credit for the status it brings at the point of sale. Good-natured friends readily recharge the cards of friends through Facebook to spread good will. Starbucks proactively rewards cardholders with perks and special treatment in stores, online, and elsewhere.

The Orvis Company announced the launch of its iPhone and Android rich apps powered by mobile commerce provider Digby. The rich apps complement all of Orvis’ cross-channel touchpoints including retail stores, e-commerce, catalogs, and a mobile-optimized website.