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According to an online survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the Mobile Marketing Association, 17 percent used their mobile phones to purchase applications, ringtones and other content. Additionally, 6 percent used their phones to receive coupons or discounts on items, and 6 percent used their phones to purchase physical goods or nonmobile content or services.

In a strategic organizational shift designed to achieve long-term business objectives, PMG Jack Potter today announced realignments within two groups representing key areas of revenue growth for USPS. The Expedited Shipping and Ground Shipping groups have merged into a single Shipping Services group. Potter has named Gary Reblin, formerly vice president, Expedited Shipping, to lead the unified group as vice president, Shipping Services. Also, USPS has formed the Product Visibility and Operational Performance group to develop a world-class customer information platform through scanning technologies and product tracking services. Potter named Jim Cochrane, formerly vice president, Ground Shipping, to lead the new group as vice president, Product Visibility and Operational Performance.

Retailers are priming for a consumer comeback. Shoppers have started to show they're willing and able to spend more, and stores are tweaking their merchandise to accommodate them. Cashmere is making a comeback and sellers of everything from wine to toys are seeing shoppers move away from the very lowest price ranges. The moves signal optimism that the recovery from the Great Recession is picking up steam, but there's a downside for shoppers: the return of higher prices.

Lowe's Cos. can thank Uncle Sam for its first quarter. The home-improvement retailer reported better-than-expected earnings and its first same-store sales gain in years. After some very rough quarters in home improvement, assistance came from the government in the form of homebuyer tax credits and rebates for energy-efficient appliances. Lower interest rates and cheaper housing stock didn't hurt either.

Amazon.com Inc. said it plans to launch a publishing imprint that will produce English-language translations of foreign-language books. The imprint, AmazonCrossing, will acquire rights to books and hire writers to translate them into English before printing and selling them through Amazon's retail website, said Jeff Belle, Amazon's vice president of books.

Dollar-store chains, which benefited from the economic downturn as shoppers searched for bigger bargains, are continuing their expansion, making a risky bet as the economy begins to perk up. Dollar General Corp., the largest with more than 8,800 outlets in 35 states, plans to add 600 stores this year. Rivals Family Dollar Stores Corp. and Dollar Tree Inc. are also adding stores.

For today's digitally engaged woman, a shopping trip starts well before she arrives at the store. A new iVillage/SheSpeaks survey examines the growing role online information and opinion (and coupons!) plays in the decisions women make when they're out shopping. One part of the survey (fielded in late March and early April) asked women to identify things that are especially influential in their purchases of food, beauty and household products. "Online coupons" got the most mentions (cited by 68 percent of respondents), followed closely by "store coupons" (66 percent), "consumer reviews on shopping sites" (61 percent) and "recommendations from family/friends" (59 percent).

Retailers won a long-sought victory late Thursday as the Senate approved a measure that would give them more power over the fees they pay to banks each time shoppers swipe a credit or debit card. The measure allows stores to give customers discounts for paying with cash or using cards with cheaper fees, and it would permit retailers to set price thresholds for accepting credit cards. It also tasks the Federal Reserve with crafting regulations for determining whether swipe fees for debit cards are "reasonable and proportional."

Off-price apparel retailer Ross Stores is one outfit that's gotten a lot of mileage out of touting bargain prices, in good times and bad. Ross sells in-season name-brand and designer clothes, accessories and footwear for the family at everyday discounts of 20 percent to 60 percent off department store and specialty-store prices. It's the nation's No. 2 off-price retailer behind TJX Cos. The company's profit has climbed at double-digit rates in seven of the past eight quarters.

Retail sales continued their upward climb in April, showing evidence of a much more confident consumer compared to this time last year. According to the National Retail Federation, April retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) increased 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted over March and 4.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year. With a constantly-shifting Easter holiday, retailers typically look at March and April sales combined to gauge consumer spending. Sales for the two months increased 5.6 percent unadjusted over last year.