Mobile Commerce

Americans will be hankering to live more like the Jetsons, snatching up everyday consumer products that talk back and tell users what they need to know (or what they think they need to know). At the same time, retailers will operate more and more like Big Brother, sending shoppers more targeted emails that reflect stores’ increasingly sophisticated monitoring of buying patterns and behavior. Those are two of the five major digital trends that will drive the holiday shopping experience this year, said Kyle Lacy, senior manager of content marketing and research for ExactTarget, a provider of digital marketing software solutions.

When it comes to consumers’ love of all things digital, using tablets and smartphones to interact with retailers is high on their list. According to a report produced in partnership with comScore and The Partnering Group and released yesterday at Shop.org's Annual Summit, in June 2013, more than half (55 percent) of all retail-related internet time originated on smartphones and tablet devices combined, compared with just 45 percent originating from desktop devices.

What's next when it comes to mobile point-of-sale (POS) technology? As more retailers roll out new mobile POS systems, the demand for next-generation features is growing. No longer content to use mobile POS technology that can simply take payment information via a mobile device, retailers now want up-and-coming solutions that not only improve the front-end customer experience, but also back-end efficiency and integration as well.

Uniqlo is expanding its mobile footprint with a new application that leverages image recognition to increase foot traffic as the retailer opens 10 new stores in the United States. The apparel retailer is rolling out the new USA iPhone app to primarily drive in-store traffic, since the company doesn't offer mobile commerce. In addition to image recognition, the app also includes store locator features.

Retailers should use a hybrid layout with both responsive and scalable design to ensure consumers can interact with their email content. Responsive design adapts emails to the device subscribers are using, creating screen-proportional layouts that are visually appealing. Scalable design ensures that emails are still readable when reduced to half their size on a mobile device. Retailers can use both tactics to improve their email strategy with these tips:

Dubbed the "Shazam of retail," Slyce is a visual-based purchasing app that allows smartphone-wielding consumers to snap photos of any items they want — whether they view them in a storefront window, catalog, print ad, on the body of someone else, etc. — and in return get product reviews, pricing and exclusive discounts for those products through a seamless user experience. The app returns a Pinterest-like array of 30 images to 40 images for each search, with the most relevant results at the top.

While the "Year of Mobile" remains elusive for advertisers, it appears to have already arrived for e-commerce. Smartphone and tablet users are more likely to visit a retail website or app than desktop computer users, and more than a third of visits to the top 50 e-commerce sites come exclusively from mobile devices, according to a new study from analytics firm comScore. In June, 91% of tablet users and 90% of smartphones users accessed a

I came across an interesting report last week from marketing communications firm JWT called Retail Rebooted. The report focuses on key trends taking place within the retail industry today. I was most interested in the report’s "20-Plus Things to Watch in Retail" section, which offers a relatively quick rundown of developments in retail, from innovative business models to shifting consumer behaviors to the latest technology launches. In today’s blog post (part one of a two-part series), I’ll recap 10 of these 20-plus things, such as 3-D printing, alternative brand currencies, and click-and-collect shopping.

The potential for Facebook commerce has been a topic of much debate. eMarketer took a close look at this trend in its recent report, "F-Commerce: Evolving, Not Extinct," stating that "nearly every leading online merchant in the U.S. now has a Facebook page. The question is whether retailers can crack the commerce half of social commerce and use Facebook to go beyond awareness and engagement."

Merchants are increasingly becoming aware of Amazon Payments, according to Tom Taylor, Amazon.com's vice president for Amazon Payments, Fulfillment by Amazon and Amazon Webstore. There's a lot of interest in the service, and merchants are telling Amazon that their customers are asking to pay with their Amazon accounts. Taylor admitted it was a bit of a chicken and egg proposition — he's tasked with getting the word out about Amazon Payments. While any one of Amazon's 215 million customers know about Amazon Payments on Amazon.com, they might not know about the availability of the payment service on other retail websites.