Mobile Commerce

For years marketers have cited the success of 2-D barcodes overseas and eagerly waited (and waited) for them to take hold in the U.S. Thanks to prominent endorsements from Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Post Cereals, that day might finally be nearing.

Starting out on mobile can be overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you prepare for your first campaign? These are questions that we hear every day. This is the first in a series of posts on establishing your presence on the mobile web — before you even start your first advertising campaign.

Gomez's second annual Best of the Web awards for the best performing web and mobile sites provide a benchmark for performance across six industries and highlight the leaders who provide superior web and mobile site experiences that enhance customer loyalty, reduce costs and increase revenue.

Nearly half of consumers believe detailed product information is a critical factor of an e-commerce website in driving them to make a purchase, according to Stibo Systems, the independent market leader in master data management.

Beyond the in-store promotions and advertising to increase consumer awareness when launching a new retail product, there's always the hope that satisfied customers will recommend the product to their friends and family. Nothing helps sell a product better than good old-fashioned word-of-mouth.

Office Depot has launched a new iPhone application with a feature called "Office Depot Anywhere" that allows users to continue shopping on their mobile devices what they started online. The application also features an "In App Checkout," which allows busy users to make purchases on their mobile devices without having to be redirected to another site.

Macy’s will help consumers unlock magical moments in-store this spring when they scan a code or send a text message with Macy’s Backstage Pass. A groundbreaking new initiative for the retailer, Macy’s Backstage Pass customizes QR code and SMS technology to deliver exclusive and engaging video content to users’ mobile phones.

Cross-channel shopping is growing fast at Target. Website traffic from mobile phones increased nearly three-fold in 2010 and now accounts for 8 percent of Target's online page views.

The First Phone is off to a fast start: Home Depot associates performed nearly 1 million mobile point-of-sale transactions using the First Phone devices during the quarter that ended Jan. 30. The 30,000-device rollout to 1,970 Home Depot stores was only completed in October 2010, indicating a quick usage ramp-up.

There's been a lot of hype about mobile so far this year. It seems that everyone's talking about it, but very few are doing it. And sadly, the majority of those who are doing it aren't doing a very good job.