Mobile Commerce

Many online retailers say half of mobile commerce is already coming from tablet devices, and more purchases are likely to come from tablets throughout 2011, according to a recent report from research firm Forrester.

Luxury marketers have been given an around-the-clock opportunity to sell, as more and more affluent shoppers are heading online through computers and increasingly via mobile device to make purchases.

Sears Holdings is letting consumers order groceries, pharmaceutical prescriptions and other products using their smartphones and pick them up at the nearest Kmart or get them delivered. Sears launched its mygofer service to respond to the evolution of the traditional grocery store concept from bricks-and-mortar stores to shopping for food and prescriptions online and directly via consumers' phone.

Zappos, which was founded in 1999 as a shoe seller, is a relative newbie to mobile. It started developing apps only six months ago, and launched an iPad app in October followed by an iPhone app in December.

At the National Retail Federation's BIG Show in New York City this week, Andrew Koven, president of e-commerce and customer experience at Steve Madden, co-presented a session where he shared some secrets to his company's recent success in the mobile space.

An IBM study that surveyed 30,000 consumers found that mobile phones and other technology are big influencers of purchase intent.

Do you remember when your favorite retailer didn’t have a website? Can you imagine not being able to find your favorite store online today? Unthinkable, right?

Mobile commerce sales hit $1.2 billion in 2009 and will grow to $2.42 billion this year, with that number forecasted to reach $23.83 billion by 2015, said Jamey Maki, director of e-commerce and online experiences at Golfsmith International, in a session he co-presented at this week's National Retail Federation BIG Show in New York City.

Google reportedly will debut a payment and advertising service for retail mobile payments this year.

Consumers are ready to put their money where their mobile devices are according to a recent Sybase 365 survey. After more than 15 years of online shopping, nearly one-third of 1,000 consumers polled would be enticed to engage in mobile commerce. They'd also be willing to make a purchase of goods or services on a mobile device this holiday season if presented with mobile-based incentives and if their current devices allowed them to do so.