Mobile Commerce

Combining the best features of online shopping with the in-store experience, mobile shopping platform provider AisleBuyer has launched the first-ever virtual assistant and mobile self-checkout system.

Online activity will influence in-store shopping this holiday season, as social networks and mobile applications are playing a more prominent role in the shopping process. As such, retailers should seek to deliver tightly-integrated and consistent merchandise, inventory and promotional messages to customers moving between Web-based and physical storefronts, a Deloitte study suggests.

A new study by mobile ad network Millennial Media and comScore suggests that a small segment of mobile consumers prefer to shop via mobile rather than other ways. Among the 8 percent of wireless subscribers who are mobile retail users, 27 percent said they had purchased or browsed retail items only through their handsets in the last 30 days as opposed to online or in brick-and-mortar stores.

Retailer Lane Bryant is offering consumers location-based mobile coupons and promotions that can be directly redeemed from their mobile device.

Macy’s has taken steps to improve customers’ shopping experience in-store and on the go via enhanced mobile offerings.

To address the growing need for mobile capabilities, Staples recently enhanced its existing mobile website so consumers can easily shop and buy on any web-enabled phone. For consumers who prefer applications, Staples created its first iPhone application, which can be downloaded for free from Apple’s App Store.

New purchase channels can achieve success if marketing and merchandising are aligned to the interests of customers.

OneStopPlus.com, a Redcats USA brand and the world’s first and only online plus-size fashion mall, takes its philosophy of innovation, selection and convenience to the next level with the launch of its iPad application and mobile site. Recognizing that fashion enthusiasts want fast and easy access to its website, OneStopPlus.com customers can now search for the latest styles and trends from over 100 brands and purchase directly from their mobile devices.

An eBay exec revealed that the company is in the midst of rolling out an application for its eBay Fashion site at the Luxury Interactive 2010 Conference. Although the contents for the application were not disclosed, the company is pushing limited-time designer sale events. In addition, eBay partnered with luxury designer Narciso Rodriguez to collaborate on a collection specifically made for the company.

Shopatron announced today, based on initial analysis, that sales conversion rates on the Apple iPad are much higher than rates on other mobile devices. The results are based on an analysis of conversion rates across dozens of branded stores on the Shopatron platform. Initial analysis of data, collected since early March, indicates that average conversion rates for nonoptimized stores on mobile devices, including iPhone, Android, and iPod devices, average 0.37 percent. The iPad, however, performed much better, with an average conversion rate up to 2.04 percent. For some stores, the iPad conversion rate was as much as double the conversion rate from personal computers.