Mobile Marketing

I know it's been said for years now, but this time it's true: mobile has reached a tipping point. Consider that more than half of all retail traffic now comes from mobile devices, and nearly a quarter (22.6 percent) of all online holiday sales last year were transacted via mobile. The time has passed where…

The addiction to smartphones is real. In fact, people are so addicted to their smartphones that a clinical term is now dedicated to the psychological attachment people have to their devices: nomophobia, short for no-mobile-phone-phobia. The fear of phone separation is a growing trend that marketers, especially in retail, should be watching. Now more than…

Jason Goldberger, Target.com and mobile president, discusses the next phase of e-commerce and Target's big bet on supply chain infrastructure.

There’s been quite a bit of fear in recent weeks about the ominous-sounding “Mobilegeddon” and what it could mean in terms of mobile site searchability. While the name is probably overkill, it's really just a catchy way of telling people that Google is going to be adjusting its mobile search algorithm to factor in “mobile…

Here are five tips to help you fix your most egregious mobile mistakes and help you thrive in a post-mobilegeddon world:

A panel of retail and mobile experts will discuss how to determine the best mobile strategy for your brand.

For a while now, retailers have been bombarded from all sides to get their mobile sites in order to avoid getting overlooked by mobile shoppers. I'm sure you've searched for something on your smartphone and noticed the gray words "Mobile-friendly" after the URL in some of the top results. As of tomorrow, Google is upping the ante by prioritizing mobile-friendly sites in its new search algorithm. This means that the time for mobile in retail is now — and every other industry for that matter. Mobile optimization quickly went from a nice to have to a must have

In a reflection of the growing overlap between shopping experiences on mobile applications and in stores, Macy's is enabling users of its iPhone app to sort items by what's available at a nearby store for those who prefer to purchase from the app and pick up in-store. Macy's updated its iPhone app recently with several new features that address how customers are embracing mobile shopping. In addition to the nearby sorting capabilities, users of the app can now stay signed in for up to six hours without re-entering their information.

J.C. Penney is bolstering its mobile strategy by teaming up with visual product search platform Slyce, following in the footsteps of Amazon.com, Macy's and other retailers that are leveraging image recognition to enable consumers to snap photos and view similar items. J.C. Penney has had a relatively quiet start to 2015 in terms of mobile, and is likely aiming to keep up with other retailers by ensuring that its products are easily searchable via mobile devices. Slyce predicts that visual search options will become requisite for brands in the near future, as it ultimately provides instant answers to time-strapped consumers.

Williams-Sonoma is looking to appeal to its increasingly digital-savvy customers with the launch of a free recipe tool for smartphones. The retailer, in collaboration with Weldon Owen Publishing, a division of Bonnier Corp., and Culinate Inc., has released the Williams-Sonoma Recipe of the Day app on Apple's App Store. The app delivers a seasonally appropriate recipe every day of the year, from a selection of Williams-Sonoma's starters, salads, sides, soups, main dishes and desserts.