Mobile Marketing

The Orvis Company announced the launch of its iPhone and Android rich apps powered by mobile commerce provider Digby. The rich apps complement all of Orvis’ cross-channel touchpoints including retail stores, e-commerce, catalogs, and a mobile-optimized website.

The top brass at TextureMedia (formerly The NaturallyCurly Network), a social network and community for people with wavy, curly, kinky hair and the brands and professionals who service them, launched a multifunctional, free mobile application called Curls on the Go this past summer.

No other marketing vehicle offers the combination of context, locality and actionability that mobile does. The rapid adoption of smartphones is obliterating any limits on this interaction. Consumers are all over them, and you can legitimately speculate that mobile technology might replace the personal computer as we know it in the near future.

Neiman Marcus has launched its first-ever foursquare challenge to take place on Oct. 1. As part of the challenge, Neiman Marcus will hide 15 Nancy Gonzalez clutches in secret locations throughout its stores. Participants will engage in a hunt for the clutches by unlocking a message when they check into Neiman Marcus stores on foursquare.

Victoria’s Secret is driving consumers in-store via geo-targeted mobile banner ads that promote the company’s new NFL gear from within Pandora’s iPhone app. The banner ads show how far away consumers are from the nearest Victoria’s Secret location.

Swarovski partnered with SCVNGR to launch a treasure hunt across London on Sept. 24 to celebrate the London launch of 'Discover Your Light,' the company's "exciting move into cinema." This campaign marks the first time that SCVNGR has offered an event-based challenge outside of the U.S.

A Magic Beans executive at Shop.org’s Annual Summit said customers using a mobile self-checkout application spend 8 percent more than nonusers on average. During the Owning the Decision Point: The Future of the In-store Mobile Experience session, executives from retailers such as Magic Beans, PacSun and Jos. A. Bank discussed how they're using mobile to improve in-store experience.

Wal-Mart Labs Senior Vice President of Global E-Commerce Anand Rajaraman took the stage at Ad Age Digital in San Francisco to explain why exactly the world's largest retailer would buy a social media startup.

Retail Online Integration is pleased to present the Retail Marketing Virtual Conference & Expo - Fall 2011 on Sept. 27. Don't miss this free, informative one-day virtual event with leading retailers discussing a wide variety of retail marketing topics.

Forty U.S. newspapers are teaming up with major retailers to put more advertising on cell phones through a new service developed by The Associated Press. The feature, called iCircular, is rolling out this week through the newspapers' iPhone applications and mobile sites.