Omnichannel

The growing number of cross-channel shoppers, an increase in location-based services and the rise of virtual goods incentives are just three of eight retail trends addressed during sessions I attended this week at INNOVATE 2011, the Retail Innovation and Marketing Conference sponsored by the National Retail Federation. Here's part one of a two-part series providing you with eight best practices surrounding these trends that I've learned from retailers, analysts and retail consultants this week in San Francisco:

Neiman Marcus announced the launch of NMdaily, a fashion blog providing daily updates from the front lines of the design world. NMdaily delivers exclusive information and advice on women’s and men’s fashion, beauty and lifestyle.

A 2011 report from the Aberdeen Group, Next Generation Customer Loyalty: The Evolution of the Digital Customer, has found that retailers who have adopted a centralized cross-channel loyalty platform are reporting significant benefits.

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.

This Friday, Polo Ralph Lauren is launching its first RLX iPad app, and this being Polo there's no shortage of innovative elements to underscore the brand's athletic roots. 

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.

Old Navy has launched a mobile marketing campaign with mobile app Shazam. Consumers with the Shazam app on their smartphones will be able to tag Old Navy-branded pop music featured in the campaign, and immediately unlock and shop the looks in the ads featuring those songs.