Consistent with Informa’s latest research, retailers are now making significant investments to integrate mobile into their in-store, online and call-center operations.
Some big retailers, such as Walmart and Marks & Spencer (M&S), are investing to develop in-house expertise and resources to support their mobile strategies, while many others are fully outsourcing their mobile integration needs to specialist IT and marketing firms providing managed services.
So what’s behind the rush exactly?
“Being accessible across the variety of channels is becoming increasingly important for retailers. Retailers that proactively provide up-to-date information about their products, services, prices and store locations on mobile devices will benefit from first-mover advantages,” says Shailendra Pandey, the author of the report.
Argos and eBay have announced a partnership where online shoppers will be able to order items from eBay and pick them up from Argos shops. This indicates the growing need, even for online retailers, to offer greater convenience and multiple fulfillment options to their customers.
Most retailers are reporting that there is strong growth in the traffic to their sites coming from mobile devices, and many believe that mobile will have the biggest impact on their business in the next 2-5 years.
Informa Telecoms & Media believes that more than a billion users will be buying physical goods and services via their mobile phones by 2016.
