Blueprint for Retailers to leverage Mobile Technology.

Thanks to features like texting, GPS and web browsing, mobile phones have quickly become a necessity many consumers cannot live without. Nearly three-quarters of retailers are exploring mobile strategies, according to a recent Shop.org survey. However, 62 percent of retailers have either not yet begun or are only in the early stages of planning their mobile strategy. This alarming gap shows that many retailers are not prepared to leverage the industry’s newest channel.

With mobile commerce representing a major growth area for retail, the National Retail Federation, through its Mobile Retail Initiative, has unveiled the first version of the Mobile Retailing Blueprint. The blueprint is a virtual roadmap for retailers to assist in the use of mobile to enhance their marketing, ecommerce and store operations with a special section on implementation planning and technology.

The blueprint also explains multiple secure mobile payment processes that can provide customer convenience and lower processing costs. The blueprint is designed to help retailers answer the following questions.

– How can mobile retailing improve my business?

– What technologies and standards apply in the mobile field?

– What implementation options should be considered?

– What capabilities do mobile phones currently offer?

– What types of mobile applications help consumers shop?

– What are the choices for mobile payment?

– What types of mobile applications help associates be more efficient?

“The Mobile Retailing Blueprint is the definitive document to help retailers adopt a mobile strategy that makes sense for their organization,” said NRF President and CEO Matt Shay. “As smartphones and other mobile devices become more technologically advanced, so too will retailers with the help of this collaborative research. We believe it will serve as a window for industry standards that will guide retailers’ adoption of mobile for years to come.”

The mobile blueprint was developed by NRF’s Mobile Blueprint Committee, chaired by Richard Mader, Executive Director of ARTS; with Vice Chairs from Oracle, Smart Card Alliance and CellPoint Mobile.

More than 30 companies representing a diverse group of retailers, service providers, and leading mobile association partners contributed to the blueprint.

“The first step in creating a successful mobile strategy is knowledge and planning,” said Delaney Bellinger, Chief Information Officer, YUM! Brands, Inc. “The blueprint has input from some of the most innovative retailers in the mobile space making it the definitive roadmap for everything mobile.”

“For many retailers, mobile isn’t about the future, it’s about the present,” said Francisca Vicente-Tamarin, Information Technology Consultant, El Corte Inglés, S.A. (a European department store with annual sales of €17.8 billion) “The Mobile Retailing Blueprint is a major step forward in the adoption of best practices that will revolutionize the shopping experience for all of our customers.”

To download report CLICK on link below:
http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=Documents&op=viewlive&sp_id=5122>