The Retail App Ecosystem

The current state of retail applications

Retail-oriented mobile activities have increased dramatically as handheld technology has advanced, and as our use of smartphones has increased globally. Concurrently, I would argue that social media use has increased alongside this – two potentially related trends that, as I’ll touch upon shortly, mix quite well. The bottom line is that we have begun to turn to our mobile devices as primary sources of information about the world around us and the activities that we engage in, be it when I’m texting a friend, looking up an address on BlackBerry® Maps, or finding a restaurant nearby.

The retail experience should be no different, and huge strides are indeed being taken in this area. Today we see several branded retail apps, and many retail giants who are heavily involved in social media. When these two concepts mix, the end result is as interesting as it is complex and scalable. Take, for example, the idea of businesses using foursquare check-ins to drive promotions – and ultimately, traffic -to their physical location. Here we have a variety of forces and trends at work – and the good news is that they’re converging to provide consumers with a better experience and businesses with higher levels of engagement.