Multichannel retail support

Groupon partners with Deutsche Telekom in a bet that mobile will play a key role in helping it continue to grow.

Sephora has implemented software from Agilysys and RedIron to turn iPod touches into mobile point-of-sale devices across a number of its stores.

Lifestyle apparel brand Guess is arming stores with iPads to enhance the overall shopping experience and generate additional sales.

Now that the 2011 retail holiday shopping season is over, it is time to start assessing what worked and what did not. While mobile was one of the big success stories, it was not all eggnog and candy canes, with some mobile experiences falling short of consumers’ expectations.

Department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue is using its holiday windows to not only draw locals and tourists to its New York flagship in midtown Manhattan, but to drive mobile-commerce sales as well.

As the finish line for the 2011 holiday season comes into focus, promotional activity is heating up with big digital brands such as Amazon, Groupon and eBay trying to drive uptake of their services – which all have significant mobile components – via special offers.

Procter & Gamble Co. and mobeam Inc. have teamed up to make it easier for consumers to redeem mobile coupons using retailers’ existing point-of-sale technology.

While reports are mixed about how strong the holiday sales have been overall so far this year, one thing is for certain: Mobile is a bright spot for retailers this holiday season.

Retailers such as Staples, Victoria’s Secret, Ikea and others are teaming up with the new Savvy payment protection app to offer shoppers the best prices before and after they make a purchase.

Mobile deals will play an important role for PayPal next year as it continues to build a multifaceted retail technology solution to help retailers address the pain points in their businesses.