The smartphone app will enable users to order, indicate their favorite items and pay for purchases. It will be integrated with the NCR Aloha point-of-sale terminals currently in Jamba Juice locations.

“The number one issue for a restaurant is controlling the guest experience,” said Jon Lawrence, director of product marketing at NCR Hospitality, Duluth, GA. “Today, this opportunity extends to their phone.

“Restaurants have three priorities as it pertains to a mobile app,” he said. “First, establish their brand on a consumers’ phone; second, design the app so it is focused and simple to use, and third, it must seamlessly integrate to the point-of-sale.

“This is key for restaurants who want to drive additional transactions and increase the average check value through their app.”

A broader solution
Mobile ordering was piloted at a Jamba Juice location in Emeryville, CA, in January, giving customers a way to order ahead and pay with the PayPal app on their mobile device. Using PayPal’s iPhone app, Jamba Juice customers could locate the Emeryville store, tap on the order-ahead button and place their order.

Once users have placed an order, they can choose a pick-up time and pay, with customers  able to bypass the line and cashier and simply pick up their drink after they arrive.

The Jamba Juice branded mobile ordering and payment solution in being developed with NCR  and PayPal to bring mobile ordering and payments to more customers. NCR expects the app to improve the speed of service while still enabling customers to skip the line pick up their order.  

PayPal will be integrated as a payment option in the new app.

Mobile ordering and payments are gaining a lot of interest from restaurants following the success of Starbucks with its mobile payments app.

The coffee house chain recently said that it sees close to four million mobile payment transactions per week and that mobile now accounts for approximately 10 percent of its total U.S. tender (see story).

Everyday purchases
In addition to Jamba Juice, other merchants offering their own branded mobile payments solutions include Cumberland Farms, Wendy’s and KFC.

It is likely that additional merchants with a loyal customer based and focused on relatively inexpensive, frequently made purchases will also be taking a closer look at mobile payments.

“Historically, restaurants viewed their operations in the context of two key areas – the front-of-house  and the back-of-house,” Mr. Lawrence said. “With the explosive growth of smartphone adoption by consumers, restaurant operators are compelled to now look at a third area – mobile ordering and payment.

“According the 2013 Restaurant Technology study, 62.2 percent report integration to on­line ordering as important to their busi­ness, but only 31.9 percent currently have the capability,” he said.

“The challenge for some restaurants will be staying abreast of the technology trends and being prepared to implement a mobile payment solution in conjunction with their POS. As restaurants consider extending their current POS solution or invest in an upgrade, mobile capabilities will weigh heavily in their selections.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

The brands are the first retailers to partner with the Swirl mobile app to bring offers and deals into bricks-and-mortar stores in Boston and New York. The entire list of retailers included in the pilot are Timberland, Alex and Ani, Kenneth Cole, Exhale Spa, Scott James and The Blue Jean Bar.

“The Swirl marketing platform allows us to connect directly with our customers in a way that is exciting and engaging,” said Ryan Bonifacino, vice president of digital strategy at Alex and Ani, Cranston, RI.

“Our customers are tech-savvy and they love their smartphones,” he said. “This new set of capabilities allow us to interact with them in real-time and with incredibly relevant content and offers while they shop.”

How it works
Swirl aggregates deals from more than 200 brands and is available for iPhone devices.

Thirteen retail locations in Boston and New York are participating in the mobile pilot and have rolled out Bluetooth-based sensors into some of their bricks-and-mortar stores.

For example, Exhale Spa has 20 locations in the United States. Two locations in New York and one in Boston is participating in the pilot.

The sensor broadcasts a short-range signal and detects when a consumer with the Swirl app crosses into the area. This triggers the app to push out an alert to consumers with an in-store offer.

The signals can be set in range from two feet to 600 feet, depending on how granular a retailer wants to get with targeting.

For example, Timberland’s Soho location in New York is one of the participating locations.

Currently, the store is offering a 20 percent discount on a purchase of more than $15o for consumers who unlock in-store content via the app.

Exhale Spa is using Swirl to push out offers for its well-being boutique items, which features spa therapy lotions and clothing.

“We were really interested in the technology, and thought it was a great way to bring our in-store experience online,” said Kim Kiernan, public relations manager at Exhale Spa, New York.

“We think it’s a great opportunity to give out guests what they want,” she said.

Alex and Ani on the other hand is pushing out a time-sensitive discount for  20 percent off of a bangle bracelet.

When consumers open the app, they can view details about the offer as well as a code that can be entered in by a store employee. The code integrates directly into a point-of-sale system, and the offer is automatically applied to a transaction.

In-store signage is being used to educate consumers on how to receive offers.

Additionally, outreach to existing consumers with Swirl app is also being used via email and in-app messages.

“What the Swirl app does for brands is bring new shoppers in-store to access exclusive content,” said Rob Murphy, vice president of marketing at Swirl, Boston.

“This is about making the consumer experience richer and easier,” he said. “In the past, I had to remember what I was looking for, and this is really about delivering those things to the person when they are most likely to need them, which is in the store.”

In-store mode
Some of Swirl’s competitors include shopkick and foursquare, which both alert consumers of nearby stores whether it is through a check-in or detecting that a consumer is in a store.

However, many of these apps are not as seamless as they should be for consumers.

“If you think about check-ins, it requires the user to do some work by letting the app know that you are there, but with Bluetooth, the app automatically knows that you are in the store,” Mr. Murphy said.

“From a retailer perspective, it allows them to deliver more relevant content and offers,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

Gap is using the mobile campaign to promote its summer dresses that are on sale. Mobile advertising has played a big role for Gap in the past in driving quick sales.

“While time-sensitive ads aren’t particularly user-friendly, they are absolutely perfect for retailers as they not only create a sense of anxiety about not using them, but they also promote traffic to their stores and allow retailers to benefit from auxiliary purchases that those users make when they visit,” said Mike DiMarco, director of media at FiddleFly, Columbia, MD.

Mr. DiMarco is not affiliated with Gap. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Gap did not respond to press inquiries.

In-store sales
Gap is running both banner and expandable ad units within the Pandora iPhone application.

Copy for the ad read, “30% off dresses now thru Wednesday. In stores now” next to a Gap logo.

When consumers tap on the ad, they are directed to a landing page that contains the offer and information about which items the offer applies to.

Additionally, there is a button that lets consumers share the link to friends and family via Facebook, Twitter and email.

Social media and mobile go hand-in-hand, and by enabling users to share the content Gap is able to extend the reach of its offer.

There is also a photo gallery loaded into the ad that lets users swipe through different dresses that the offer can be applied to.

Below the image are buttons to find the item in a particular store or share it across Tumblr, Pinterest and Facebook. Users can also click-through to shop from Gap’s mobile site.

Mobile past
Gap has used mobile advertising in the past to drive in-store traffic and revenue.

For example, the brand ran a two-week location-based mobile campaign last year in Chicago, New York and San Francisco (see story).

Additionally, the company has invested significantly in the mobile commerce space.

Gap was one of the first brands to test Google Wallet in San Francisco locations in 2011 (see story).

In this case, the ad is a great way for Gap to drive in-store traffic.

However, since the campaign is time-sensitive, the ads lacks an emphais on finding a nearby store.

“Ideally a time-sensitive ad like this would also be connected to a location-based or geo-fenced technology that only pushes the ad when users are near stores,” Mr. DiMarco said.

“In lieu of that however, giving users the hurdle of time-sensitivity is already asking them to do some work, so making it as easy as possible for them to take the desired action you promote is crucial,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

Fazoli’s will be implementing SpotOn’s technology in 15 of the chain’s corporate-owned locations in the Nebraska and Kansas City areas enabling customers to check-in with their smartphones or a loyalty card. The program is designed to help the merchant better understand guest behavior, reward customer loyalty and tailor offers.

“There is no denying that there is a movement toward mobile for checking in, which is most obvious at airports where many terminals are allowing scanning of mobile bar codes to authenticate a check-in,” said Doron Friedman, co-founder of SpotOn, San Rafael, CA.

“For chains, there are additional benefits using mobile to check in such as the convenience of not having to carry around a loyalty card or punch card and empowering the merchant to use mobile notifications to market real time to their customers, knowing that open rates are higher for mobile when compared to email,” he said.

“Using a mobile device in conjunction with a tablet could be a first step toward consumers being able to pay for transactions using their phone. Other members of the SpotOn community can see locations on a map and be able to view a business’ loyalty offerings.”

Fazoli’s is a quick-service restaurant chain with 217 locations based in Lexington, KY.

Rewards redemption
SpotOn offers a mobile app for obtaining rewards at local businesses that is used by over one million consumers and a tablet for power offers that is used at 6,000 businesses nationally.

Customers who visit a participating Fazoli’s restaurant location will be able to tap the SpotOn tablet located at the counter with their smartphone. The tablet app will then scan the QR code on  the mobile app to log a check-in.

Once users accumulate enough check-ins, they can click the reward redemption button on the tablet screen and the cashier gives customers their loyalty rewards.

When a restaurant sends a promotion via a mobile notification, mobile customers will see the offer when they use their phone to scan in at the tablet. They can choose to accept the promotion or just check-in.

Customers who add their birthday to their SpotOn app can also receive rewards during their birthday month. 

Fazoli’s decided to leverage the technology so it could compare performance at it various locations as well as to drill down on data about which offers worked best. 

Driving foot traffic
SpotOn offers merchants a dashboard that enables them to quickly toggle between locations to compare activity. Merchants can also view macro-level analytics such as customer loyalty across the chain as well as transaction-level details such as frequency and redemption history.

Marketing managers can also use the data to craft targeted marketing promotions on a brand level or to individual customers.

“Off-peak hours are simply one example of the types of problems that mobile technology products can help small business owners solve,” Mr. Friedman said. “The feedback we’re getting from merchants is that mobile is helping craft offers and turn around slow times rather quickly.

“They’re excited about seeing customers come by within minutes of sending a promotion, waving their phone to say ‘I just got your message,’” he said.

“We also found that younger consumers tend to be gravitating towards using mobile apps for loyalty. For businesses looking to reach a younger, tech-savvy audience, this is definitely the way to go.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

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By Joey Greenstone

We know that creating an effective mobile landing page is the first step to having an effective mobile strategy.

According to a Google study, 61 percent of users said if they did not find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site, they would quickly move on to another site. That is especially important considering that 67 percent said that when they visit a mobile-friendly site, they are more likely to buy a site’s product or service.

So what can you do to build a mobile-friendly site?

Mobile users are likely to be performing a time-sensitive task, so it is important for them to be able to access information on their devices without spending a significant amount of time searching on the site.

Toward that end, here are some important tips to consider when building a mobile landing page:

Ensure easy navigation
Your customers need to be able to find what they want quickly. That means site navigation should be simplified, accessible and legible.

Provide the links most important to a mobile user, as well as a search box if they cannot immediately find what they are looking for.

But do not go overboard with the number of links. Google recommends using seven links or fewer per page of navigation. This feeds nicely into our next tip.

Have a simple layout
Knowing your mobile visitors are short on time, ensure that they have an easy time reading, navigating and engaging with your mobile site.

Make sure your content fits onscreen and can be read without pinching and zooming.
A simple layout should continue into conversion pages, where consumers should have an easy time purchasing a product.

Keep long forms to a minimum by only making customers fill out three or four pieces of information, effectively reducing the number of steps needed to complete a conversion.

Prioritize your content
Again, simplicity is best when considering which content you put on your mobile site.

The content should be more concise and succinct than content on the desktop site, catering to the needs of the on-the-go mobile user.

For retailers and other bricks-and-mortar brands, it is especially important to remember local search, since many consumers may be searching for a store’s location on a search engine.

Mobile sites should include the option for users to “Find a Store” or region if applicable.

Always give the user the option to switch back to the desktop site in case they do not find what they are looking for on the mobile site.

Add the right touch features
All mobile sites should be finger and, especially, thumb-friendly with vertical scrolling. This ensures users will be able to easily view and navigate the mobile site.

Google recommends using large, centered buttons that give the customers breathing room to reduce accidental clicks.

Additionally, it is important to remember that the device is still a phone.

If a mobile site includes a phone number for users to contact the brand, it is highly recommended to include click-to-call features.

Minimize page load time
Landing page load time is becoming increasingly important in mobile.

In line with the idea of getting fast information, customers can get frustrated waiting for a page to load, and will bounce as a consequence.

There are a number of ways to reduce page load time, including combining external JavaScript, optimizing images and leveraging browser caching.

Remember that Flash and AJAX should be kept to a minimum, since they create roadblocks for the mobile user and can also increase page-loading times.

Joey Greenstone is account leader at iProspect, Chicago. Reach him at joey.greenstone@iprospect.com.

While retailers still recognize mobile’s potential to remake the in-store experience, many are also realizing that integrating mobile POS into their overall operations can be a big undertaking. The key operational issues involved with adopting mobile POS, including device and merchandise security, how to handle cash, payments, bags, customer service levels and reworking traffic flow.

“There has been a lot of hype around mobile completely eliminating POS mostly around some announcements from a few retailers, however, most retailers are taking an approach of utilizing mobile as an add-on to service and not a replacement,” said Greg Buzek, president of IHL Group, Franklin, TN.

“At the same time retailers are using mobile as a way to rethink their entire omni-channel transaction processing, looking to move to a single business logic regardless of the channel in which the customer chooses to buy,” he said.

“Finally, retailers are having to rethink their entire operations as they deploy mobile.  This includes security of the device, security of the merchandise, security of the transactions, payment handling, receipts, bags, and traffic flow.”

Transaction volume
Sales of mobile point-of-sale hardware and software in North America are expected to top $2 billion this year as 28 percent of retailers plan to leverage mobile for processing purchases in some form this year, according to the report.

The report reveals that the adoption rate for mobile POS is dependent on the type of retailer and volume of transactions.

One key finding from the report is that specialty retailers are deploying about 45 percent of all tablets shipped to retail for POS. Tablets are most popular in small independent retailers of all types and large mall-based specialty chains.

“Mobile POS is not for every segment,” Mr. Buzek said. “It is best for Specialty soft goods (apparel, shoes, luggage) retailers, department stores, and casinos/lodging locations.

“In these segments it is greatly transforming operations and retailers have seen increases in transaction size of up to 25 percent in certain circumstances as they shop together with the consumer rather than a barrier in between,” he said.

“We are ‘solving a problem together’ rather than a simple transaction.”

Line-busting
Other findings include that mobile POS is not a good option for high volume transaction environments such as grocery, warehouse clubs, supercenters, drug stores and convenience stores.

Additionally, retail mobile POS devices are expected to cannibalize 12.4 percent of traditional POS shipments by 2016. The highest areas of replacement will be in department stores and specialty soft goods retailers.

Finally, more than 85 percent of larger retailers suggest that for the next three years, mobile POS will serve as additional transaction points in their stores, rather than as replacements for traditional fixed POS stations.

“Most retailers who are deploying mobile POS still will queue their customers into fixed lines during peak periods, “ Mr. Buzek said.

“Mobile is only truly mobile until we get busy,” he said. “Even Apple abandons the free movement of people when they get busy and moving to fixed locations.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York

During the “Power Panel” keynote session, the executive discussed the role that mobile plays in the company’s day-to-day initiatives. Executives from Alcatel-Lucent, General Motors, Qualcomm Technologies and Adobe also participated on the panel.

“Already today, many of our guests are on multiple devices,” said Beth Jacobs, executive vice president and chief information officer of Target, Minneapolis. “It’s about connecting with our guests across multiscreens at all points of the day.

“Whether it starts when you’re on your couch, at the office or in-store, it’s important to connect all those points together,” she said. “You have to think about all of these points of integration and the creative ways that data and other touch points come together.”

Keep it personal
When it comes to mobile, personalization and relevance are an important piece of the puzzle, especially for retailers.

Technology is rapidly changing and devices are becoming much smarter and sophisticated.

Consumers are becoming tech-savvy as well. Therefore, in order to stand out, marketers need to harness the power of data.

Personalization and relevance can help change the mobile shopping experience for the better. It is important that retailers reach consumers with relevant products and content, that will get them coming back in-store.

And, mobile helps accomplish that.

Nowadays, marketers need to use data to reach consumers in new and unique ways. For example, when harnessing the power of location, as well as demographic, retailers can dole out coupons or location-based ads and notifications to drive consumers to the nearest in-store location.

“I was just in San Francisco talking with the Target folks there and what they’re working on,” Ms. Jacobs said. “Imagine going down the grocery aisle and using different lenses of the shopping experience and having the products that you’re interested come up.

“Data and a multichannel approach help define this new and existing customer experience,” she said.

Leading the way
Over the past few years, Target has been revving up its mobile offerings and is continually looking at new ways to strengthen the mobile shopping experience.

Last year, Target ramped up its holiday efforts with a QR code initiative that let consumers scan the mobile bar codes featured on several products in-store and buy the items via their smartphones (see story).

In March, the retailer and Fast Company’s new vertical Co.Labs launched a competition that enticed developers to create an innovative mobile experience for Target (see story).

Most recently, Target used a combination of mobile advertising, SMS and its mobile site to educate consumers about its mobile coupon initiative and encouraged them to save money on several of their favorite products (see story).

The campaign, Sweet Support, is a nationwide fundraiser, with Cinnabon matching the first $10,000 in donations. Customers are being directed to the mobile URL Give.Mobi/Cinnabon to make a donation by employees and via signage inside the bakeries.

“Consumers are increasingly accessing more and more information through their mobile phones,” said Kristen Hartman, vice president of marketing for Cinnabon, Atlanta, GA. “Knowing that our Cinnabon guests are often toting their phones and our delicious treats around the mall, we sought a donation process that was easy and user friendly.  

“While we typically fundraise the traditional way, allowing guests to leave their change or give directly at the bakery for local or national causes, we wanted an effort even bigger than that,” she said. “We know that there are fans of Cinnabon who may not come to the mall or airport often, but they would love to contribute to a cause like this along with us.

“Mobile giving, especially through the Give.Mobi platform, allows guests in our bakeries, fans who are not in our bakeries, or anyone passionate about this cause to give easily along with us. The platform’s ease of use also aligns with the uniquely satisfying experience Cinnabon is known for.”

Cinnabon serves fresh, oven-hot cinnamon rolls, as well as a variety of other baked goods and specialty beverages. The company operates more than 800 franchised locations worldwide, such as shopping malls, airports, train stations, travel plazas, entertainment centers, academic institutions and military establishments.

Social sharing
Customers can visit the Give.Mobi/Cinnabon URL directly from their mobile phones or scan the QR code appearing on the signs around the bakeries in order to make a donation.

After users donate, they can share their donation via Facebook or Twitter to help drive further donations.

The breast cancer fundraiser was announced on national TV on Friday, May 17, as part of the Undercover Boss season four finale. The episode, called Epic Bosses, provided an update on the relationship between Cinnabon President Kat Cole and bakery supervisor Mayra Vargas, whose mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Customers can also learn of the fundraiser through materials in their local Cinnabon bakeries, including signage featuring QR codes that they can scan with their smart phones to donate.

Donations are funded by a user’s PayPal account.

Cinnabon is also spreading the word to its fans and followers through social media channels. 

Donations made easy
The money raised by the effort will support the National Breast Cancer Foundation, whose mission is to increase awareness of breast cancer and provide mammograms for women in need.

Cinnabon decided to leverage mobile as a way to facilitate giving because it makes the donation process easy to access and user-friendly.

“Donating through the online fundraising application Give.Mobi is incredibly easy,” Ms. Hartman said.

“Anyone can visit the page created for the fundraiser, Give.Mobi/Cinnabon, and click the ‘give now’ link,” she said. “Then, they can select the donation amount, which will automatically be deducted from their PayPal account.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York