Gap Inc. is paving its way into the mobile commerce space via a mobile-optimized site that lets consumers browse the latest collections, find a store and buy products while they are on the go.

The retailer is no stranger to mobile, with an iPad and iPhone application already up and running. The company believes that the mobile commerce site is ideal for shoppers looking for an optimized experience on the device they carry.

“We know our shoppers are already using their smartphones to access our Web sites and we wanted to create an optimized experience for them,” said Nick Sheth, senior director of marketing at Gap, San Francisco.

“We wanted to create a more convenient way for them to browse our products and our store locations and then buy, in-store, from their computer or right on their phones – pending their shopping preference,” he said.

“We also wanted to ensure that our mobile experience is as rich as our Web experience, from having a full assortment to having easy one-click ordering from all five of our brands.”

Gap is a U.S. clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, and founded in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher. The company, which operates 3,465 stores worldwide, has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta.

Skava developed Gap’s mobile site.

Mobile shopping
Consumers can shop the five primary brands via Gap’s mobile site.

Consumers can access the mobile site by entering http://www.gap.com on their mobile browser.

Shopping is possible via different categories such as women’s, maternity, body, men’s and kids’ apparel.

The company is also offering a free shipping offer on purchases more than $50.

“Customers are shopping on the go,” Mr. Sheth said. “We want to help them shop wherever they are, be that on the phone or on the Web.

“We also know our customers look to our mobile sites to help them pre-shop before visiting our stores and to find our store locations,” he said.  “In the development of our mobile sites, we paid special attention to these needs so we could bring our customers the best experience.

“We believe that mobile is a customer touch point that spans online and bricks-and-mortar retail.”

Mine the gap
Consumers who have an account with Gap can sign in via their mobile device for easier access.

Additionally, Gap customers can search via the keyword function if they are looking for a specific item.

There is also a shopping cart tool on the top of the site that lets consumers know what is in their cart.

Consumers can use the store locator feature to find the closest retail location and also email or call customer service via their handset.

“Any user who comes to our Web site on a compatible phone – any phone with an HTML5-compatible browser – is automatically redirected to our mobile sites, though we give them the option of using our regular Web-optimized sites if they wish,” Mr. Sheth said.

“In addition, we have marketed this to our users by email, social, our own Web sites, as well as through advertising partnerships with Google and others,” he said.