While mobile commerce is still nascent, retailers and merchants that have integrated mobile into their overall strategy are generating tangible ROI for their brands, according to the top executive of Kony Solutions Inc.

Earlier this year, a Kony Solutions study found that 61 percent of Fortune 500 companies plan to incorporate sales and commerce capabilities into their mobile offerings (see story).

Mobile Commerce Daily’s Dan Butcher interviewed Raj Koneru, CEO of Kony Solutions, Orlando, FL. Here is what he had to say:

What goals can a mobile app and/or mobile Web site help brands and retailers/merchants from various sectors achieve? 
The opportunities are endless when it comes to mobile apps and mobile Web sites, especially as the technology continues to evolve.

Companies can use a mobile offering for anything from brand awareness and CRM to sales and lead generation.

As the holiday season approaches, we’ll see more companies leveraging their mobile sites for sales opportunities, using location-based services, mobile coupons, augmented reality and bar code scanning functionality.

All of these features help companies drive consumer interest, interaction and demand and aid in hitting sales targets both in-store and via a mobile device.

Functions like built-in analytics and reporting help sales and marketing teams evaluate ROI and build information regarding customers and their purchases.

How can brands, retailers and publishers attain the most reach in the fragmented mobile space?
As the mobile market becomes increasingly competitive, and more businesses launch mobile offerings, it’s critical that companies ensure they capture the attention of the most consumers and achieve maximum ROI.

A single application definition, in addition to enabling design and code development just once, allows a company to launch ubiquitously across all mobile devices and channels, saving development time and time to market.

A single application definition ensures companies get the most of out their mobile budget without having to develop code for every single device and operating system separately.

It also allows a company to offer an entire suite of mobile services, including a mobile application, mobile Web site, SMS campaign and tablet and desktop applications all from a single code base.

In addition, launching a comprehensive, fully-integrated mobile offering can create a bigger splash for a company than just offering a single iPhone application.

Introducing all of these components simultaneously captures the attention of consumers and offers as a great brand awareness opportunity.

How/why should brands and retailers/merchants integrate mobile into their overall marketing/CRM strategy?
Today’s consumer expects a mobile solution to be a part of a company’s service offerings. Consumers demand to be able to conduct business or make purchases whenever, wherever they want via their mobile device, and if they can’t, they’ll go straight to a competitive offering in order to do so.

Creating a mobile marketing or CRM strategy not only fulfills consumer expectations, it gives consumers another channel in which to connect with a brand, improving the relationship while also taking advantage of the impulse purchases and connections that might otherwise be lost.

What is the current state of mobile commerce and what is its potential?
Mobile commerce is still in its trial stage, and many companies are still trying to figure out how to incorporate mobile commerce as part of the overall payment ecosystem.

Though a lot of mobile commerce initiatives have yet to gain main stream adoption –  for example, NFC technology –  it’s still important to put a mobile strategy in place now that can accommodate next-generation technologies down the line.

Businesses don’t have to wait for the market to evolve – they can harness mobile commerce’s potential today to start generating tangible ROI for their brands.

Our single code base helps companies take advantage of today’s technology, while also preparing them for future viable mobile technologies.

Overall, mcommerce is poised to become the main touch point in a customer’s commerce and payment experience.