A Google panelist speaking on a Mobile Commerce Daily webinar yesterday said that eBay and Sephora come to mind as retailers that took full advantage of mobile commerce during the 2011 holiday season.

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 must prepare for the expected surge in mobile traffic during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Toys R Us is giving mobile shoppers different ways to save during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend via promotions with foursquare and shopkick.

Sears and Kmart are using QR codes on out-of-home advertising to enable holiday shoppers on-the-go to purchase toys directly from their smartphones.

Sam’s Club is making it easier for holiday shoppers to find and purchase gifts with a mobile-optimized holiday shopping site, mobile alerts and enhancements to its mobile app.

Kohl’s Department Stores is investing in new mobile tools to make shopping easier for busy consumers this holiday season.

A new study by Hipcricket points to the fact that mobile’s role in holiday shopping will be different and more important than past years, making it key for brands and retailers to have a sophisticated presence in the space.

Google projects that 44 percent of total searches for last-minute gifts and store locator terms will take place via mobile devices this coming holiday season.

With holiday shopping just around the corner, new findings from Google’s AdMob predict that 15 percent of Black Friday Web searches will be done on mobile devices.