With the exponential growth of feature and smartphones, mobile payments have taken off and are predicted to grow 40 percent and reach $2.5 billion globally by 2015, according to Juniper Research.

Paypal has updated its mobile 2011 projection to $3 billion – marking the third time it has had to change its mobile predictions for this year.

Mobile Commerce Daily has promoted Rimma Kats to staff reporter on the world’s leading publication covering mobile commerce and retail.

The mobile sites of OpenTable and Ghirardelli came out on top in terms of performance this Valentine’s Day, according to research from Keynote Systems Inc.

This year marks a turning point in mobile commerce as more retailers realize that a transaction-ready and shopper-friendly mobile store is no longer an option but increasingly a necessity. Mobile commerce’s good days are about to begin.

Retailers that were late to the game in terms of launching commerce-enabled mobile Web sites are now faced with the added challenge of leapfrogging over competitors in 2011 with advanced features and functionality.

There were many headline-grabbing advancements and initiatives in the areas of mobile commerce, retail, payments, banking and financial services in 2010.

EBay’s acquisition of Critical Path is yet another move on the part of the auction platform to cement its position as a formidable force in the mobile commerce market.

Mobile Commerce Daily will not publish on Friday, Dec. 24, in observance of Christmas. We will resume publication on Monday, Dec. 27. Please enjoy the holiday.

Westfield Group has launched an iPhone application that helps shoppers digitally navigate its shopping centers in the United States and interface with retailers and their promotions.