By Jon Jackson

It should be no surprise that one of the newest CRM strategies reflects that larger trend in mobile: the use of apps to engage the consumer.

Near field communication has the potential to generate billions of dollars of incremental revenue from mobile marketing services alone, not even factoring in payments, which will be a watershed moment for mobile, according to Razorfish.

With Amazon.com already a major player in mobile commerce via its mobile Web site and applications, the company is now rumored to be setting its sights on the increasingly competitive near field communication arena.

ORLANDO, FL – As near field communication continues to gain momentum, merchants and marketers should realize that it enables more than just contactless payments – it can be used to inspire consumer loyalty, according to a panel at CTIA Wireless 2011.

As an official launch partner of Foursquare version 3.0, sporting goods retailer Sports Authority is offering consumers Flash Special deals and other discount offers via the location-based mobile social network.

AT&T has updated its Yellow Pages application for Apple’s iPhone to include local deals from merchants and enhanced search capabilities.

Retailers Crate and Barrel and ProFlowers are offering discounts on specific Valentine’s Day-related products to drive sales via the shopkick location-based shopping application.

Applebee’s, American Eagle, AMC Theatres, Blockbuster, Bass Pro Shops and SpaFinder are driving revenue by offering Valentine’s Day digital gift cards that are redeemable via mobile.

The first and most important task for the near field communication ecosystem is to define the kind of infrastructure that will be used to enable businesses to provide NFC-based services to their customers, according to SJB Research.

British retail giants Marks & Spencer and House of Fraser are distributing location-based mobile coupons to opted-in O2 subscribers.