The mobile medium in general and smartphone applications in particular are key elements of office products retailer OfficeMax Inc.’s strategy for engaging its best customers via its MaxPerks loyalty program.

Supermarket giant Food Lion and Concentrics Restaurants are running mobile-social marketing programs to drive foot traffic to their bricks-and-mortar locations and encourage customer loyalty.

Procter & Gamble is distributing mobile coupons for many of its brands to influence consumers’ purchase decisions while they are shopping at supermarkets nationwide.

Whether they are spending the last moments of 2010 celebrating at a party, relaxing at home or freezing in New York’s Times Square, users of mobile social network GetGlue can earn limited-time stickers from CNN and MTV this New Year’s Eve.

Multichannel home furnishings retailer Crate and Barrel has partnered with shopkick Inc. as the latest ally to deliver location-based shopping rewards to consumers for visiting stores.

Department store chain J. C. Penney Co. Inc. is partnering with various mobile social networks to distribute a Christmas-themed promotional offer featuring badges and mobile coupons.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s incendiary statement that near field communication-enabled Android smartphones would be positioned to replace credit cards has sent shockwaves through the mobile commerce ecosystem.

Infosys Technologies launched Finacle mobile banking 2.0 to let retail and corporate clients access banking services through SMS, GPRS, 3G and USSD-enabled handsets.

Starbucks Coffee has expanded its Starbucks Card Mobile payment test to nearly 300 company-operated stores in New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.

The Renaissance Mayflower, a historic luxury hotel in Washington, is using mobile to communicate with guests via text messaging.