Which brands and retailers launched unique mobile commerce-enabled sites in 2010? There were many to choose from, but here are the top 15 mobile commerce-enabled sites launched in 2010.

“Mobile commerce is becoming a significant way consumers are purchasing goods and services and retailers are quickly realizing that mobile is becoming a strategic new channel for them that also supports their ecommerce, in-store and catalog channels,” said Dan Lowden, vice president of marketing at Digby, Austin, TX.

“Up until this point, retailers have mostly focused on enabling a mobile-optimized Web site that is uniquely designed – not cut and paste from their ecommerce site – to create a fun and easy-to-use personal mobile shopping experience,” he said.

“This is a great first step in building a mobile strategy.”

Consumers can order products on the go by visiting http://m.lowes.com on their smartphones, place their order and then grab it at their local Lowe’s on the way home from work. The Lowe’s mobile Web site at is another way for the home improvement retailer to be there for customers regardless of the channel or technology they prefer to use and allows them to access the information conveniently on their terms.

Express’ mobile commerce-enabled Web site serves as an additional customer touch point and is an additional revenue stream for the retailer. The site at http://m.express.com features real-time promotions and new arrivals, offering consumers the opportunity to purchase the full range of online products anytime, anywhere. The site is available through all smartphones and features account and wish list functionality.

Bon-Ton Stores – Bon-Ton Stores Inc. has increased sales via its mobile Web site at http://m.bonton.com, which enhances the shopping experience by proposing relevant products and automatically providing coupons and discounts based on customer preferences. The mobile site is able to develop targeted marketing campaigns tailoring the shopping experience for specific customer segments using new media capabilities and mobile coupons.

Consumers can shop the Juicy Couture collection as well as the Bird by Juicy Couture collection at http://www.juicycouture.com via their mobile device. The mobile site lets consumers shop new arrivals, gift shops, women’s, handbags, jewelry, accessories, girls and sale items. In addition, consumers can search for a specific product via the search tool at the top of the site. Customers can browse products and view photos of the item, the cost and the description and even share finds with friends on Facebook.

Currently, mobile accounts for 10 percent of Kenneth Cole’s total Web traffic and 4 percent of its revenue. The mobile site at http://m.kennethcole.com lets consumers browse through men’s and women’s accessories and apparel. Sale items are highlighted on the homepage and consumers can locate stores near them. The site serves as an additional revenue stream for Kenneth Cole and also as an added convenience for customers.

Users can shop the entire Crocs catalog while on the go at http://m.crocs.com. Consumers can shop by different categories, such as women, men, girls, boys, jibbitz – brand shoe charms – and outlet. In addition, consumers can find the nearest stores that offer Crocs upon entering their location and also opt-in to receive notifications whenever a specific store has new offers, check out a map to see the location of the store, go to the company’s Web site and click to call the store.  

 SephoraMobile lets customers research and buy beauty products while they are on the go. The site at http://m.sephora.com features ratings and reviews, the ability to search for and buy products. The new site has information about all Sephora products, personalized recommendations and access to consumers’ beauty products purchasing history.  

Macy’s mobile site at http://mobile.macy’s.com lets users search for and purchase products, redeem special online sales offers and locate product availability at nearby Macy’s locations. The Macy’s mobile home page includes a search feature, a store locator and special offers on Macy’s products. About a month after launching the mobile commerce site for Macy’s the company also rolled out an mcommerce destination for Bloomingdale’s as well. Both sites are an added convenience for customers looking to shop via their mobile devices.

Consumers can access the mobile site by going to http://www.lillypulitzer.com via their handset. They can browse and search across the entire catalog, read product descriptions and see full-color images, integrate their address book and find the nearest store. In addition, there is a mobile-optimized checkout, access to new arrivals and integration with existing backend cataloging and order processing systems.

Chico’s Brands such as Chico’s, White House Black Market and Soma went mobile in 2010 to improve customer satisfaction and ease of product purchase. The Web sites for these popular women’s fashion destinations are optimized for any mobile phone, including iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. Shoppers can complement their in-store experience by locating and buying items or sizes that are not available at that location or even browse additional products via smartphone to compare with what they are trying on in the dressing room.

The Ace Hardware mobile site at http://acehardware.com provides customers with the ability to search their local Ace ads and link to its social sites all using their handsets. The site features a mobile store locator with Google maps, helping consumers find their local Ace store by street address, city, state or ZIP code.

The Bakers site at http://m.bakersshoes.com makes promotions and coupons available to consumers while on the go. Users can shop new arrivals, trends, sale items and accessories right from their mobile devices. Bakers is focused on delivering a device-optimized experience that retains brand parity with the other retail channels.

This storefront at Columbia.com/mobile and http://m.columbia.com gives outdoor enthusiasts access from their mobile devices to learn more about Columbia and its product line and find a local retailer or shop on the fully ecommerce-enabled site. The full Columbia catalog is available from the mobile storefront, with key product categories such as Men, Women, Kids, Accessories, Footwear and Outlets placed on the center of the homepage.

Consumers can access the mobile site by entering http://www.neimanmarcus.com on their mobile device. Then, users will be automatically redirected to the mobile commerce site. Neiman Marcus’ entire merchandise is available on its mobile site. Neiman Marcus-owned Bergdorf Goodman also has a mobiel commerce-enabled site as of 2010.

– Baby Phat’s mobile commerce site gives visitors a personalized experience based on cookied user information. New shoppers are assigned a cookie when they land on http://m.babyphat.com, which begins tracking from the first click. But even before the shopper clicks on an item or category, the Baby Phat site personalizes the homepage based on how that person arrived at the site such as from a paid search keyword.

“Technology is changing quickly, so it is important for retailers to engage with a mobile commerce provider that can deliver the mobile Web and rich apps for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices across a single mobile commerce platform,” Digby’s Mr. Lowden said.

“It is critical for retailers’ sites and apps to be easily updated as mobile devices, operating systems and screen sizes constantly change,” he said.

“Working with a mobile commerce provider that is specifically and 100 percent focused on the retail channel will help ensure that the retailer will be able to remain relevant to their mobile customers.”