• The New York Times, Monday, April 18, 2011 12:10 PM

Due to over-optimism and unforeseen challenges, retailers are being forced to rethink their mobile strategies, reports The New York Times. First and foremost, merchants are learning that they can't skimp on their mobile platforms. By mid-2010, according Acquity Group numbers cited by The Times, just 12% of the top 500 United States online retailers had sites compatible with mobile browsers, while just 7% had apps.

"Now retailers are rapidly realizing they no longer have a choice, because customers expect to be able to shop on their phones and want the experience to be as good or better than on a computer," writes The Times. "That is what 85% of online shoppers told Tealeaf, a software company that monitors buyers' online behavior." Suggesting a clear opportunity, shoppers also told Tealeaf that mobile shopping was more frustrating than sitting in traffic or visiting the D.M.V.

What's more, comScore estimates that shoppers spent $1.1 billion via their phones in the last three months of 2010, a sharp increase over the course of the year.

Read the whole story at The New York Times »