Best Buy has revamped its loyalty program with mobile playing a key role in improving the in-store experience and offering consumers exclusive deals. The big box retailer has launched a new loyalty program called My Best Buy that places a greater emphasis on Best Buy's iPhone and Android application. Previously Best Buy's program was called Reward Zone, and all consumers with a Reward Zone account will automatically become My Best Buy members.

Belgacom and financial services provider BNP Paribas Fortis are jointly developing a mobile commerce 'ecosystem' for Belgian merchants and consumers to enable shopping and payments via smartphones. The companies selected Accenture to help build and launch a mobile platform that will enable Belgian consumers to use their mobile devices to make in-app payments, receive tickets and coupons, and participate in loyalty programs for mobile shopping. Under the terms of the agreement, Accenture will help Belgacom and BNP Paribas design and build a mobile wallet and platform based on the Accenture Mobility platform

Home Decorators, an e-retailer owned by The Home Depot Inc. that sells items to help consumers renovate their homes, has done a little m-commerce design work of its own. The retailer in May launched a tablet site with the help of m-commerce vendor Usablenet Inc., and the site is paying off, the retailer says. The conversion rate on the tablet site is about 15% higher than is the rate for consumers who visit the desktop site on tablets, says Melissa Phillips, general manager for Home Decorators Collection. Additionally, the average order value is about 20% higher and pages per visit …

Society is digitizing everything from music to money. According to estimates from Euromonitor, mobile commerce is expected to grow a whopping 386% from 2012 to 2017, which translates into $400 billion worldwide. While it's unlikely cash will ever be eliminated completely, cashless transactions will continue to increase. Visa and rival MasterCard will benefit greatly from this trend. These two companies let banks issue debit and credit cards with their names on them, then collect a fee every time a transaction is made using that card. This is an ideal business model for a future with fewer cash transactions. Visa and …

There is growing excitement around Bluetooth technology and how it can support mobile users' real-world activities. Apple's iBeacon and PayPal's Beacon are just the tip of the iceberg, with many more Bluetooth-enabled services expected over the coming year. IBeacon and Beacon both leverage Bluetooth Low Energy, which was introduced in 2010 and can be used to identify mobile users within a short range, similar to how near-field-communications works.

Retailers such as Office Depot, JCPenney and Staples recently took to social media to promote back-to-school shopping. However, Target's strategy really stood out for driving 50 percent of tweets from a mobile device, according to exclusive mobile data from Engagor. With younger consumers increasingly engaging with social media from their smartphones, savvy merchants are ensuring that mobile is baked into their social strategies.

The latest data regarding sales transactions over smartphones and tablets have shown massive growth. The findings of an analysis conducted by Capgemini and IMRG have shown that the sales transacted over mobile commerce have reached a point that they are far hotter than they have ever been. In fact, the report shows that the current figures are leading 2013 to be a year that is double last year.

Capital One is ending its support for Isis, the Near Field Communications-based mobile commerce network spearheaded by Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile US. Isis kicked off mobile wallet trials in late 2012 in partnership with Capital One and rival payment services firms Chase and Barclaycard. This summer, Isis announced plans to extend its services nationwide following consumer pilots in the Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City markets, also expanding beyond Google's Android to support Apple's iOS, Microsoft's Windows Phone and BlackBerry. But in an email sent to consumers, Capital One said it is pulling out of the program.

With substantial discounts and limited quantities, online flash sales of designer goods became an e-commerce staple in the West after the start of the recession. According to Thibault Villet, CEO and co-founder of flash sales site Glamour Sales China, this lightning-fast form of e-commerce has just as much potential in Asian markets. After setting up in Japan in 2009, Glamour Sales Group opened its Chinese site in 2010, and announced a partnership with Neiman Marcus in 2012. Villet recently presented on his company's business strategy at Velvet Group's Shanghai Fashion Web conference, which brought together industry professionals to discuss cutting-edge …

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said when debuting iOS 7 in June that the new version of the mobile operating system that runs on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and iPad Mini devices represents the biggest platform shift since the original iPhone. For retailers, that's good news and bad news. The good news is that iOS 7, which officially launches Wednesday Sept. 18, offers retailers new features and technologies that could boost mobile commerce efforts. For example, iOS 7's iBeacon can be used to send a consumer a coupon when she enters a retailer's store.