Chico's FAS Inc. is reportedly building a mobile shopping app for the iOS and Android platforms. According to the Wall Street Journal, the app will integrate with iBeacon location sensors on shelves. This app, currently in pilot testing, would reportedly use iBeacons to notify customers who have opted in when they are near items that fit their purchase history. Associates would then use iPads to update the customer's history. In addition, Chico's is reportedly developing a "customer closet" app that would create a visual representation of a customer's wardrobe and make personalized recommendations based on purchase history. Other marketing technologies …

Health Mart's Tarrytown Pharmacy has rolled out beacon technology throughout its store to provide a more personalized interaction with shoppers as they browse shelves. The beacon technology is powered by beacon platform Shelfbucks that leverages iBeacon, Bluetooth Low Energy and near field communications. Shelfbucks beacons are installed on Tarrytown Pharmacy's shelves and provide real-time offers and coupons on nearby products via the Tarrytown Pharmacy application.

The Host Card Emulation feature in Android KitKat for driving near-field communications mobile payments just got a big boost in the form of support from MasterCard and Visa, which could spell trouble for Isis. HCE, which was introduced by Google with the Android KitKat update, could undermine the role of carriers in mobile payments since credit information is stored in the cloud instead of on a secure chip in phones that carriers typically control access to. The Google service was introduced in response to several major carriers blocking Google Wallet's access to such secure chips, thereby limiting its reach at …

More than one year after launching the Mobile Futures program that paired nine snack brands with start-ups to spur innovation, Mondelz International is seeing initial results of what is working and not working for CPG brands on mobile. Last year, Mondelz launched eight out of nine identified pilot programs between snack brands and start-ups as part of a spinoff from Kraft Foods. These programs are continuing this year, with a few pilots showing potential to be launched nationally. "I think there are two phenomenon in the extension of phase one [of Mobile Futures,]" said Valerie Moens, spokeswoman at Mondelz, Deerfield, …

In recent years, retailers have aggressively implemented in-store systems to track customers' every move from the moment they enter till the moment they leave (hopefully including a trip through a checkout lane). Specific details such as how long customers spend in front of a display are also carefully monitored and analyzed. Technology now allows retailers to keep tabs on what customers do in the store almost as rigorously as they follow customer actions online. Yet one glaring exception to this shedding of light on the mysteries of in-store customer behavior remains - the dressing room. Customers walk into the dressing …

Chalk one up to the e- and m-commerce spaces: they are growing while the rest of retail is slipping slightly. According to new data out from Custora, overall retail is down for the first month in 2014 while ecommerce and mcommerce are seeing increases. Ecommerce now accounts for nearly 6% of all US retail sales, according to the US Department of Commerce. "After a strong holiday season, US e-commerce is off to a great start in 2014. January sales are up 8% year over year, and we continue to see a large increase in shopping on mobile phones and tablets, …

According to the results of a recent SAP survey, shoppers in the Asia Pacific region have a notably greater likelihood of using mobile commerce for shopping as well as for banking services online. The survey also found that they would shop even more than they already do if they had higher mobile security confidence. This recent survey data from SAP showed that among respondents in the Asia Pacific region, 37 percent had used their smartphones for mobile commerce behaviors such as for online banking. Comparatively, the global average was 29 percent for that same activity. An additional 37 percent said …

While most fast food giants are testing mobile payments at the point-of-sale to clear up in-store lines, McDonald's Singapore is taking a page from the success of online delivery services to increase adoption. McDonald's Singapore has added payments to its McDelivery program, which lets consumers place delivery orders through a mobile application. The fast food chain has partnered with Visa on the initiative. "They complement each other by Visa having the know-how to link payments to mobile apps, and McDonald's has a great brand that consumers love and together they can reach more consumers and get these QSR applications to …

Campbell's, Procter & Gamble and Unilever are a few big consumer packaged goods brands that are rolling out in-application rewards to Meredith Corp.'s apps to help the publisher push repeat usage. The lifestyle publishing brand will incorporate Kiip's SDK into the Allrecipes DinnerSpinner and the Better Homes and Garden Must-Have-Recipes apps. The rewards pop up randomly within Meredith's apps and will be triggered by actions that consumers take, such as sharing a recipe through social media or creating a shopping list.

China is currently working to develop a national mobile payments platform. Once the platform is launched, China will be one of the very few countries in the world to have a unified mobile payments system. Chinese consumers have been involving themselves in mobile commerce quite heavily in recent years. As mobile devices become more common throughout the country, people are using these devices to shop online more regularly. The country's retailers have also been embracing mobile commerce in an effort to connect with a new generation of consumers. China's mobile commerce platform is to make use of NFC technology. The …