Valentine's Day is creeping up very quickly but there is still time for some last minute purchases through mobile commerce, online, or in person. The trick to this buying game is to make sure to save the most out of the $19 billion that will be spent that day. Finding great deals allows shoppers to be able to find the perfect gift for their special someone, without spending the most. Typically, the closer the time comes to Valentine's Day, itself, the higher the prices climb. Many retailers know that shoppers become more desperate as the day comes closer, and count …

In the latest example of how smartphones are making over the fast food dining experience, Taco Bell plans to introduce mobile ordering at all locations later this year. Many fast food chains have embraced mobile to enhance their loyalty efforts but, with the exception of the big pizza chains such as Pizza Hut and Domino's, enabling customers to place orders from their smartphones is taking longer to implement because of operational challenges. Taco Bell is addressing the needs of its core audience of millennials by developing its own mobile-ordering app in house.

Mobile commerce continues to be the bright spot for eBay as both Marketplaces and PayPal achieved record mobile results in 2013, each exceeding $20 billion in mobile volume. Total mobile commerce volume grew 88%, with eBay reaching $22 billion and PayPal hitting $27 billion in 2013. For PayPal, mobile was a key catalyst, with payments volume off eBay growing 128% for the year. Mobile users represented 40% of eBay Inc.'s 36 million new users and accounts in 2013, contributing $35 billion in enabled commerce volume (ECV). eBay has been increasingly investing in mobile systems over the past couple of years. …

Four out of 10 smartphone owners have bought something direct from their mobile phone spending an average of GBP199 each in 2013. Over half (55 per cent) of shoppers had used their mobile device in stores, with 54 per cent comparing prices online, 41 per cent taking photos for future reference, and 46 per cent researching their potential buys online. A cheeky one in six admitted to 'showrooming' - finding a better price online on a competitors site using the mobile or tablet and buying there instead. The 'Agile Consumer 2013' Survey, a study of 1,000 British smartphone owners compiled …

Ticket Liquidator has integrated Google Wallet as a payment option to help consumers easily purchase tickets on mobile devices. By enabling Google Wallet checkout, Ticket Liquidator saves consumers time by cutting down the amount of information they need to type in on a mobile device. To promote the new integration, Ticket Liquidator will give consumers $25 off a purchase of $100 or more when they use Google Wallet to checkout. "By integrating with Google Wallet, Ticket Liquidator is giving our customers a convenient, fast and secure way to purchase tickets for their favorite events," said Stacey Bednarz, executive director of …

Kellogg has launched its biggest Olympic and Paralympics marketing campaign to date with mobile playing a key role in how the consumer packaged goods brand activates digital interactions through static packaging. Kellogg has plastered mobile calls-to-actions on cereal boxes from brands including Apple Jacks that promote the "From Great Starts Comes Great Things" campaign, which incorporates 11 different Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls. Kellogg is working with Zoove to power the campaign. This year, Kellogg's is launching their largest Olympics/Paralympics marketing campaign to date with our campaign 'From Great Starts Comes Great Things,'" said Sandy Uridge, senior director of …

Major Canadian bank, CIBC, has now partnered with a second large wireless carrier in the country in order to be able to broaden the availability of its mobile payments services to its customers who have NFC technology enabled smartphones.CIBC. CIBC and Telus have now announced a new partnership and mobile payments app. This partnership has brought about a new app that will allow certain models of smartphones with NFC technology that run on the Telus network to be able to be used for making credit card purchases for items costing up to $50. These small purchase include anything from groceries …

In another clear illustration of how the mobile world is shifting on its axis towards Beijing, ecommerce giant Alibaba claims its Alipay unit is now the world's largest m-payments processor, overtaking the combined volume of US leaders PayPal and Square. The industry's excitement about mobile payments has largely gone unjustified because it has centered on the developed markets where it is hardest to insert a new method into the array of plastic cards, online services and other options available. In emerging markets, however, there are far greater, if less trumpeted opportunities, among consumers less wedded to their credit cards, or …

Universities around the country are using a new mobile application to help their students order more easily from nearby cafeterias, cafes and restaurants. The Tapingo app lets students place an order on-the-go and pick it up quickly without having to wait in line. The app even learns from students' purchases to suggest frequent orders and make the process that much easier. "We decided to adopt Tapingo at Arizona because of its ability to improve our speed of service and customer experience," said Jason Rex Tolliver, director of Arizona Student Unions at University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. "With a student population …

In the fourth quarter, retailers increased spend on local, mobile campaigns during the holidays by 433 percent for those based on ZIP code and 142 percent for those based on latitude or longitude, according to a recent report from Nexage. The "Nexage Analytics Report: Brand Spend Takes Flight" report found that 46 percent of marketers and agencies thought that mobile was important as an advertising vehicle and 85 percent think it will be important in three years. Nexage claims that since more consumers have shifted to mobile, marketers and agencies are now playing catch-up.