If security firm, Symantec, is correct, then wearable technology such as smartwatches could soon mean that the need for us to try to remember a long list of different ever-changing logins and passwords could come to an end. Mobile security has always been something that has made users feel a little bit leery, and has held back mobile payments and commerce from becoming reaching its true potential. However, wearable technology such as smartwatches, augmented reality glasses, and other wearables may one day make it possible for us to shake our reliance on password protection. They may currently be associated with …

Bethesda-based Digital Management Inc., which has made more than a half dozen acquisitions in the last year, just announced another: DMI has acquired Burlington, Mass.-based KnowledgePath, a mobile commerce provider. Financial terms of the acquisition weren't disclosed. KnowledgePath has about 80 employees. Its e-commerce customers include major retailers like TJX, Chico's, rue21 and Sur La Table.

Department store Bergdorf Goodman is introducing consumers to its new range of offerings in its contemporary 5F department with an ad on the mobile Web site of New York magazine's The Cut. Reaching out to the publication's audience of New Yorkers and beyond, the ad featured two calls to action, one to visit the store and one to visit the retailer's Web site to shop online. Since consumers reading the mobile Web page are likely to be on their phones in transit, Bergdorf may see an increase in foot traffic from this ad.

Casual-dining restaurant chain Duffy's Sports Grill is betting on mobile to take its thriving loyalty program to the next level via check-ins and real-time messaging. Duffy's MVP loyalty program currently drives 70 percent of transactions across the chain's 24 restaurants in southern Florida. By enabling members to check-in for rewards and receive limited-time offers via mobile, Duffy's hopes to further drive results for the program by helping it enhance its relationship with members. "All restaurants realize the potential millennial spending has for the future of their brands. Extending the benefits of a loyalty program to the mobile device attracts more …

You probably haven't heard of DMI, but it's likely that you've used one of its creations. The Bethesda, Md.-based enterprise mobility company has developed mobile sites and apps for some of the biggest and highest-profile companies in the world, from Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) to ESPN and Unilever (UN). It manages mobile devices for several Fortune 500 stalwarts, including BP (BP), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Sears. And it makes big data analytics tools and cybersecurity defenses for 40 different U.S. government agencies. What DMI does -- live in a world where stylesheets, algorithms, and logistics …

iBeacons, the Apple iOS 7 technological feature that uses low-frequency Bluetooth transmissions to help mobile devices track their position relative to stationary beacons, are getting quite a bit of attention from retailers and the IT vendors who serve them. Each beacon has a unique ID that lets mobile devices tell different beacons apart. What is grabbing the attention of retailers is not so much that devices can obtain individualized information from beacons, but that beacons can also obtain individualized information from mobile devices. Placed in stores, iBeacons can also tell retailers quite a bit about who is shopping and what …

Express is opening a new Times Square location in New York, and making mobile a crucial part of the in-store experience with interactive iPads, charging stations and mobile point of sale. The new store will officially open on Tuesday, March 25 at 7 p.m. ET with a performance by Robin Thicke. In addition to the in-store elements, the location will also be holding a mobile sweepstakes to celebrate the new store. "Time Square has always been the square-of-the-future for retail and advertising," said Gary Schwartz, Toronto-based author of "The Impulse Economy" and "Fast Shopper, Slow Store." "I cannot count the …

A Chinese online retail firm has announced that it has received funding from several large organizations within China, including Tencent. The amount of funding the firm has received has not yet been revealed, but speculation suggests that it is somewhere around the $100 million mark. Maimmaibao has attracted attention for not being a typical online retailer. Instead of targeting consumers in large cities, it focuses on non-metropolitan areas where Internet access is not necessarily reliable. Notably, the firm has seen a great deal of mobile activity in these parts of China. The retailer manages to engage consumers where Internet access …

MasterCard has announced that it will be partnering with Monitise - who recently introduced a messaging service to its services - to deliver a new digital payment service to financial institutions around the world. The two companies together will combine their expertise in developing platforms for e-commerce and m-commerce, creating additional secure solutions. Ed MacLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer at MasterCard, said: "For more than a decade, MasterCard has driven the development of mobile commerce - including the world's first contactless mobile payments solution.

A new report by L2 and Google Canada found that a shabby omnichannel environment in Canada has pushed consumers to look across the border for ecommerce, clearing the field for Amazon. Although the vast majority of sales occur in-store, Canadian consumers are beginning to tilt in the direction of ecommerce, which logically leads toward Amazon. However, if retailers effectively leverage bricks-and-mortar locations, they may be able to fend off the digital retailer.