Market research firm yStats has released a new report titled “Global M-Commerce 2014: Smartphones and Tablets.” The report sheds light on some of the new trends that are affecting the mobile shopping space. Notably, the report suggests that mobile shopping is having a major impact on the global retail industry. Mobile traffic to retail websites is on the rise and more retailers are beginning to feel the need to cater to an audience that is primarily mobile-centric. The report notes that smartphones have the highest penetration among the world’s consumers. Many people rely on these mobil.

Square, the payments startup from Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, has prototyped a Square credit card. The plastic card is all black, and save for the card holder's name emblazoned on the face, features no logos--not even Square's. Over the past year, multiple sources indicate Square employees have been carrying the card--seen here below, partially blurred to protect the card holder's identity--around in their wallets. However, despite buzz about the potential of a Square credit card, other company sources indicate the project was recently killed.

TGI Friday’s is allowing mobile customers at a Manchester restaurant to pay bills by using a free mobile application to scan QR codes without having to wait for a card terminal. Diners at the TGI Friday’s in Manchester’s Piccadilly Station are permitted to use the Zapper app to scan and pay bills printed with QR codes so they can complete the bulk of the dining experience in 10 minutes. The move reflects how mobile is being leveraged by the restaurant industry to bring added convenience to on-the-go consumers – in this case, commuters.

Puma hits a triple play with a new comprehensive sponsorship on mobile sports application theScore that includes custom content, engagement and ecommerce. The casual and athletic footwear brand has teamed up with theScore, which provides real-time sports news, scores and stats, for its “Forever Faster” campaign in a program that includes sponsored push alerts, one of the first examples of video-enabled native ads on the platform and an integration with WhatsApp

Rocket Internet’s cleaning startup, Helpling, has launched a mobile app on iOS and Android to make it more convenient for users in Europe to hire a professional cleaner on the go. The app, supposedly the first of its kind in the countries it’s available in, can now be accessed by users in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. Benedikt Franke, the co-founder of Helpling, said the startup’s foray into mobile is primarily aimed at making it easier for users to book local cleaners near them, given that “location-based services are the next big trend in mobile commerce.”

Pretzel franchise Auntie Anne’s has become the newest mobile loyalty player rolling out a robust program in assertion of its ability to thrive amidst competition via the intelligent use of technology to directly impact the customer experience. The “My Pretzel Perks” app works as a rewards system, allocating points for each visit and every dollar spent. There are three tier levels that can be attained based on the number of points a guest earns: Pretzel Fan, Pretzel Lover and Pretzel Perfect.

While each industry vertical has its own pace of technology innovation and risk-versus-reward criteria in regard to adoption, restaurant chains are experimenting heavily with mobile at present due to many customers using search, reviews and ordering from restaurants via smartphones. Due to the on-the-go nature of their businesses, fast-casual chains need to be available to their customers on mobile.

Mobile devices are now a central part of consumers’ overall lives, or it is for 85 percent of them at least, according to a new report. And while keeping in touch with loved ones has helped push the market along, the enhanced communications capabilities mobile devices offer also have helped reshape how we shop, the research found. Consumers, in fact, view mobile simply. While marketers tend to view mobile as an entire category of non-PC-based technology, many consumers view it more precisely as a specific device–their smartphone, as noted by 54 percent of survey respondents featured in the “2014 Mobile …

Zealios Skin Care is offering a 50 percent discount on select sunscreen products to those who use their mobile device’s ambient light sensor to download the coupon. The Web app, which does not need to be downloaded, uses an ambient light sensor found on the Android operating system to activate the offer when it senses a certain level of light. Running off a responsive design platform, the initiative shows how RWD is about more than just designing for different screen sizes.

StubHub has launched a music-centric application that enables users to explore local events and have a more end-to-end music experience, taking fans through the process from discovery to ticket purchasing during a time when standard retail search and discovery experiences are falling behind customer expectations. Today’s shopping and decision-making process is increasingly being driven by non-retail technology advancements such as next-gen semantic search capabilities offered by Google, Apple and Walmart, or the highly engaging visual shopping and personal content curation provided by Pinterest, as well as voice search capabilities powered by technologies like Siri.