Los Angeles bus benches are hosting beacons to give municipalities, museums, brands and retailers to disseminate information. The pilot programme, conducted by Martin Outdoor Media, is looking to find out how beacons can be used to benefit the consumer through apps that have consumer-controlled privacy with upfront opt-in, and simple privacy controls.

Retail e-commerce in the US grew 16.5% in 2013 to reach $264.3 billion, and will increase another 15.7% in 2014 to reach $305.7 billion, or 6.5% of all U.S. retail sales, according to Emarketer.  In other findings, mobile retail sales in the U.S. totaled $42.28 billion in 2013, 16% of all U.S. retail ecommerce sales, and will increase another 37.3% to reach $58.07 billion in 2014, accounting for 19% of the total US ecommerce market. 

Too few marketers are aligning their mobile strategies to how customers are actually using smartphones today, with the failure to take corrective action likely to have significant repercussions within two to three years, according to a new report from Forrester. 

Sam’s Club’s rollout of a mobile travel application next month will meet the mobile customer’s demand for convenience in all areas of life, including travel planning. The warehouse club chain owned by Walmart Stores, Bentonville, AR, will make the app available for Android and Apple iOs users by mid-November. 

Last Thursday drug store chain Rite Aid Inc. (RAD)reportedly stopped accepting payments made through the just launched Apple Pay system from Apple (AAPL). On Saturday, CVS Health (CVS) was reported to have followed suit at its CVS pharmacy stores. The issue appears to be a conflict between Apple Pay and a mobile payment system called CurrentC that is being developed by a retailer-owned mobile technology outfit called Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX).

Home Retail Group posted an underwhelming first half but reiterated its full year guidance with hopes that Christmas sales will pick up. The UK general merchandise and home improvement retailer said first half profits before tax fell 5 per cent to £13.5m, or 1.2p per share. Adjusted pre-tax profits, its preferred measure, missed estimates at £30.9m, versus forecasts at £34m. The weak results were trailed in an update last month when the company noted"inconsistent" buying trends in the UK.

Brands have been reaching out to consumers via text for more than a decade, but the same types of messages that delivered results then are not going to work today.  Marketers are using segmentation and contextual content to take their SMS programs to the next level, helping to drive value for users and improve results. If done correctly, text programs are here to stay.

While many retailers are still struggling with in-app product search, Urban Outfitters is addressing the challenge head-on with new filters, sorters and search capabilities designed to make it easier to quickly find merchandise. Retailers are having a hard time getting the necessary data out of their back-end systems and into apps in a way that meets shoppers’ product search and discovery needs.

Soft-Bank Corp is in advanced funding talks with Indian mobile commerce company Paytm and cab rental startup Olacabs, even as the Japanese firm is widely expected to announce a $650-million investment in ecommerce major Snapdeal during Chief Executive Masayoshi Son's visit to the country next week. People aware of the discussions told ET that SoftBank has offered to invest up to $300 million in Paytm for a significant minority stake. 

Target Corp. fired the first retail salvo of the holiday season, announcing that, for the first time ever, it is offering free shipping on all online purchases—no matter the amount—from Oct. 22 through Dec. 20. The free shipping offer comes early in the holiday shopping timeline, reflecting retailers’ concerns about what is expected to be a highly promotional season. Target’s shipping offer is one of many initiatives the retailer is offering this holiday season as it looks to regain its footing from its performance last year, which was hampered by news of its data breach. Target’s holiday features range from updated …