Numerous companies are trying their hand in the mobile commerce market, but few are taking steps to introduce more convenience to this space. Mobile payments have become quite popular because of their convenient nature, but one company wants to take this convenience to a new level. Curbside, a shopping startup backed by $9.5 million in seed and Series A funding, aims to make the mobile shopping experience easier for consumers. Curbside plans to facilitate mobile shopping through its retail partners, of which Target is included.

With Apple Pay likely to be launched in not more than a few weeks, card technology firm Plastc announced a new digital wallet that can replace all the existing credit cards, debit cards, access cards and gift cards in a user’s wallet. The company promises much more than what its competitor Coin offers, and the solution looks well optimized for today’s wireless device-based payment paradigm. The card allows users to save 20 cards and barcodes on its flash memory. It comes with an iOS wallet app that allows users to add and manage different cards. The card looks pretty much …

Domino’s Pizza is serving up a more human approach to digital customer service and brand persona with its multi-functional personal virtual ordering assistant, Dom. In an effort to increase personalization, Domino’s created the voice ordering mobile application to differentiate the ordering experience from competitors and add a personal component to the brand image for consumers to recognize and enjoy. Dom the assistant has a slew of catchphrases for every customer, and accepts a multitude of order options.

SC Johnson and Naked Juice are two of the brands leveraging Shopmium, an interactive mobile coupon experience developed to save consumers money for no charge. Shopmium, developed by a French company, has been live in Europe for the past three years, and recently launched in the United States for the Android and iOS markets. 

Overstock.com Inc. is testing a combination of TV commerce and mobile commerceto get couch potatoes with smart TVs and armed with mobile devices, or just the TVs, to buy what they see on Overstock.com’s latest TV ad campaign, dubbed “Overstocktober.” Overstock.com, No. 30 in the recently published 2015 Internet Retailer Mobile 500, is using TV commerce technology and services provider Delivery Agent Inc. for the campaign. Delivery Agent first added Overstock.com to Delivery Agent’s ShopTV smart TV app, which features a variety of retailers and brands including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Fanatics Inc., Wayfair.com, Ticketmaster, Pepsi, Cuisinart and Schwinn. ShopTV appears on close …

How much do you trust Facebook? The answer to that question may ultimately decide the fate of the social network's still-in-development payment service. Security and customer data are increasingly important to any small business that deals with consumers and payments. The startup social network Ello, created by entrepreneur Paul Budnitz, is catching fire partly because it does not collect or sell customer information, and its recent rise owes much to customer fatigue with social networking sites that do. 

The US Tennis Association (USTA) has used a network of Bluetooth beacons placed around the US Open’s Flushing Meadows venue to tailor its mobile app to event attendees, learn how ticket holders moved around the location, and push messages to fans. The Bluetooth beacons were supplied by Gimbal and used in conjunction with Urban Airship‘s mobile marketing platform to deliver messages.

Digital business transformation, smart machines, mobile and an evolving consumer experience will lead to a series of IT upheavals, said Gartner analyst Daryl Plummer. Plummer, presenting Gartner's top 10 strategic predictions, highlighted how every business will ultimately become digital. Here's a look at Gartner's top 10 strategic predictions, how they'll impact information technology, and my take.

Mothercare is using mobile technology to improve customer service and engage with users. The pregnancy and baby equipment retailer is centring its customer engagement through all of its channels, but especially through its mobile applications. Speaking at cloud-based platform Demandware’s user conference in Barcelona, Harpinder Singh, mobile commerce manager at Mothercare, said retailers should be putting customers at the heart of what they do, rather than just trying to sell products.

Target has announced a revamped mobile strategy just in time for the holiday shopping season that includes two-step checkout, a standalone pharmacy application and in-store iPads for gift registries. With the retailer seeing high volumes of traffic on its mobile site, Target aims to cater to its target audience on mobile and offer easier payment and search methods. The brand is also seeking to further personalize the guest experience, both online and in-store.