Apparel and accessories brand Lacoste is running an ongoing campaign on Snapchat using its crocodile logo and offering 20 percent off customers’ next purchase. As Snapchat appeals to more brands, the messaging app and Lacoste most likely share the same core audience, including millennials and Generation Z. Therefore, the platform seems like an ideal location to reach Lacoste’s audience.

The quick success of mobile messaging application Yo with brands such as the NBA, Showtime and Sony Pictures is a surprise that highlights how a simple approach sometimes works best on mobile. Although there are several major players in the social app space, Yo has attracted brands much more quickly than Facebook and Twitter. 

Beacons were the big story in 2014 but as the year winds down, mass merchants such as Office Depot are testing audio technology solutions for driving in-store engagements on mobile phones, with each strategy offering unique challenges and opportunities. The real story is that retailers and marketers are looking for the best way to engage with in-store shoppers in real-time. While beacons appear to have the lead right now, in the end, a mix of complementary technologies – including audio, Bluetooth BLE, Wi-Fi, NFC and others - may be used in tandem to create a comprehensive in-store experience.   

The mobile market in Asia-Pacific will continue to record strong growth in 2015 when over half of consumer transactions are expected to be conducted on mobile, according to a leading analyst from the region. "The conditions couldn't be better for strong mobility growth in the Asia-Pacific region in the coming year," said Ian Song, a research manager with the International Data Corporation, in comments to IT Wire. "We're seeing the perfect storm of strong consumer transition to mobility for every facet of their lives, as well as enterprises treating mobility as a strategic initiative."

U.S. Bank, working with mobile capture software company Mitek, predicts that banks and financial institutions will see beacon usage take off in 2015, helping deliver more personalized experiences. The commerce institutions believe that more consumers will be gravitating towards mobile imaging in banking and deposits, as those functionalities enable users to take a photo with their mobile device’s camera to participate in a loyalty program or snap a photo of a credit card to automatically populate the information.

If the FIDO Alliance—which includes such companies as Nok Nok Labs, Lenovo, PayPal, Google Inc., Samsung and Microsoft Corp.—has its way, passwords for authentication will soon be extinct. The FIDO Alliance released final drafts of two security standards specifications designed to go beyond passwords: Universal Authentication Framework and Universal 2nd Factor. The alliance, which started in March 2013, is an open industry consortium that develops standards for simpler, stronger authentication. 

Lancaster London hotel is to use beacon mobile tracking technology in its new event app, which launches in January 2015. The app’s ‘Indoor Positioning’ function provides an interactive map of the venue, enabling guests to quickly locate themselves, other guests/delegates, and areas of interest within the venue.

Several libraries in the United States have begun deploying Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to be used with an app to reach out to patrons. Many libraries are already using passive radio frequency identification technology to automate the checking out and returning of books, but BLE technology offers libraries a new wireless tool. Capturing the attention of a distractible public is a growing challenge for libraries that have historically been known as a quiet institute rich with books and media, but not much beyond that. Nowadays, people young and old, whether or not they are library users, have become increasingly focused on their …

Major online retailers in India are beginning to aggressively promote their new mobile applications. Flipkart and Snapdeal, two of the largest online retailers in India, are beginning to focus their marketing efforts on the mobile space. A growing number of Indian consumers are gaining access to mobile devices and the Internet, which has lead to a surge in mobile commerce activity. Flipkart has opted to forgo participating in Google’s Great Online Shopping Festival in order to promote its new mobile shopping app. Snapdeal will be participating in the event, however, taking the opportunity to showcase its own shopping app. E-commerce companies throughout …

The idea of tapping your phone at the point-of-sale to make payments is indeed quite appealing. Rather than carry around your credit/debit cards, it seems quite convenient to use NFC smartphones instead. Mobile payments, in general, are getting a huge response in many countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and especially North America. NFC mobile payments got a big boost this year with the launch of Apple Pay. With a big player like Apple coming into the field, mobile in-store payments are getting ‘legitimized’ in the US. Other major players in this area include consortiums like SoftCard and MCX, financial powerhouses …