Michael Zimmerman's hedge fund Prentice Capital believes up to 80 per cent of consumers will embrace mCommerce in 2014, and it anticipates significant increases in the amount of money shoppers spend online via mobile. This view is supported by research published in a report from mobile ad network InMobi which states that 83 per cent of surveyed respondents plan to use mobile commerce in the next 12 months with a further 48 per cent of respondents using mobile to influence their purchasing decisions.

Subway joins the quickly blossoming list of quick-service restaurants making a bigger push into mobile by enabling customers to place orders via an application on their smartphones. The sandwich chain was an early mover in mobile ordering, launching an app in 2012 with such capabilities for California locations. An expansion of that program has been expected and now appears to have arrived, with a report in the New York Post stating that Subway locations in Manhattan are testing an order-ahead app.

Hong Kong is a city that loves mobile technology. At 63%, Hong Kong has one of the highest rates of smartphone usage in the world. A 2013 study by Google and Ipsos MediaCT found that 96% of Hong Kong smartphone users browse the internet daily, the highest rate in Asia. But you don't need to look at the data to know. Just take a walk in the city or ride public transportation and you'll see what appears to be most of the population with either earbuds firmly implanted or heads craned downwards reading news, playing games or watching videos. Where …

Bridal destination The Knot is rolling out an update to an application launched earlier this year that helps brides map out their weddings with local resources. Photo-based and recommended vendor information has been added to The Knot Wedding Planner app for iPhone devices. The app was originally launched in late January as a resource for couples to organize and find the right resources to plan a wedding. "While our social networks are likely global, our needs for a wedding are local - venue, band, photographer and the rest," said Jeff Hasen, Seattle-based chief marketing officer at Mobivity.

Domino's Google Wallet integration into its Android application highlights how pizza chains are focusing on tweaking small features to grow mobile order volume. Once consumers go through the process of placing an order in Domino's app, they can now pay for the meal via Google Wallet. Users can also create a Google Wallet account straight from the mobile app. "We are always looking for ways to make digital ordering easier for our customers, and making Google Wallet Instant Buy available as a payment option helps that," said Chris Brandon, head of public relations at Domino's, Ann Arbor Charter Township, MI.

While digital how-to's have been a key strategy for home improvement retailers for some time, thanks to the growth in mobile and social, chains such as Lowe's and IKEA are exploring ways to put the most relevant content in front of customers. With consumers increasingly using smartphones and tablets to research home-improvement projects, retailers in this space are increasingly leveraging the convergence of mobile and social to get valuable how-to content in front of consumers during the path the purchase. For example, Lowe's recently updated Improve with Lowe's site leverages responsive Web design, social profile data and geographic information to …

Mobile commerce and associated digital services will be the fourth big money spinner for mobile operators as the voice, SMS and data waves wane, says Herman Singh, managing executive of m-commerce at Vodacom. Indeed, m-commerce could save mobile operators from what Singh calls a "gradual move to commoditisation" of the technologies that historically propelled their growth. He says that SMS and, later, data underpinned growth for operators even as their voice businesses became "slightly commoditised". As technologies get to 70% market penetration, unit prices tend to drop, Singh says. "We saw this happen globally with voice. In Japan, for example, …

Snapdeal, an online retailer based in India, has been seeing strong growth over the past several months. The company is on track to compete with Flipkart, which is another online retailer that is well known throughout India. Snapdeal has been able to find success among consumers due to its focus on mobile commerce. Many people throughout India are making use of their mobile devices to shop and purchase products that they are interested in. Snapdeal CEO and founder Kunal Bahl has announced that the company has reached more than $1 billion in sales a full year ahead of its target. …

While much of the buzz about beacons has been around pushing offers to shoppers, a new pilot program at Tesco gives marketers a better understanding of the full scope of the location-based technology's capabilities. The British retailer is piloting iBeacon in its Chelmsford location with a stand-alone iPhone application specific to the store's location. Tesco's pilot indicates that retailers solely focusing on beacon-triggered sales are missing out on a bigger opportunity with in-store customer service. "Tesco's strategy is unique as they are hyper-aware of not alienating their consumer base and wrapping the trial around a specific utility for consumers, such …

Expedia's new application feature that recommends travel-related content is the latest example of the lengths that brands are willing to go in upping app retention and engagement. The online travel agency's new feature is called Media Lounge and is integrated into the brand's iPhone and iPod touch app. The program is built around the idea that Expedia wants to own more than booking when it comes to the mobile traveling experience. "The Media Lounge partnership with Apple takes the next step in providing a more complete and enjoyable travel experience for mobile users," said John Kim, senior vice president of …