Executives at the 2015 Mobile Marketing Association Forum New York revealed that 68 percent of mobile marketers are leveraging location-based targeting and using it as a target parameter in their media buying, although mobile still remains a small component of many digital budgets. During the “Audience Evolved: How Location Data Actually Works and Why it Has Become a Focus for Traditional CPG and Brand Advertisers” session, the executives discussed the positive outlook for more brands using location as a top data source to help them market to consumers. They also predicted that brand advertisers will begin being primary users of …

One of the India's leading e-Commerce marketplaces Flipkart said that they are focusing on non-metros as Internet shopping is growing in such cities. Michael Adnani, VP - Retail and Head - Brand Alliances at Flipkart, in an interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas, feels that m-Commerce segment would grow in tandem with surging mobile penetration. Excerpts. What are the drivers of e-Commerce in India? Today, customers don't want inconvenience for sh .. 

AutoTrader.com, an online automotive sales pioneer, is rebranding itself as Autotrader to better reach consumers on mobile, reflecting the increasing use of smartphones and tablets in car-buying research. The rebranding campaign also includes the unveiling of a new logo designed to have more impact on smaller-screen mobile phones and tablets. The move underscores how automotive retailers have turned to mobile as an ally in enhancing consumer convenience during the typically lengthy process of car-shopping that sets it apart from other retail verticals.

Domino’s is furthering its commitment to mobile by rolling out a promotion for college basketball tournament March Madness that enables pizza fans to receive 50 percent off an order when placed via the brand’s digital channels, proving that deals offered in conjunction with major events are optimal for food marketers. The pizza brand aims to add some spice to basketball fans’ experiences this March via the promotion, which runs from Mar. 16 through Mar. 22. Customers can receive half off a menu-priced pizza when ordering from Domino’s digital ordering channels, which include the Web site, mobile site and mobile applications.

Marriott International can boast that it sold over $1.8 billion worth of room inventory through mobile in 2014. This represents a staggering 19% of total digital revenue, an increase from only 1% in 2009. Marriott have now announced that they are planning for a new and exciting, next phase of its digital strategy which shall include enabling customers to pay via mobile payments. They plan to launch this service this summer, beginning with Apply Pay. Availability initially will be across the USA, in a number of their chains. George Corbin, SVP digital at Marriott International, commented that they saw mobile payments …

A mobile wallet based in India, Paytm, has now announced the introduction of a new feature that will give 25 million users the ability to transfer funds to their bank accounts through the use of their smartphones. Mobile wallets have been rapidly rising in popularity in India. This country is one of the markets in the world where this type of smartphone based payments app has the best chances of success, due to the massive population and the low adoption of credit cards. Many merchants, including online retailers, have had to come up with ways to process transactions through cash. In fact, …

L’Oreal is furthering its stake in the mobile space by partnering with commerce platform PowaTag to enable users to purchase beauty products by scanning cosmetics in magazine ads or in stores with their smartphones, proving that scan-to-shop abilities are still a hit with consumers. The makeup brand has teamed up with the international commerce specialist to transform any consumer touch point into a possibility for a mobile transaction to occur, from print advertisements and social media to in-store products. L’Oreal will be able to help customers circumvent long checkout lines and streamline the entire shopping process via the new app.

Baird Equity Research has released the results of a new survey concerning iPhone users and Apple Pay. Apple’s mobile payments service was released in October of last year and has managed to find significant momentum despite the short period of time it has been available for. The service can be used on both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but it is not available for other iOS devices at this time. Apple Pay is expected to be compatible with a smartwatch that Apple is planning to release at some point in the future. According to the survey, 40% of online consumers …

The e-commerce giant Alibaba is adding an exciting feature to its mobile payment system. Alipay will soon allow users to enable payments by scanning their face with a smartphone. Alibaba’s CEO announced the technology at the recently held CeBit tech trade fair, as reported by CNBC. The new service, called “Smile To Pay”, is currently in its beta phase. Alibaba’s subsidiary firm and financial arm “Ant Financial” is developing the face recognition technology for use with the Alipay online payment service and Alipay Wallet as well. The annual transaction value of both online and mobile payments is expected to reach $4.7 trillion …

Founder & CEO of HomeShop18 Sundeep Malhotra in an interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas said that their digital commerce strategy straddles TV, Web and mobile platforms and is heavily based on innovation that brings an unparallel virtual shopping experience. Edited excerpts. What are the Internet trends you see in online shopping? How do you see mobile channel as an opportunity? What are the key drivers that can enable this growth?