McDonald’s is joining the shift towards mobile delivery by partnering with mobile application Postmates for a test at 88 New York locations, news that coincides with a business turnaround plan to increase profits and focus on consumer-driven decisions. The franchise is testing delivery of its full menu in 88 locations in New York with the third-party app, giving in to consumer demands for delivery. McDonald’s is using Postmates, along with many other retailers, to ensure the effectiveness of the feature and to avoid any unforeseen issues as little as possible, instead of developing the service through its own branded app.

China is set to become TripAdvisor’s largest market as Chinese tourists turn to the travel review site in their pursuit of high quality overseas experiences.  Among the millions of Chinese travelers now heading overseas, a growing number are willing to visit the world’s top attractions for a second or third time, the company said. Joost Schreve, VP of TripAdvisor’s mobile product told the South China Morning Post that China is becoming the company’s key market in a few years and will become its large market in the long term.  “We mainly focused on China’s outbound travelers, which are growing fast. When they …

Malltip, a mobile application that helps consumers navigate shopping malls and find deals, is making its messaging more relevant and driving traffic into stores with the insertion of targeted coupons, brand suggestions and event notifications. Leveraging the Appboy-developed Connected Content feature, which allows marketers to automatically insert a wide array of information into the messages they send users, Malltip is encouraging desired behavior to increase conversions. While online purchases cannot be made through the app, its latest feature points to the value of providing shopping experiences that per

A person familiar with Apple's future product plans has revealed that the company is in fact working on an all-new iPad with a larger 12.9-inch display. Commonly referred to amongst members of the media and enthusiasts as an "iPad Pro," the timetable for release for this device is unknown, but a number of features entirely new to the iPad lineup are included. This person said that Apple is expected to include an NFC radio within the new 12.9-inch iPad. While tap-to-pay functionality in an iPad is unlikely, the inclusion of NFC could allow for an "iPad Pro" to serve as a …

Heineken is tapping augmented reality mobile application Blippar for a new digital campaign that offers consumers a look at beer's ingredients while stirring up interest in sustainability matters by asking users to snap a photo of a Heineken bottle to unlock exclusive content and create selfies to share across social media. The Legendary 7 campaign, named for seven farmers from Britain, the Netherlands, Greece, France and Germany who produce sustainable crops and barley for brewing Heineken beer, provides fans with the ability to engage with the brand beyond the bottle. Users can simply scan the Heineken label with the Blippar …

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is enhancing its event services with a mobile application designed to assist meeting and event planners with the details involved with scheduling a function at a property. The app, ((Chime)), gives meeting planners a way to communicate with the Ritz-Carlton while organizing the fine details such as food and beverage choices, audio visual requests, in-room temperature and more. The ease of throwing an event through this app will likely entice more companies to hold conferences and meetings at Ritz-Carlton properties.

Research from RetailMeNot, predicts that more consumers in the United Kingdom will be spending their money through mobile devices in the coming years. According to this research, some $15 billion in mobile commerce retail transactions are expected to be made by the end of this year. The report notes that this is a significant increase over the $7 billion that was reported last year. Currently, mobile commerce accounts for as much as 30% of all digital retail transactions made throughout the world. A recent report from Gartner suggests that digital income revenue in the United States has reached 22%. This will increase …

Worldwide tablet shipments fell year-over-year for the second consecutive quarter in the first quarter of 2015, according to a new report from IDC, while iPads remained the most popular devices in the category. Overall shipments of tablets and 2-in-1 devices fell to 47.1 million in the quarter, a 5.9 percent decline from the same quarter a year ago according to preliminary research data, IDC said. “The market slowdown that we witnessed last quarter is continuing to impact the tablet segment, but we see some growth areas that are starting to materialize,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC’s research director for tablets. “Cellular-enabled tablets are …

Tchnology giant Microsoft has adopted carrier billing as a payment option for customers to purchase apps on Windows phones, and will be expanding the service to include tablets and desktop computers. It is amazing to see that a tech giant like Microsoft, known specifically as a software provider, is also exploring payment options to reach consumers. Microsoft has partnered with 90 mobile operators in close to 45+ markets to enable a carrier billing service for windows devices. The company has also introduced the carrier billing service in emerging markets like China, Brazil and India to leverage direct payments, as these …

Whole Foods Market is joining forces with delivery service Instacart to enable mobile shoppers to order Mother’s Day bouquets, reflecting how consumers are increasingly turning to delivery options on mobile. The brands recognize that millions of consumers will be searching for the perfect bunch of flowers to send to their mothers on the national holiday, and hope that the exclusive partnership will help unbundle some of the hassle that comes with ordering flowers. Bouquets may be delivered in as little as one hour, and also come with a slew of personalization options.