Wal-Mart Canada was one of the first retailers in the world to offer a fully responsive mobile site. Simon Rodrigue, senior vice president of ecommerce at Wal-Mart Canada, spoke with eMarketer’s Lisa Barron about how the site has helped boost ecommerce sales. eMarketer: Wal-Mart has been very active in promoting ecommerce. How significant are digital sales now? Simon Rodrigue: For Wal-Mart Canada, digital sales are a significant part of our future. We don’t report out ecommerce sales in Canada, but we’ve seen very strong growth year over year. So it’s a key part of our strategy going forward.

Domino’s is expanding its text marketing program with the addition of ordering capabilities, making SMS the latest in a growing list of new ordering platforms that are driving incremental sales for the chain. The introduction of text ordering follows other mobile innovations such as Domino’s recent launch of ordering capabilities via tweets and the introduction of voice ordering last year. These initiatives are part of Domino’s AnyWare strategy to enable ordering across a range of popular devices, including cars, smart TV and smartwatches.

The future for Gap Inc. is digital and global. At least that’s the latest vision from Gap CEO Art Peck and senior managers to Wall Street analysts at the company’s annual investor’s meeting Tuesday in San Francisco. On Monday Gap, No. 18 in the  Internet Retailer 2015 Top 500 Guide, announced it would take a one-time charge of $140 million to $160 million mostly in the second quarter to fire 250 people at its San Francisco headquarters and close 175 stores Gap stores over the next two years, including about 140 this year. “Returning Gap brand to growth has been …

MasterCard is launching tokenization for merchants using its Digital Enablement Services to help these businesses assure their customers of the safety of their mobile programs, as security has moved to the forefront of concerns regarding smartphone shopping. The financial service is introducing tokenization services for customers paying through mobile and digital to more securely and seamlessly use their MasterCard. The service creates a unique token or code for each individual credit card, and rather than frequently using the credit number, the token is used to prevent hackers from accessing important numbers.

With Apple’s new Wallet app in iOS 9, a revamped version of the old Passbook app with a name that better reflects Apple Pay integration, Apple will let marketers send out dynamic offers triggered by location or a user’s interests through iAd. Apple noted the feature on its blog for advertisers explaining that “marketers can reach loyal customers with specific messages that reflect the customers’ interests, or convert a new customer by presenting a reason to try something new.” Offers allow marketers to put customized, dynamic messages directly into the Wallet that’s built into every iPhone – and accessible via Apple Watch.

UK-based social money transfer service Azimo has raised 20 million in Series B funding. CEO and Co-founder Michael Kent says that the company will use the investment to continue to build its operations across Europe and deeper into the community of migrants who already form the bedrock of its services. Frog Capital led the Series B round with participation from MCI Investments and existing investors e.ventures and Greycroft Partners. The company is a world leader in money transfers based on smartphones and online channels. It provides secure international money transfers at a low cost. Founded in 2012, the company’s …

Social media buy buttons could be the next frontier of mobile commerce as they quickly gain momentum on various platforms, with savvy retailers likely to extend into numerous outlets to gain the most benefit. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat are generating widespread discussion regarding commerce in social media, as they introduce buy buttons and purchasing options for consumers to shop advertisers’ merchandise. It is probable that retailers will lean towards the one or two platforms that best reflect their brand, but it cannot hurt to spread into all channels, as this is an up-and-coming field.

By leveraging mobile location to award points to friends who are hanging out together, PepsiCo is attempting to add more mobile fizz to its new loyalty program and gain an edge over Coca-Cola. Pepsi is following in its competitor Coca-Cola’s footsteps by allowing fans to enter codes found on participating products to receive the in-app rewards points, but is aiming to expand consumer outreach by offering points to those who hang out with fellow users. Loyalty programs are a must-have for major beverage brands with significant amounts of customer consumption, and Pepsi is likely attempting to attract a younger demographic …

Which Wich Superior Sandwiches is rolling out a new mobile application and digital ordering platform, enabling customers to order and pay for hand-crafted sandwiches on their smartphones and pick them up at the restaurant. A slew of major restaurant chains, including Taco Bell and Starbucks, are piloting mobile-ordering capabilities, demonstrating the technology’s importance in the competitive sector. Now, Which Wich fans will be able to skip the line at bricks-and-mortar locations and grab their orders in a time-efficient manner, a move which may help the brand drive sales among consumers on lunch breaks or those with busy schedules.

Apple Inc. is enacting a number of significant enhancements to its Apple Pay mobile payment app, including adding support for rewards programs and store-issued credit and debit cards. During a June 8 keynote address at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay, said that retailers, including Dunkin' Donuts, Walgreens, Wegmans, and Kohl's, will support the new reward card functionality. “By integrating with Apple Pay in all of our stores, Kohl’s customers can choose how they want to pay, whether using their Kohl’s Charge or Yes2You Rewards loyalty points, payments are easy and secure,” said Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s …