Samsung is testing a mobile wallet solution, but it may be a while before U.S. consumers get to join in the fun. The consumer electronics giant announced in a blog posting that Korean consumers can now use a beta version of its Samsung Pay mobile payment application. Samsung Pay functionality is built into the hardware of Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge mobile devices, but select Korean consumers will have the first chance to try out the software and cloud services supporting the service. Samsung says Samsung Pay is the first and only mobile payment service that works with both near …

Restaurant and entertainment complex chain Dave & Buster’s is tapping three new mobile games to drive customer engagement in-store and offsite while offering prizes redeemable at its locations. Consumers will be able to play the games in a digital space and receive points that will automatically be stored on their Power Cards, which keep track of all games played at Dave & Buster’s bricks-and-mortar restaurants. If guests choose to play while at home or on-the-go, they may redeem their digital points for real-world tickets and select prizes ranging from tablets to video games during their next restaurant visit.

Consumers are increasingly turning to local-first travel applications such as Uber and Foursquare, in addition to online travel agents, putting hotels’ and airlines’ branded apps in danger of losing momentum, according to a new Strategy Analytics report. The June Travel Analytics' Monthly iPhone Travel App Tracker data shows travel brands are in dire need of developing more targeted global distribution tactics that will appeal to local markets. Hotels and airlines that are aiming to reach a wider audience on mobile are losing in popularity to online travel agents’ apps, such as Expedia and HotelTonight, proving that OTAs currently have the …

Executives at Google’s Retail Leadership Summit 2015 discussed the company’s initiatives for building a more frictionless smartphone shopping experience, including rolling out mobile voice search for shopping and a buy button implemented within advertisements. In the past year, Google has seen a 115 percent uptick in shopping searches stemming from smartphones around the world, cementing the mobile device’s role as a primary shopping tool. The company’s focus on offering users specific answers to product inquiries, as well as streamlined checkout options, may prompt more retailers to join forces with it and allocate more of their advertising budgets to mobile search.

The growing number of highly convenient options that are available through m-commerce are starting to become exceptionally appealing to moms, particularly those with very young children and who are struggling to keep up with a hectic schedule. Among those retailers is Diapers.com. They are currently changing the way that they do business in order to cater to the new m-commerce environment that has become highly popular among their top demographic – moms with babies and toddlers. These retailers are discovering that moms have their smartphones with them no matter where they are and those devices are becoming their go-to option to investigate products, find …

A majority of consumers are willing to use biometric authentication methods such as fingerprint verification or a two-step device verification as against the tradition username-password approach, according to a new survey by Accenture Plc. A two step-device verification generally involves the verification of identity by entering a code sent on the user's device. The survey, which was conducted online in October and November 2014, entailed 24,000 consumers across 24 countries. It polled them about their usage, attitudes and expectations related to digital device ownership, content consumption, broadband constraints, digital trust and the so-called Internet of Things.

Mcommerce is becoming the norm in Germany as consumers across the age spectrum take advantage of its convenience. According to data from Creditreform Boniversum and the Bundesverband E-Commerce und Versandhandel (bevh), published in the “Frühjahr-Umfrage 2015: Mobiler Einkauf und Bezahlung mit Smartphone und Tablet,” the proportion of smartphone and tablet owners who made a mobile purchase rose from 57.4% in early 2014 to 64.3% in spring 2015. A comparable survey has been carried out since 2011. - See more at: http://www.emarketer.com/article.aspx?R=1012724&RewroteTitle=1#sthash.ZprTSwgK.dpuf

Forty-five percent of luxury purchases are influenced by what the consumer has discovered digitally, according to a report by WBR Digital. The “Digital Advantage for Luxury Brands – Director’s Report: Luxury Interactive 2015” gives an overview of how digital has continued to affect and transform luxury brands, especially in terms of sales channels and revenue-driving experiences in the online space. As expectations for online experiences have changed, luxury brands have faced key challenges in the digital space from research to in-store logistics.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is bringing an educational twist to a new mobile-optimized game and sweepstakes that enables entrants to receive a buy one, get one free offer that is redeemable only on smartphones. The dining chain’s latest marketing campaign highlights the differences between Chipotle’s ingredients and those commonly used by other fast food brands. Chipotle is continuing its mobile streak by rolling out a complementary mobile-optimized game and offering players a special coupon to redeem with their mobile devices in-store.

The United States, Canada and Britain are now mobile first – and increasingly mobile only - in terms of digital consumer behavior, but not all content is keeping up, according to a new report from comScore.  ComScore’s Global Mobile Report found that the U.S. has the highest skew of usage time towards mobile, with 61 percent of time spent on mobile versus 39 percent on desktop. Digging deeper in usage habits, comScore found that smartphone apps account for 43 percent of usage time in the U.S., desktop 39 percent, smartphone browser 6 percent, tablet apps 10 percent and tablet browser …