Office Depot’s new Apple Watch application offers voice-activated search and an ink-and-toner finder, suggesting that even the office supplies sector needs smartwatch apps to maximize mcommerce potential. Office Depot aims to provide an even better mobile shopping experience for its consumers by tapping some of its online site’s popular features and integrating them into the smartwatch app. Owners of the Apple Watch will now be able to locate deals, shop for items, reorder ink and toner and receive directions to a local store right from their wrists.

June is already looking like a big month for SoftBank. Just days after upping its stake in billion dollar gaming startup Supercell, the Japanese telecom giant revealed it is investing a cool $1 billion in Korea’s top e-commerce firm Coupang. Coupang, which is roughly ‘Korea’s Amazon’ for those who like East-to-West comparisons that don’t quite fit, raised a lot of money last year. Sequoia put in $100 million in May at a $1 billion valuation, while Blackrock added $300 million more in December. Neither Coupang nor SoftBank confirmed a valuation, however a source close to the deal told TechCrunch that the round values the Korean company at $5 billion.

As China’s booming e-commerce market rapidly expands, it’s also in the midst of a mobile revolution that’s taking hold at a fast and furious rate. With mobile sales on pace to eclipse those on PC any day now, luxury brands need to develop their China mobile game plan now more than ever—if they haven’t already. Growth rates of mobile sales in China have not only been massive, they’ve been putting m-commerce on track to become the dominant platform for online purchases in the country. According to iResearch, the first quarter of 2015 saw a staggering 168.3 percent year-on-year increase in mobile sales …

Baskin-Robbins is aiming to add garnish to its mobile strategy and drive up sales ahead of Father’s Day by offering consumers the ability to place orders for customized cakes and treats via its online ordering Web site, while sister brand Dunkin’ Donuts continues to leverage mobile instant-win games to drum up excitement for new products. Consumers can view Baskin-Robbins’ inventory on their mobile devices by visiting www.baskinrobbins.com/onlineordering, and may customize selected products by flavor, color and message when available. As customers become increasingly more time-strapped, the ability to place personalized cake orders on mobile prior to holidays will likely resonate …

A man named Jeffrey Macesin, who lives in Quebec, Canada, has now become the first person to receive a traffic ticket for having used the Apple Watch while behind the wheel of a vehicle that was in operation. The ticket was for CAD$120 (approximately US$96) and four demerit points were added to Macesin’s license after he was spotted by police using his Apple Watch to change the song that was playing on his iPhone. The smartphone, itself, was in a bag, plugged into a charging cable that was also connecting the device to the radio. He explained “I have it in the bag …

Teijin, a Japanese manufacturer of advanced materials, has partnered withTagCast, a maker of Bluetooth beacons, to create a new product called PaperBeacon, which the companies are promoting as an application for digital check-ins, document sharing or electronic payments. PaperBeacon uses a flat, flexible antenna made by Cellcross, a Japanese company that was spun out from the University of Tokyo in 2002. The antenna technology, which Japanese glass manufacturer AGC Asahi Glass uses to track RFID-tagged documents, is constructed in a manner that strictly controls the radio frequency field it generates in order to support applications wherein only wireless devices laid atop the antenna are read. Rather than incorporating an ultrahigh-frequency (UFH) RFID reader, PaperBeacon contains a TagCast Bluetooth …

A report from Key Lime Interactive reveals that travel and hospitality marketers with mobile applications must offer a personalized experience, loyalty program integration and last-minute deals to ensure a streamlined shopping process and maintain coveted space on consumers’ smartphones as competition grows. According to Key Lime Interactive’s in-progress Competitive Index report for last-minute hotel apps, mobile booking has gained significant traction among travelers, most notably in the last two years. Key Lime’s study is focusing on common trends and differences found within 16 top last-minute travel apps, such as Booking.com and HotelTonight, and has pinpointed the requisite tools needed for …

Video rental service Redbox is offering freebies and giveaways via social media and mobile in an attempt to increase its customer base and drive sales through its application. The rental service is holding weekly video rental giveaways through its Instagram account, encouraging users to engage with the brand through social media to extend its reach. Redbox is also giving away a free rental for signing up on its mobile app to persuade consumers to download and drive up Kiosk rentals.

California-based carrier Virgin America Inc. provides air travel services in the continental United States and Mexico. The company operates from its focus cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco to other business and leisure destinations in North America. British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin group owns a 25% stake in the airline. US law regulates that Americans must own most of the domestic airlines. The airline wants to make the customer experience of travelling hurdle-free by taking various initiatives towards this goal. They are using Amazon.com’s 1-click service as a model to follow and are adopting digital payment technologies and …

An upcoming update to Uber's privacy policy will ask riders for permission to track their location while running in the background, a move the company says will enable it to "get people on their way more quickly." The changes, which go into effect July 15th, also ask you to share your contacts with Uber — a move that will let the company send "special offers" to your friends and family, Uber said in a blog post. The company also posted complete descriptions of the permissions it is seeking for both Android and iOS. The moves come after a number of privacy-related missteps at the company, …