In the quest to conquer omni-channel marketing, some retailers have hit a hurdle when it comes to utilizing the most social of all devices, mobile. Fashion retailer Wet Seal has a unique approach which embraces new technologies by focusing on product, enabling its brands’ top 5% most passionate customers to engage the remaining 95% of its shopping base on the product level. They call it: social merchandising. Tune in to hear Jon Kubo, vice president and chief information officer of Wet Seal discuss how to balance the mobile-experience formula to… read more.

A friend walks up and asks, “Are those new shoes?” “Where did you get those?” “How much were they?”

Casual conversations regarding retail purchases happen all the time, between friends at the local coffee shop or with a stranger on the street. With sites like TOMS Shoes or Nike ID people can share their shoe purchase with the entire world, instantly. But how do you translate social interactions into sales?

The answer is social commerce. Social commerce is the term used to describe collective sharing and buying of products and services. It’s an approach that allows companies to more effectively measure… read more.

All aboard! We’re hopping back on the SoMoLo (social-mobile-local) train. This week, we’re chatting it up with Foursquare, the go-to mobile application for your inner-social circle and retail therapy needs. Beyond the social status perks Foursquare gives to its users, it also beefs up the bottom line for local retailers by creating new and loyal customers. Eric Friedman, Director of Client Services at Foursquare, shares his perspective on shopper conversion, Facebook Places and the privacy debate.

Check out the three-minute… read more.

This week, it’s on with Groupon, the localized, deal-of-the-day website. Forbes.com recently named Groupon the fastest growing business in history based on a valuation of more than $1 billion not even 16 months after startup. Today Groupon truly demonstrated its market power with a nationwide Gap offer that may exceed well over 500,000 purchases. Julie… read more.