Jun 23, 2010

Analysis: Retailers in slow lane to mobilityBy Brad Dorfman and Mark PotterReuters.com

Reuters – When pop icon Britney Spears tweeted a sneak-peak picture of a new outfit from her line for the Candie’s brand, the fashions swiftly became a top seller at department store Kohl’s Corp (KSS.N).

“When she Twitters, it actually sells thousands of products within 24 hours, so the woman has the gift of Twitter,” said Neil Cole, chief executive of Candie’s owner Iconix Brand Group Inc (ICON.O).

After years of agreeing that mobile commerce was a good idea in theory, executives told the Reuters Consumer and Retail Summit this week that they are finally getting serious about reaching consumers wherever they are, via mobile phones and other devices they seldom put down.

“It’s definitely the buzzword in the industry at the moment,” Daniel Latev, retailing research manager at Euromonitor International, said of mobile commerce. “A lot of companies that have an Internet presence are finding this is not enough and they have to go a bit further.”

Some retailers are latching onto the tool as they look to drive sales growth again coming out of the recession.

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