Mobile Commerce For Windy City Novelties, Others Recently Launched

Unbound Commerce recently surpassed a crucial benchmark by launching its 300th mobile site for online retailer Windy City Novelties. Windy City chose Unbound because of the integrated approach used to build the site, allowing the novelty products leader to leverage and extend current ecommerce sales engines into the mobile space.

Other recent mobile commerce site launches leading up to #300 include enterprise clients Rockport Shoes, MillerCoors, Mikimoto America, and American Medical-ID. These retailers all chose to power their mobile solutions using Unbound’s Mobile Presence® platform and now have access to proprietary mobile marketing tools that can help them drive tracked mobile sales.

Unbound’s integrated approach allows mobile orders to flow into current ecommerce systems, via API-based connectors pre-architected with top ecommerce platforms from providers like ATG, Demandware, and IBM Websphere . Unbound also offers a proprietary hybrid feed capture approach for a rapid, low-IT impact solution.

“We use best practices and our own software services to help retailers mobile-optimize,” affirms Srinivasarao Nandiwada (NSR), CTO at Unbound. “Retailers want to take advantage of the growing power of mobile commerce. We have solutions for any requirement and are harnessing HTML5 for omnichannel commerce”.

Unbound remains the industry’s #1 mobile commerce solution provider, with a market-leading number of enterprise-level mobile commerce site deployments.

Unbound Commerce provides solutions to retailers seeking to capitalize on the booming consumer adoption of mobile and social technologies. 300+ retailers currently use the Mobile Presence® platform, and the 2011 Mobile Commerce Data Book from Internet Retailer identifies Unbound Commerce as the #1 mobile commerce solution provider. Retailers of all sizes choose Unbound as the best way to extend their ecommerce business beyond their website – taking advantage of new trigger points to reach increasingly-mobile consumers wherever they happen to be. Unbound’s unique integrated approach leverages existing retail ecommerce operations, with as much or as little IT involvement as required. For additional information, please visit Unbound Commerce’s Mobile Presence Approach.

Rockport Shoes teamed up with Unbound Commerce to launch their truWALKzero campaign in New York City yesterday. Renowned performance artist Johan Lorbeer suspended himself on the side of a cube that served as a mobe point of sale for the new product line. Rockport used Unbound’s Trigger Point Marketing tools for this effort and displayed a mobile QR code on the cube structure. Simply by scanning the code, Rockport linked consumers directly to a mobile commerce-enabled landing page where they can purchase a new pair of truWalkszero shoes. By tracking responses, Rockport can show demonstrated revenue lift. Watch the video here:

Adidas’ Rockport.com recently ran a live promotion in New York that used mobile bar codes to let consumers buy shoes via their handsets. The Rockport event took place on April 5 and used a live demonstration to launch the TruWALK line of running shoes. Rockport is working with Unbound Commerce on its mobile initiatives.

“A QR code generator is built into the dashboard Unbound provides to all our clients so ‘real-world trigger points’ can link a physical display to a mobile landing page built specifically for a campaign like this one,” said Wilson Kerr, vice president of business development and sales at Unbound Commerce, Boston.

“This TruWALKzero launch event generated a lot of buzz, but Rockport took this a step further and tied in a commerce-enabled, linked call-to-action, so success could be judged in part by incremental sales lift,” he said.

Rockport is an online retailer that sells footwear for women, men and children.

Light as air

The one-day promotion involved a box display with people hanging off the edges to show how light the new shoes are. The displayed featured QR codes on the sides that took users to an optimized landing page where they could learn more about the product. Users could then tap to buy the shoes on Rockport’s mobile site. Using an outdoor event to tie in with mobile commerce is a smart way for brands to showcase a new product. In Rockport’s case, making the event commerce-enabled could also be effective in driving sales and educating consumers about QR codes. Additionally, the event had a strong social aspect with a Twitter hashtag and Facebook updates, most of which were most likely made by consumers at the event via their mobile devices.

Mobile rock

Although QR codes seem to be plastered over any marketing material nowadays, many consumers might not be familiar with the technology. By showing users how to scan a QR code that leads to an optimized, commerce-enabled page, it helps users get a better grasp on mobile. Rockport has been building up its mobile presence recently. The brand recently revealed that mobile traffic grew 75.8 percent year-over-year, showing how important it is for retailers to have an optimized site (see story). “QR codes lead to sales because they are displayed at the exact place and time a mobile consumer is most prequalified to be interested in buying the product or service being promoted,” Mr. Kerr said. “They are literally standing in front of a display and can use their phone to access a mobile-optimized version of an online store where they can check-out in a few clicks,” he said. “The purchase-intent funnel is drastically shortened, and the conversions tracked and measured.”

Unbound Commerce Powers Mobile Engraved Medical ID Site, Supported By QR Code Campaign

Unbound Commerce, the top choice among retailers for commerce-enabled mobile websites, today announced the launch of a mobile site for client American Medical ID, the foremost producer of affordable, custom-engraved medical ID bracelets, necklaces and pendants.

Until now, customers could not order their personalized medical ID jewelry unless they were sitting in front of a desktop or laptop computer. Now, as soon as a condition is diagnosed by a doctor or pharmacist, patients can order these potentially lifesaving products, while on the go.

“We saw mobile traffic to our standard site increasing fast and knew we wanted to promote our services by using QR codes in printed mailings. But first we needed the entire custom engraving and ordering process to work in a mobile site,” said Liz Gabel of American Medical ID.

The new mobile site displays their entire product catalog and allows a mobile customer to customize, engrave, preview, and purchase their ID jewelry, all from their phone. A QR code generator within the mobile commerce control panel from Unbound allows American Medical ID to link printed campaigns directly to a specific mobile page – where a sale can be most-easily converted.

“The service American Medical ID provides saves lives. Quickly and effectively mobile-optimizing their online offering was paramount,” said Wilson Kerr, Unbound’s Director of Business Development & Sales. “The team at American Medical ID is dedicated to serving their increasingly-mobile customers and we are pleased to have been selected for the job”.

About Unbound Commerce
Unbound Commerce provides solutions to Retailers seeking to capitalize on the booming consumer adoption of mobile and social technologies. Nearly 300 retailers currently use the Unbound mobile commerce platform, and Internet Retailer identifies Unbound Commerce as the leading mobile commerce solution provider. Retailers of any size can extend their ecommerce business beyond their website, into mobile commerce – taking advantage of new trigger points to reach buyers wherever they happen to be. Unbound’s unique integrated approach leverages Retailers’ existing ecommerce operations, with as much or as little IT involvement as desired. For additional information, please visitwww.UnboundCommerce.com.

About American Medical ID

American Medical ID serves the medical community and the public at large by offering quality medical IDs that, in a medical emergency, allow medics or other medical professionals to give prompt, precise treatment. Physicians, pharmacists, educators, and hospitals refer their patients and/or customers to us whenever a medical ID tag is appropriate. Since our business depends on referrals from these healthcare professionals, whose primary interest is the welfare of the patient; we must maintain the highest product and service standards in order to retain their trust. While our medical ID bracelets, necklaces and medallions are among the most affordable on the market, we have gone to great lengths to offer a quality product that can be worn with confidence. We offer a variety of high-grade metals such as solid high-grade Stainless Steel, Sterling Silver, 10Kt Gold-Filled and 10Kt and 14Kt Gold and Titanium. Please see www.AmericanMedical-ID.com for more information.

Luxury Pearl Jeweler Taps Mobext and Unbound Commerce For New Mobile Commerce Site

Unbound Commerce, the top choice among retailers for mobile commerce, today announces the launch of a mobile commerce site for client Mikimoto America, the foremost producer of the finest quality cultured pearls and a world leader in the design of exceptional jewelry.

Mikimoto’s new mobile site delivers a powerful, integrated commerce experience to consumers on the go, whenever and wherever they want to make a purchase.

“Our standard site employs functionality that made for a suboptimal experience for mobile visitors. We wanted to build a new mobile site from the ground up, to harvest new sales and extend the Mikimoto brand into a new realm,” said Clara Bodelon of Mikimoto America.

Mobext led the site design work, while Unbound Commerce led the implementation of the site and the integration with Mikimoto’s e-commerce operations. This collaboration has delivered a mobile site to Mikimoto that greatly increases conversions and is loaded with technical features, while also conveying the elegant, sophisticated and timeless look and feel that exemplifies the Mikimoto philosophy.

Using mobile to drive additional Mikimoto in-store sales, its new mobile site features a dealer locator that notifies the mobile customer of the nearest 10 authorized dealer locations where they can find the luxury jewelry line. Social media sharing functionality allows a customer to email, Tweet, or “Like” a product on Facebook, before or after they purchase an item, all within an elegant mobile page template. A QR code generator allows Mikimoto to easily link printed materials with mobile commerce pages where transactions can occur.

“Jewelry is emerging as a very hot category for mobile and for Unbound. We are delighted to have been selected by the best of the best,” said Wilson Kerr, Unbound’s Director of Business Development & Sales. “The demographics of smartphone owners and Mikimoto customer are tightly aligned. It was a pleasure collaborating with a top mobile design agency like Mobext for the design process.”

“Mikimoto truly understands the growing importance of dedicated mobile commerce channels for increasing sales and brand presence online,” said Phuc Truong, Managing Director, Mobext US. “The site experience combines the elegant, modern design of the Mikimoto brand with the best of mobile’s functionality and ease-of-use,” he added.

About Unbound Commerce
Unbound Commerce provides solutions to Retailers seeking to capitalize on the booming consumer adoption of mobile and social technologies. 280 retailers currently use our Mobile Presence platform, and the 2011 issue of the Mobile Commerce Data Book from Internet Retailer identifies Unbound Commerce as the leading mobile commerce solution provider. Retailers of any size choose Unbound as the best way to extend their ecommerce business beyond their website – taking advantage of new trigger points to reach buyers wherever they happen to be. Unbound’s unique integrated approach leverages Retailers’ existing ecommerce operations, with as much or as little IT involvement as desired. For additional information, please visit us at http://www.UnboundCommerce.com.

About Mikimoto

Mikimoto (America) Co., Ltd. is the American subsidiary of K. Mikimoto & Co., Ltd., the world-renowned Japanese company.  In 1893, company founder Kokichi Mikimoto was the first person to develop a technique for the cultivation of pearls and the business remains the world leader in high-quality cultured pearls.  For more information and store locations please visit www.mikimotoamerica.com.

Unbound Commerce today announced selection by Google as a mobile commerce solution provider included in a new Google-led initiative called “GoMo,” which provides retailers the tools and resources they need to make their websites more mobile-friendly.

“Unbound is pleased to have been selected by Google. We are rolling out a new service offering specifically for this program, so retailers that use Google tools can rapidly become mobile-optimized, and track the linkage between Google advertising and incremental mobile commerce revenue generation,” said Wilson Kerr, Unbound’s Director of Business Development & Sales.

Google’s Mobile Ads program allows advertisers to connect with customers on the go, and to drive customer acquisition, conversion and leads, through mobile advertising campaigns. In order to help the 79% of Google’s largest advertisers who still do not have a mobile-optimized site for traffic generated from ads or organic search, Google is working to help businesses go mobile and deliver a mobile optimized site experience for potential customers.

Called gStores™, the new service from Unbound Commerce uses technology to tap into the Google tools retailers already use, like Checkout, Analytics, Commerce, and data feeds. This approach reduces friction and allows rapid and cost-effective build and deployment of mobile retail sites. Mobile sales can also be linked directly to Google mobile ad campaigns. This new service from Unbound was launched in conjunction with the launch of GoMo and retailers of any size can take advantage today, via a tiered service offering.

Retailers can link to gStores™ from the GoMo Resource Center or directly by going to http://www.UnboundCommerce.com/gStores.

About Unbound Commerce
Unbound Commerce is the industry’s #1 provider of mobile commerce solutions, for Retailers seeking to reach their customers anytime and anywhere. Unbound’s unique approach treats mobile as a powerful new channel, not merely a shrunken version of a standard site. Unbound retail customers benefit from a solution directly under their control and integrated into their existing e-commerce operations. The 2011 issue of the Mobile Commerce Data Book from Internet Retailer shows Unbound Commerce as the #1 mobile commerce vendor, with an industry-leading number of mobile commerce site deployments. Unbound Commerce’s approach also delivers a social commerce store for Facebook, allowing consumers to buy where they connect through social media, as well as commerce-enabled iPhone and Android applications and in-store tablet-based mobile commerce. For additional information, please visit us http://www.UnboundCommerce.com.

About GoMo
GoMo is a Google-led initiative dedicated to helping businesses ‘Go Mobile’ by providing them with the tools and resources they need to make their websites more mobile-friendly. On Google’s GoMo website, participating businesses can use the GoMoMeter tool to see how their own sites look and perform on mobile devices, and get personalized recommendations for developing a more mobile-friendly experience for their sites. The GoMo site has information about current mobile trends, best practices for launching mobile sites, a list of developers ready to help companies build sites for mobile, and much more. For more information, visit: http://www.howtogomo.com

Unbound Commerce is pleased to announce the launch of its latest customer, Adam and Eve, the largest and oldest retailer of adult products in the United States, and their new mobile commerce site, m.adameve.com.

Glenn Mersereau, Internet Marketing Director for Adam and Eve, describes the motivation behind their mobile initiative: “Mobile is no longer an option for online retailers. Our customers are increasingly expecting the convenience of anytime-anywhere shopping, and we were convinced that it would be worth our effort to do it right. The addition of a mobile site now makes a fully omni-channel retailer and complements our existing commerce site, mail order catalog, and network of forty franchised retail stores across the United States.”

FAST RESULTS   Although the new mobile site went live just two weeks ago, results have been promising. “Our mobile commerce performance has exceeded our expectations,” said Mersereau. “Even before we have had a chance to implement our mobile promotions and marketing efforts, customers are eagerly embracing the new site. Already, we are seeing 7-8% of our online orders being generated the mobile site.”

WHY UNBOUND COMMERCE   “Our strategy called for a distinctly mobile site,” noted Vicki Miller, Website Manager for Adam and Eve. “Rather than settle for simply reformatting of our existing site, we wanted to create a fully mobile-optimized version of AdamEve.com.” Nevertheless, it was critical that the mobile site be driven by the existing e-commerce systems behind the main site. “We felt that Unbound Commerce has the best approach for what we wanted to achieve,” said Jeff Cunningham, Development Manager for Adam and Eve, “plus they have deep integration experience with the kinds of systems we already use, such as Endeca-on-Demand from Thanx Media. They have proven to be a terrific partner for our mobile initiatives.” Results speak for themselves. “Our mobile site is fast and responsive,” reports Mersereau. “We have received very positive feedback from our customers who enjoy the new convenience we’re providing for them.”

ABOUT UNBOUND COMMERCE   Unbound Commerce provides solutions to Retailers seeking to capitalize on the booming consumer adoption of mobile and social technologies. 250 retailers currently use our Mobile PresenceTM platform, and the 2011 issue of the Mobile Commerce Data Book from Internet Retailer identifies Unbound Commerce as the leading mobile commerce solution provider. Retailers ranging in size from a billion dollars to half a million choose Unbound as the best way to extend their ecommerce business beyond their website – taking advantage of new trigger points to reach buyers wherever they happen to be. Unbound’s unique integrated approach leverages Retailers’ existing ecommerce operations, with as much or as little IT involvement as desired. For additional information, please visit us at www.UnboundCommerce.com.

ABOUT ADAM & EVE   Adam & Eve is the nation’s largest marketer of adult products with millions of satisfied customers in the United States and all over the world. Founded in 1970, Adam & Eve is also one of the oldest names in the rapidly evolving adult industry. Adam & Eve is the flagship company of PHE, Inc. While Adam & Eve caters to a general audience, PHE also owns several smaller companies that focus on meeting customers’ special needs. For instance, Adam & Eve Pictures produces original titles with Adam & Eve contract stars Teagan Presley and Alexis Ford. Adam & Eve is responsible for numerous award-winning movies. For more information, visit www.AdamAndEve.com.

buySAFE, Inc., a leading provider of conversion and customer satisfaction programs for internet retailers, andUnbound Commerce, the #1 provider of mobile commerce solutions for online retailers, announced to the launch of a strategic partnership that promises to dramatically accelerate the mobile commerce revolution. By integrating buySAFE’s Guaranteed Shopping program into the Unbound Commerce mobile commerce platform, retailers will enjoy increased conversion and customer satisfaction with their mobile customers when utilizing the world’s leading mobile commerce platform.

Smartphone usage is booming but has yet to fully translate into significant purchasing from mobile users. The two key reasons for low mobile purchasing are Confidence & Convenience.

Confidence. Most consumers are still unfamiliar with making purchases with their mobile devices, analogous to the early days of internet commerce. Establishing buyer confidence throughout the purchase process is especially important in mobile shopping, and buySAFE provides consumers with the confidence they need, thus boosting conversion rates for the mobile retailer.

With buySAFE, retailers provide buyers a 3-in-1 Guarantee that includes:

1. blanket identity theft protection,
2. a low price guarantee and
3. a purchase guarantee that reassures a customer’s buying decision.

These benefits are free to the consumer and provide added value and peace of mind with their purchase and result in higher conversion and customer satisfaction for retailers.

Convenience. Mobile-optimized sites provide an improved customer experience that is proven to yield better results than standard sites, which lead to “pinch & zoom fatigue.” Retailers who cater to mobile customers see higher usage and increased conversion rates in the range of 300-500%. More retailers choose Unbound Commerce to mobile-optimize their business, in order to take advantage of the booming adoption of smartphones among their buyers and to provide the convenience of anytime-anywhere service.

“The combination of buySAFE and Unbound Commerce to enable retailers to provide Confident & Convenient mobile shopping is a huge leap forward for mobile commerce. Together we address head on the two biggest limiting factors to mobile shopping and do this in a way that provides added value to shoppers and significantly more sales and profits for retailers,” said Shane Lundy, VP of Business Development of buySAFE, Inc. “This is a great partnership for both companies and for all online retailers interested in providing their customers a top notch mobile commerce solution.”

“This new partnership provides just what retailers need to take advantage of the tremendous growth in mobile,” said Keith Lietzke, VP of Marketing & Business Development at Unbound Commerce. “Consumers have embraced smartphones, giving retailers whole new, always-available points of sale. Combining mobile-optimized sites with the consumer confidence provided by buySAFE will drive new sources of revenue for retailers.”

About buySAFE
buySAFE, Inc. provides website conversion and customer satisfaction programs for online retailers that increase profits and lift buyer loyalty. buySAFE is partnered with Liberty Mutual, Travelers, ACE USA and Assurant Specialty Property. With over 5 billion online impressions of buySAFE each year, 22 million guaranteed purchases and over 5,000 buySAFE Merchant sites, buySAFE is widely recognized as the sole provider of its unique guaranteed shopping programs. buySAFE’s investors include Grotech Ventures, Core Capital Partners, Symantec Corporation and The Hartford Financial Services Group. For more information, visit: http://www.buysafe.com

About Unbound Commerce
Unbound Commerce is the #1 provider of mobile commerce solutions, chosen by more retailers than any other.  (Internet Retailer 2011 Mobile Commerce Data Book)  Unbound’s solutions are designed for retailers who want to maximize their revenue from their smartphone customers, using the best mobile and social techniques and tools available.  Unbound solutions provide a full range of integration options for leveraging the e-commerce assets already in place.  For additional information, please visit us atwww.UnboundCommerce.com.

For Media Contact:
buySAFE, Inc.
Hans Dreyer, VP

703 778 4445 x 110

hdreyer@buysafe.com

Unbound Commerce

Keith Lietzke, VP of Marketing & Business Development

617 935 5216

klietzke@unboundcommerce.com

Unbound Commerce Announces New Low-IT Impact Solution Targeting Mid-Sized Online Retailers

San Diego, CA at the 2011 Internet Retailer Show- Unbound Commerce announced today a mobile commerce solution that allows mid-sized retailers to quickly and easily monetize mobile traffic and generate incremental sales by launching a mobile-optimized version of their online store.

This unique new SMC software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering utilizes Unbound’s market-leading Mobile Presence™ software to build a mobile optimized website with a hosted product catalog built from a standard comparison shopping feed. The solution is called Streamlined Mobile Commerce (SMC) and incorporates mobile payment systems from PayPal and Google, to provide an express checkout platform, with full retailer control.

Best of all, this new mobile commerce solution requires very little IT involvement on the part of the retailer, for rapid site deployment. Using this new approach, a powerful, fast and fully-functional mobile commerce site can be live in as little as one week.

“While there are several options for large enterprise-level merchants, we noticed that mid-sized online retailers were not being served. Unbound still offers the larger, deep integration approach that we are known for, and this adds a new way to address a large and underserved market” reports Wilson Kerr, Director of Business Development at Unbound Commerce.

Google recently reported that 79% of their online retail advertisers did not have a mobile-optimized site. With web-connected smartphone market penetration expected to top 50% in the US in the next year, there are a lot of businesses who can benefit from a cost effective solution to mobile commerce.“ The top tier of the market has been contacted by nearly every solution provider,” said Kerr. “SMC is designed for the thousands of mid-size online retailers looking to mobile-optimize their sites, but at a reasonable price point”.

Facebook commerce can be easily added to the SMC solution. While Facebook Commerce is new and does not yet to have the proven ROI of mobile, it is growing fast and retailers are keen to monetize its traffic, The new solution is ready now and the first four deployments will be launched in the coming weeks. For more information on the new SMC solution. Visit SMC product pagefor more information.

About Unbound Commerce

Unbound Commerce is a leading provider of mobile and social commerce solutions, designed for Retailers seeking to reach their customers anytime and anywhere. Unbound’s unique approach treats mobile as a powerful new channel, not merely as a smaller version of the standard site or as a function to be outsourced. Unbound customers benefit from a solution directly under their control and integrated into their existing e-commerce operations. The 2011 issue of the Mobile Commerce Data Book from Internet Retailer shows Unbound Commerce as the top mobile commerce vendor with an industry-leading number of mobile web deployments for Retailers. Unbound Commerce’s approach also delivers a social commerce application for Facebook, allowing consumers to buy where they connect through social media. For additional information, please visit us at www.UnboundCommerce.com.

From Mobile Commerce Daily.

Outdoor gear and apparel retailer Moosejaw Mountaineering is using video on its mobile retail site to let consumers experience products before they buy them.

The company partnered with Invodo and Unbound Commerce to implement the videos on its mobile site. Moosejaw claims that the convergence of both the mobile site and the videos are going to be powerful for the retailer.

Moosejaw offers products from several outdoor manufacturers including The North Face, Arc’teryx, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear and Black Diamond, as well as under its own Moosejaw brand.

Invodo claims that it helps online retailers sell more via video.

Unbound Commerce provides companies with new revenue opportunities from consumers who want access to their favorite retailers via mobile devices.

Video frenzy
Moosejaw decided to incorporate video into its mobile offerings after the company saw great results from implementing informational videos for products on its online site.

The company is currently working with Invodo to create video content for its top products on the site and optimize videos for additional syndication through social media sites such as YouTube and Facebook.

In addition, Moosejaw’s partnership with Unbound Commerce will help optimize the video delivery to the company’s mobile sites, letting customers shop from their mobile devices and experience the benefits of seeing the products in action.

Mobile site
Consumers can access Moosejaw’s mobile site by entering http://www.moosejaw.com from a mobile device.

Customers can browse different categories such as men’s clothing, women’s clothing, backpacks, tents, climbing gear, sleeping bags and footwear.

There is a search tool on the top of the site where customers can search for a specific product.

Additionally, consumers can browse the best deals and shop by brand.