In a webinar aired live today, executives from Microsoft Dynamics and Junction Solutions shared the latest trends and strategies for retailers looking to profit from social media involvement. The webinar, titled: Social Media For Retail: Translating “Posts” Into Profits, is the second session in the nine-part Connected Consumer Webinar Series hosted by Retail TouchPoints this week.

“As the Internet has evolved, so has shopping,” said Leslie Belcher, Retail Industry Market Development Manager for Microsoft. “The era of social web has arrived. Retail brands can no longer ignore their customers and need to engage with people discussing their brands.”

Roughly 98% of the U.S. digital shopping population use their smartphones while in stores to research and buy products and services, according to annual shopper research from Cisco. The company also reported a 15% compounded annual growth rate for smartphone shoppers over the next three years.

As mobility in retail continues to grow, how can merchants find and capture true mobile value? How can mobility be used to transform store operations and increase profits? As retailers expand their wireless network infrastructures, which Wi-Fi and mobile technologies should be included?

Modern Automotive Performance, a performance auto parts and services retailer, has implemented the Blosm data collection platform from Thanx Media to increase the size of its online catalog.

By adding 5,000 SKUs to the online catalog in less than six months, Modern Automotive Performance has seen positive results in average order value, among other key metrics, according to a company press release. These results include:

• 16.75% increase in site visitors;
• 66% increase in number of page views; and
•  59% decrease in bounce rates.

Many traditional retailers are still grappling with ways to appeal to omnichannel shoppers who are researching and buying from their tablets and smartphones. To become more connected with these consumers, a number of retailers are forming innovation labs to develop technology that optimizes the shopping experience regardless of how or where customers interact with the brand.

Retailers are looking for new ways to reach consumersbeyond the four walls of the store, noted Gary Schwartz, CEO of Impact Mobile and author of Fast Shopper, Slow Store. “As Mike Duke from Walmart often is quoted, ‘The walls of our store are porous’ and retail, like media buying, broadcast, publishing, is about to pivot in a profound and irreversible way. Many existing business models will dry up. Many old revenue streams will become commodity channels or be circumvented over-the-top by new technologies or new business models.”