The convergence of social media and technology is changing how people shop and what they expect from retailers. The QR code is the latest technology to be part of this shift. According to research from comScore, 20.1 million mobile phone owners in the U.S. used their device to scan a QR code in the three-month average period ending October 2011. Among this group, 59.4% scanned from home, 44% from a retail store and 26.6% from a grocery store.

It seems that QR codes have become a retailer’s secret weapon. But why? The answer lies in interactivity: By simply using the camera phone to scan the code, consumers can connect to the product web site; check availability, reviews and ratings; access comparative shopping information; enter contests; and even go direct to a call center to have their questions answered.  Suddenly, static media has become two-dimensional, exciting and, most importantly, measureable.

Once again this year, the ol’ Javits Center in New York hosted retail folk from across the country. It seemed as if every vendor was hawking technology solutions to help retailers track product life cycle from factory to sale.

This is a wonderful efficiency goal. Booth after booth showed space-age integration of serialized data from RFID tags, embedded into product tags, containing business information from back end systems. Track a sweater from factory to showroom to purchase and possibly customer return. Allow retailer micro-visibility into order status and inventory.

But some of the vendors are missing the full story. It was as if they ended the story mid-pitch. The industry still is selling First Generation Retail, when the new frontier is Retail 2.0.

Using the new Near Field Communication NFC-enabled phones that are entering the market this year, the shopper can be as active as the  merchandising clerk. Using the phone as a personal reader, shoppers can navigate products, allowing stores to clientele and close the cross-channel disconnect that is evading most store executives.

When you really think about it, mobile technology has transformed just about every facet of our lives.  It has changed the way we communicate; when and how we access information; and how, when and where we shop.  With the vast number of mobile applications now available on any platform, today’s consumers can have information their way, wherever they are.

Nowhere have the implications of the mobility revolution been felt more than in the retail arena.  It’s estimated that mobile shopping could total $120 billion by the year 2015.  According to Gartner’s “Cool Vendors in Retail 2011” report, big retailers are continuing to focus on investments that enhance their ability to support a cross-channel selling environment. The combination of an innovative software application paired with more mature technologies, such as touchscreen-based kiosks and real-time analytics, is creating new ways to engage with increasingly connected shoppers.