Forever 21, a specialty retailer of women's and men's clothing and accessories, is promoting two mobile apps for the holiday season: an augmented reality app, F21POP,  and an updated mobile commerce app. Both are available for download on iPhones and iPads.

"We want to blur the boundaries between fashion and technology,” said Linda Chang, Global Marketing Director for Forever 21, in a press release. “Our customers are digitally savvy and we strive to bring fast technology to fast fashion. Our new mobile apps allow us to engage our customers on a new level while making their shopping experience easier and more exciting."

Both apps were designed to help bridge the gap between in-store and online shopping experiences. F21POP utilizes advanced image recognition technology, offering consumers access to exclusive holiday campaign videos. Using the app, shoppers also can place their phones in front of storefront windows, Forever 21 advertisements and the retailer magazine to watch images come to life.

Luxury and other upscale brands can learn from the Apple marketing techniques and innovative products that have impacted the retail industry significantly in recent years. In fact, Apple marketing and product ingenuity has helped expand U.S. smartphone penetration from just 3% of the population in 2007, prior to release of the pricey iPhone, to more than 47% today, according to a June 2012 comScore study.

In a recent webcast presented by Luxury Daily, a luxury marketing publication, titled: What Apple’s Offense Means To Luxury Brands, Retailers And Rivals, Scott Forshay, Mobile and Emerging Technologies Strategist at Acquity Group, discussed how Apple innovation and the way consumers use Apple products are paving the way for engagement among luxury marketers and their audiences.

In addition to Forshay, webinar panelists included: Tom O’Regan, Chief Revenue Officer for Martini Media; Patrick Frend, Managing Director of Razorfish; and Jack Philbin, President and CEO of Vibes.

Forward-looking retailers no longer are combating the continual rise of online shopping, but increasing in-store engagement and sales by leveraging more interactive digital tools and technologies.

Aéropostale, a mall-based apparel retailer for teens, is upping the ante on its brick-and-mortar experience with a new concept store, which was unveiled at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, Long Island, on Oct. 19, 2012. Featuring interactive fitting rooms and iPad self-service stations, the new store was developed to “inspire a more solid emotional connection with our teen audience,” Anthony McLoughlin, Senior Director of Interactive Marketing for Aéropostale, told Retail TouchPoints.