The mobile channel successfully drives conversions and influences consumers at the point of purchase, but it also can help retailers garner greater customer loyalty. Retailers can engage and retain customers using mobile promotions and rewards via SMS text messaging. Research shows that today's consumers are using their mobile devices more for texting than for calling. This webinar  explores how retailers can effectively utilize SMS text messaging not only to interrupt the path to purchase and influence behavior, but to create experiences that drive greater loyalty and CRM, and foster reengagement.

Retailing today involves a lot of moving parts – and all of those parts include people. From promotion execution to store operations, workforce management is becoming an integral part of how all strategies are ultimately delivered to the consumer. This complexity is only heightened by the emergence of connected consumers as stores looks to arm their associates with mobile devices and build multichannel touch points.

	View Now → Date:On-Demand Guest Speakers: Brian Kilcourse Managing Partner RSR Rafael Gonzalez Caloni EVP Marketing Predictix Moderator: Debbie Hauss Editor-in-Chief Retail TouchPoints

The increasing sophistication and expanding role of demand forecasting present new opportunities for retailers to fully optimize everything from assortment planning to pricing, space management and replenishment in both their traditional and new digital selling channels.

Retail Systems Research (RSR) presents the results of its first annual benchmark study by analysts Brian Kilcourse and Nikki Baird on the state of retail demand forecasting. This complimentary webinar answers key questions such as:

• What are the challenges and opportunities in demand forecasting?
• Has forecasting accuracy improved? In what areas? What does this mean for retailers?
• How can retailers integrate demand forecasting in other areas of their operations?
• Can retailers have (or should they have) a single demand forecast for everything?
• What is the potential impact of new cloud-based demand forecasting systems?

We gave her an assignment, and she bravely accepted: Go Shopping-- but do it using the latest mobile shopping technologies. And keep a diary while you shop - photos, screen captures, e-mails, the works. Patti Harney, Retail Product Strategist for RedPrairie, will discuss her real-world experiences using these apps during the 2010 holiday season.

Among the mobile shopping technologies Patti will review are:

• Price Comparison apps
• Social Apps
• Location-Based Services (LBS)
• Augmented Reality (AR)

Did you know that close to 40% of your retail peers plan to add Wi-Fi Hotspots for Customer Access within the next 24 months? By giving mobile access to shoppers, innovative retailers are able to wirelessly link shoppers to:

• product descriptions
• reviews and ratings
• video demos

By connecting to consumers mobile devices, these interactive marketing techniques are creating more unique in-store experiences that are helping to drive impulse purchases and keep consumers returning to the store for repeat visits.

Mobile couponing and mobile ordering also are growing in popularity, with more than 30% of retailers reporting plans to add those apps in the next 24 months. These statistics were uncovered in the January 2011 In-Store Mobile Marketing Survey report presented by Aruba Networks, which will be previewed in this On-Demand webinar.

Online shopping still represents a small share of overall retail sales, but the influence of the web is dramatically changing consumer expectations. To ensure that their store experience is relevant and compelling for today’s connected consumers, retailers are making substantial investments in in-store technologies and strategies.

Join Retail TouchPoints and a distinguished panel of industry experts for an advanced look at new research that will give insight into where your peers are prioritizing their investments and how they are planning to use new tools and tactics to “digitize" the in-store shopping experience. Some of the findings and key topics the webinar will include:

• Increased adoption of personalized offers at POS;
• The power of associate to shopper engagement;
• The expansion of customer-facing applications delivered via mobile devices;
• Data on the new mobile platforms retailers are planning to work with in the future;
• The use of social media platforms, including Foursquare, for customer engagement.

1. Cross Channel Buy, Pickup  In-store: Whether it is from the online channel, the mobile web or a catalog, consumers now expect the convenience of picking up that item at their local store location.
2. In-Store Save the Sale: Using in-store kiosks and mobile apps connected to the e-commerce engine, retailers are avoiding out of stocks and enabling self-service scenarios.
3. Increasing the Relevance of Associate Engagement: By providing access to wish lists, buying history and recommendations, retailers are bringing service functions traditionally found online into the store.
4. Expanding Endless Aisle Capabilities at the Store Level: The ability to capture orders for an expanded assortment of products, without having to stock the inventory in every store, is emerging as a key competitive differentiator.
5. Global Inventory Availability: Providing the ability to check inventory availability across other local stores and account for dynamic changes across systems and locations.