If 2014 was the year of beacon awareness and 2015 was the year of the rollout, will 2016 be the year of beacon revenue? If so, how will they earn and for which industries will they earn for? Chuck highlights a recent ABIresearch study that shows this but then offers his own thoughts on where the REAL revenue will come from.…

Tata Consultancy Services released a massive global trend study called "Internet of Things: The Complete Reimaginative Force" and it is crammed with incredible insight into this emerging world. In this episode we pull out the 5 success factors for media and entertainment companies. Here's the list.By Rob Woodbridge

Sony announced they are entering the drone business - not to sell them but to rent them out as a service to other companies. Are they becoming the Hertz of the drone industry? That's for another episode. Today we focus on how this announcement fits into the Internet of Everything ecosystem - which involves sensors and robots...…

On this inaugural episode of the show we lay the groundwork for the size and scope of the coming era of the Internet of Everything. IC Insights provides some incredible numbers of "things" that will be connected to the Internet within the next few years. Chuck and I explore what this means now and where the opportunities are for businesses to parti…

Chrysler ran into a PR nightmare this week with the controlled hack of a Jeep while it was cruising along the highway. They managed to mess around with the air conditioning and stereo and then shut down the engine - all while the helpless driver panicked. The significance cannot be overlooked as we enter a new world of connected everything AND as c…

There is a harsh reality in the retail industry right now, we don't shop every moment of every single day. I know, hard to believe it's true but it is. This makes the likelihood of consumers downloading an app (and keeping it downloaded) very low. Chuck explains why in this episode and highlights a recent study by Forrester aptly named "Customers w…

It isn't complicated. In fact, it comes down to 2 things. These two simple things that customers want inside a retailer's mobile app are defined in the most recent UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper report done by Comscore. In this episode, Chuck extracts the most important mobile pieces from the report and hands us a checklist of the things retailers…

Mobile commerce is getting big. How big? Great question. Chuck takes us around the world to give us the answer. First to the UK, then Korea, Italy, China and the US. Lots of "billions" being tossed around in this episode...By Rob Woodbridge

Perhaps it is true that we only use a fraction of our human brain because we haven't mastered how the rest work. The same could be said about the sensors inside our smartphones as well - until now. Former Thinknear founder Eli Portnoy has launched his latest startup, Sense360, and he wants to help developers tap into all the sensors that are alread…

Wearables can be a confusing world. On one hand (punny) we wear them in hopes that they streamline our lives, make us healthier and bring our eyes away from the constant glow of the smartphone screen. On the other hand we are all trying to figure out how they can and should impact our business. There is a fine line between helpful and annoying - es…

Adoption for mobile payments happens when it hits on something that lots of people do every single day. Buying a chocolate bar or a lottery ticket doesn't cut it, neither do groceries. Starbucks has nailed it and so to has the Mass Bay Transportation Authority. Lots of people take the bus every single day. Could the bus be the tipping point for mas…

If you are wondering where all the money is being invested into and earning from in mobile we have the answer: Mobile Commerce. It has taken in almost 50% of all investment money and is slated to dominate earnings for years to come. Just how big is it? Chuck answers that question based on a new Digi-Capital study. Hint: It's big and getting bigger.…

We highlight the top 3 monstrous obstacles to mobile payment adoption in this episode based on the results of a study by the Mercator Advisory Group. However, there is a fourth obstacle and it is something Chuck says as the final word of this episode - it starts with the letter "v". Watch on to find out.…

Now there is no excuse. Mobile payments are upon us as every major smartphone operating system and platform will have the capability to make a payment by years end. The latest is Google's announcement of Android Pay at Google IO. We take this opportunity to lay out the main players - both in software and hardware - as it finally looks like the eart…

A year ago beacons were the rage. Today they are a reality and the lessons that have been learned during the first real year of beacon implementations are many. Chuck had an opportunity to moderate a recent panel that featured 4 of the top beacon minds in retail and he summarizes what they have learned in this episode.…

There are gaps in the way retailers implement their mobile strategies. Take, for instance, the results from the Mobile Payments and Fraud 2015 report highlighted in this episode. Chuck identifies where the opportunities exist between how merchants are using mobile and how consumers are interested in using mobile with those merchants. The gaps are w…

Fighting the tyranny of the average - that's how Lucinda Duncalfe describes our current mobile and digital state and she is not far off. At a recent event, Chuck had an opportunity to sit with the Monetate CEO to talk about her 5 levels of the path to personalization and here is the result.By Rob Woodbridge

NFC hoopla reached a fevered pitch right before Apple finally announced support for the tap-to-do-stuff technology. Since then it seems to have hit a silent stride in the market beyond the initial feeling it would be yet another mobile payment platform. Chuck stopped by the NFC Forum in Boston and was treated to a number of seriously cool examples …

This isn't new. The idea that time & location married with supply & demand brings untold opportunity has been around since long before mobile, the Internet, computers and electricity. What is different today is the fact all 4 of those things are at our disposal all the time and with it comes the ability to provide on demand relevancy. How does this…

There's a number for you. Mobile now influences $1 trillion of in-store sales. This is according to the most recent survey results from Deloitte Digital. Navigating the New Digital Divide highlights the growing importance of tracking the entire mobile shopping journey and not just the transaction as many other studies do. Mobile influences much mor…

Banking has always been among the first services that we all seem to adopt as technology evolves. First it was the web - can you imagine a world without Internet banking today? Now it is mobile. It seems that the utility of having access to our accounts on our mobile devices is something that most of us can't and won't live without. For your viewin…

The industry surrounding the Internet of Things will be worth $8 trillion according to a recent report by Cisco and DHL. While a good portion of that value will be in hardware and software, Chuck explains how all of those connected pieces will lead to massive gains in mobile commerce revenue as well.…

Mobile is becoming more and more a part of the buying process. It now accounts for 27% of global online payments and is not slowing down. In fact, that number is up 5% from the previous quarter. All this is from the Ayden Mobile Payments Index for the first quarter of 2015. Chuck offers some of the key findings in this episode.…

I'm not sure there are any mobile influence deniers left out there but after the results from the Performance Index from MarketLive there should be very little doubt about it. The study - highlighted here by Chuck - shows the incredible growth in mobile visits and sales to retailers that have committed to mobile.…

From big to small to big again. This is the path that we have taken with the phones in our pocket. We started with phones that required a car to carry the battery and clamoured for more portability. Just when our prayers were answered - and so much more - we are once again looking at our phones getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Chuck highlights…

MCX - the Merchant Customer Exchange - has brought together many of the top retail brands on the planet to offer up a unique mobile commerce platform but things seem to be fraying at the edges. In the span of 48 hours the service, beta-testing somewhere unknown, has lost one of their big brands and their CEO. What does this mean for their future? C…

If you ask every smartphone user on the planet if they've played a game on their phone, the majority (as in the GREAT majority) will say they have. Ask those same people if they've paid for a game on their phone and the number shrinks. If you ask those same people what game they've paid for there will be a handful of household names that will emerg…

A recent study by Edelman Berland on behalf of eBay Enterprise looks at where and what smaller retailers are doing and spending for mobile initiatives this year. Chuck has pulled 2 key stats from the report and discusses them in this episode.By Rob Woodbridge

The uses of beacons have matured in the last year and are now rolling out for many different uses across almost all industries. Chuck runs down some of the big announcements that are shaping the beacon industry including news from Swirl, Swatch, InMarket, Radius Networks, ShopKick and ShopperTrak.By Rob Woodbridge

Mobile's consumptive nature marches forward pretty much unabated when it comes to originating traffic. This is uncontested as the majority of us look to our smartphones and tablets as first screens these days. Traffic is one thing, but what about sales? Is the growth in sales originating from a smaller screen keeping up with the traffic? Chuck high…

There have been an incredible number of mobile commerce studies that have been released over the last month but have no fear - you don't have to read them all. Chuck highlights 8 key data points from these studies that you should know and he does it in under 2 minutes.By Rob Woodbridge

That's a crazy stat. Even crazier is that this time last year that number was at 26%. Crazier still are the people that don't do it - right? This number comes from a recent survey done by Redshift Research on behalf of Oracle - entitled Retail Without Limits. The study also highlights the things most consumers want from a mobile experience when the…

In-store WiFi will jump in 2015 - according to the recent Impact of Store Networks and WiFi on Customer Experience study done by IHL Group. The study focuses on a number of in-store technologies but, as you'll see in this episode, the impact of having WiFi in a place of business is hard to argue with. Also, in this episode, Chuck highlights the kin…

The mobile commerce gap is widening between retailers that get it and those that don't. The logical thinking is that a rising tide raises all ships - especially when it comes to mobile commerce and retail. Of course when the industry advances so should everyone right? Wrong. A recent study by Criteo shows that if you aren't committed to building an…

It is one thing to capture loyalty points on mobile - which seems to be almost normal these days - but redemption is a completely different story. As Chuck details in this episode, a new study from Capgemini Consulting has brought to light the biggest gap in mobile loyalty...and it isn't earning points. If you are seeking a way to differentiate you…

While the mobile transaction is not the stat to focus on when it comes to the true impact of mobile commerce it is VERY hard to deny the growth in those numbers. Criteo's latest research - State of Mobile Commerce - for Q1 of 2015 shows the incredible increase in mobile transactions and Chuck highlights it all right here.…

A new study by the Global Web Index brings some incredible mobile commerce numbers and may answer the age old "app vs mobile web" question once and for all. According to the study there are over 500 million mobile shoppers globally and the largest grouping is in the coveted 16-44 year old range. Questions? Well, if that isn't enough ammunition to a…

Accenture recently published the results of their mobile retail benchmark study and, if you are a retailer, this is as close to a mobile roadmap as you could ask for. Chuck highlights 5 key numbers here that should help align strategy with consumer expectations.By Rob Woodbridge

First we had normal, everyday commerce, then came ecommerce and mobile commerce and now we are entering the realm of gadget commerce. Chuck takes us on a tour of the things that are emerging as payment tools - from your wrist to your wallet - the way we pay is about to change once again.By Rob Woodbridge

Peer to peer payments have been tried before with some success. Companies like Venmo and PayPal have been doing it for years so what is the impact of a company like Facebook entering the market? Chuck puts Facebook's move into perspective using the evolution and adoption rate of some of the other pioneering mobile payments companies and what this m…

How can NFC help sell Adidas shoes? At an OMMA conference at SXSW Jon Werner of Adidas explained the use of NFC embedded inside of their shoes and how it helps consumers find useful information before, during and after the sale. Chuck highlights the key points from his presentation here.By Rob Woodbridge

At the recent OMMA conference at SXSW a distinct trend emerged from the leading thinkers and practitioners of mobile tech in retail - the experience of their customers trumps the use of technology. This is welcome news as most are leading with technology and then figuring out a way for it to fit in their customer's lives. Chuck highlights what Lowe…

A recent comScore study done on behalf of UPS dove deep into the global habits of mobile shoppers. The study surveyed over 19,000 people around the world and the main points that focused on mobile commerce are highlighted here by Chuck.By Rob Woodbridge

In case you hadn't noticed, there is a serious focus these days on mobile payments. It has become, in relative terms, much easier to add payments to an app today than ever before and companies are doing just that. There are some clear leaders emerging in Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Samsung but the fight is far from over. Chuck highlights the state…

In case there was any doubt about the monetization strategy that works with mobile apps, Juniper Research's latest report makes it very clear. 88% of app revenue comes from in-app purchases, not at the point of sale. The other incredible number that Chuck discusses in this episode is the number of apps the average person downloads and what that mea…

With all the focus on physical product sales from mobile, we should not forget the digital side of mobile sales - which is still growing at an incredible pace. Books, music, movies and apps are driving billions of dollars in mobile sales and are the gateway to more mobile commerce growth. Chuck highlights a recent eMarketer study that shows this gr…

Google did what everyone expected and picked up the technology that once powered the promise of Softcard (nee ISIS). Google's Wallet is now one of the new old powerhouses in mobile payments but what does the landscape look like without the carrier consortium? Still confusing and still up for grabs according to Chuck.…

Another day, another study on the global growth of mobile commerce. The latest is from Ipsos on behalf of PayPal and we summarize the key findings here - including the top 3 obstacles to mobile payments.By Rob Woodbridge

According to a new PWC study, almost half of us have made a purchase from our phones - that is up from 30% just 2 short years ago. The study examines how often we buy from our phones and what we actually do with them during the purchase process. Chuck summarizes the key finding in under 2 minutes here. Plus, we discuss what to do about the #1 conce…

The path to success with beacons is not as easy as turning them on and collecting revenue. It may seem so simple on the outside but, as you'll see from this episode, to get it right requires having a comprehensive plan in place before paving a beaconed path to your customers. Chuck highlights some key takeaways from the recent MediaPost IOT: Beacon…