NRF: Many Retailers Unprepared For Latest Mobile Technology

According to a recent Shop.org survey, while nearly three-quarters of retailers are exploring mobile strategies as an additional sales channel, the number of retailers who have begun implementing their mobile technology plan is much smaller. The survey reveals that 62 percent of retailers have either not yet begun or are only in the early stages of planning their mobile strategy.

To help retailers enter this relatively new area, the National Retail Federation (NRF), a global retail trade association, has launched the “Mobile Retailing Blueprint.”

“The blueprint is a virtual roadmap for retailers to assist in the use of mobile to enhance their marketing, ecommerce and store operations with a special section on implementation planning and technology,” the NRF said in a press release.  

The guide explores how mobile retailing can improve business, the technology available in the mobile field and the choices of mobile payments, among many other issues. A complimentary copy of the 176-page blueprint is available through the Mobile Retail Initiative’s website, www.nrf.com/mobile.

“The Mobile Retailing Blueprint is the definitive document to help retailers adopt a mobile strategy that makes sense for their organization,” said NRF president and CEO Matt Shay in the release. “As smartphones and other mobile devices become more technologically advanced, so too will retailers with the help of this collaborative research. We believe it will serve as a window for industry standards that will guide retailers’ adoption of mobile for years to come.”