Chris Newton and Ken McDonald

Tablets are surely changing mobile marketing and the way consumers use the Web. The iPad 2 is the obvious current gold standard, though many other tablets are being released that rival the iPad in various aspects. Amazon is entering the game with its upcoming Fire tablet, a 7-inch tablet that will be available for $199 this holiday season. Some people have criticized the move. According to Business Insider, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates Amazon will lose $50 or more per tablet, once marketing and production costs are factored in. However, this short-term loss could be a huge long-term gain for Amazon. Let's look at some numbers. According to Forrester Research, conversion on tablets is 4-5%, compared to 3% for PCs. Tablets also produce 10-20% larger carts than PCs. So, consumers are buying more, and more often, using tablets than PCs. Therefore, if Am... (more)

What About Mobile?

A few years ago, the idea of getting 5% of your orders from mobile devices was unthinkable. But today, some companies are getting that much, if not more, as reported by many presenters at the recent Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition (IRCE) held in mid-June 2011 in San Diego. Mobile devices are quickly becoming a significant factor for companies, and the ones who get it already have business development and marketing teams in place focused strictly on mobile. Let's look at some numbers. According to Gigaom.com, PayPal is expected to do $3 billion in mobile payments in 20... (more)

Android Offers More Flexibility for App Developers

There is no doubt that mobile apps are changing the way businesses engage and communicate with consumers, and have created a brand new industry in mobile app development. Apple was first to market with its App Store and public API program, allowing virtually anyone to create mobile apps and make money (potentially). Android followed shortly after with its App Marketplace, and Windows Phone 7 has recently entered the space as well. And, let's not forget about Blackberry, which owned the smart phone world for years before iPhones and Androids made smart phones cool for everyone, no... (more)