(Image Source: BBB Systems)

BY CHRISTY LEWIS

It’s the holiday season, and more people are using their mobile devices to shop this year. Here’s Fox Business.

“...we may see more people using their mobile devices to get their gifts. That’s according to IBM Coremetrics which studies data from 500 top retailers. In October 9.6% of online shoppers used their mobile devices up from 3% a year earlier. As you can imagine, retailers like Macy’s, JC Penney, and Saks are now targeting mobile shoppers with mobile apps and other initiatives.”

Mobile shopping may only make up a tiny fraction of retail sales, but it is accelerating at a fast pace. As a Toys R Us marketing officer puts it -- m-commerce is on the rise for a several reasons.

“Mobile commerce is our fastest-growing channel of consumer engagement, as shoppers increasingly use their smartphones to research gifts, get product reviews, compare prices, check availability of an item at a local store, save money with deals, and pay for their purchases...”

On top of all that, online ad engineer Gabe Donnini tells USA Today ... in this day and age, mobile marketing and holiday shopping are a match made in heaven.

“...it all comes down to how well these products serve the consumer. ‘Mobile is empowering consumers to make good purchasing decisions,’ Donnini said. And at the end of the day, that's what consumers want: the knowledge that they scored a great deal.”

But it’s not just about providing easy access to those ‘great deals.’ The culture of mobile-commerce is more about creating an immersive experience.

Like this Starbuck’s Cup Magic app, which allows your phone to interact with Starbucks season red cups and unlocking animated characters depending on the cup. Those who unlock all animated characters qualify to win a prize. Mashable reports...

“The object, says Alexandra Wheeler, vp-global digital marketing for Starbucks, is to “surprise and delight” customers during the holiday season.”

And Macy’s is taking the whole immersive experience up a notch with its augmented reality program. ‘a’
 

ADD: MOBILE MARKETER  “This year, consumers mailing their letters at Macy’s ‘Believe Stations’ in-store can take photos with the campaign’s animated stars Virginia, Ollie and their friends via augmented reality technology. Users can print out the marker and point the Macy’s Believe-o-Magic camera at the marker. Users can then see an animated Virginia ice skating.”

But, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance, as the number of mobile device users increases...so do the risks.

“‘Users on all devices can run into threats from online criminals,’ said Todd Gebhart, co-president of McAfee. ‘Mobile threats are growing exponentially, and this...illustrates the need for consumers to protect all of their devices—including smartphones and tablets.’”