Mobile sites and mobile apps may command most of the sex appeal when it comes to mobile marketing, but SMS is vital to online retailers’ marketing strategies.
While retailers and marketers spend ample time developing mobile apps and sites, David Geipel, co-founder of QWASI Inc, says text messaging is the workhorse of mobile marketing, and can work to boost the profile of apps and sites. “Text messages are direct, conversational and interactive, something that is not always true about other forms of mobile engagement,” he says. “As brands deploy apps and mobile web sites, SMS becomes even more important to drive customers back to the apps or newly designed and updated mobile web sites.” (more…)

Mobile commerce is expected to reach $31 billion by the end of 2016 and grow at a rate of 40 percent each year for the next five years, according to a report published by Forrester Research.
Coca-Cola, for example, is currently testing the use of vending machines that accept payments via mobile device with SMS, eliminating the need to carry coins to make a purchase. (more…)