Mobile Marketing

Framingham, Mass. -- When comparing social media investment to other emerging technology areas, retailers more than any other industry are making strong investments, according to a new study by International Data Corp.

ATLANTA — Coca-Cola is giving fans a chance to get an insider's look at Team USA through its London 2012 Olympic Games campaign.

Inland Diversified Real Estate Services said it has launched a new mobile application designed to enhance customer engagement and retention and interaction with retailers at University Town Center, a neighborhood shopping center in Norman, Okla., that is owned by Inland Diversified Real Estate Trust.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. has launched a charitable initiative, called jcp cares, that will support a new cause each month by inviting customers to round up their purchases to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to the company's featured charity partner. The retailer will join its customers in giving back by making a contribution to its charity partner each month.

The program will be supported by a robust, integrated marketing campaign which will include digital, social, mobile, in-store and direct mail and e-mail components.

CLEVELAND — American Greetings has expanded its line of justWink greeting cards.

New York -- A study released Wednesday by Deloitte found that smartphones – which already influence 5.1% of all retail store sales in the United States – are expected to impact 19% of total store sales, amounting to $689 billion, by 2016.

Seattle — Former Nordstrom executive, Loretta Soffe, has joined the advisory board of Zoomingo, which creates shopping discovery apps that help consumers find the best sales in their local stores anywhere in the nation.

Soffe spent 24 years at Nordstrom in buying, merchandising and product development. For the last 10 years, she served as EVP, general merchandise manager of women's, the largest division in the company with annual sales of $2.0 billion.

Armonk, N.Y. -- A survey released Thursday by IBM found that chief marketing officers and chief information officers must join forces in order to connect with today’s consumer across new channels including mobile devices and social networks.