[Press Release] SkillNet launches “Mobile Commerce” initiative for retailers

SkillNet partners with Unbound Commerce to “mobilize” sales for retailers leveraging the Endeca Information Access Platform.

In line with its mission of helping retailers enhance their customer engagement, SkillNet, a leading, innovative multi-channel solutions provider, today announced an initiative that will let retailers harness the power of mobile phones that consumers are adopting in droves. The “Mobile Commerce” initiative aims to provide a solution empowering retailers to engage with their customers on any mobile device of choice, in effect enabling “anywhere-anytime commerce.” Together with Unbound Commerce, the leading mobile web software company, SkillNet has developed an offering which leverages the power of the Endeca Information Access Platform to enable retailers to invest in the mobile experience they are delivering to their customers.

“A mobile presence is an integral part of the shopping process, in that it gives the retailer a customer interaction-continuum as opposed to a single touch-point. You never have to get out of contact with your customer. Online, mobile, stores, the call-center, a paper catalog- all of these channels can work seamlessly now.”

The SkillNet solution will provide mobile real-estate for any retailer’s website. A shopper can now access favorite stores from anywhere, even to comparison shop while physically in a competitor’s store. From the retailer’s point of view, the ability to influence a sale at all times provides a superior customer retention and acquisition advantage. With a mobile presence, they can eventually target the shopwardly mobile customers with customized messages. These messages can take the form of a promotion that shows up on the mobile screen when the shopper is near or in a store, or they could show up as suggestions to say, accessorize that skirt that was purchased at the store a few days ago.

“The ability to serve customers anytime-anywhere is very powerful for retailers,” said Keith Lietzke, VP of Marketing at Unbound Commerce. “Mobile-based services lead to many more touch points with customers – dining with friends, when traveling, even at the mall– leading to more selling opportunities. The SkillNet – Unbound Commerce solution gives retailers just what they need to capture these rapidly emerging customer opportunities.”

For years, the constricted and varied form factors of different mobile devices have held companies back in terms of having meaningful mobile visibility. That is no longer the case. New technologies have kept pace with the ubiquitous use of the cell phone, mandating a change in way retailers interact with their shoppers. SkillNet’s forward looking Mobile Commerce initiative leverages this momentum to empower retailers to go mobile. The SkillNet-Unbound Commerce solution uses Endeca’s open APIs and is designed for multi-channel use.

“Sophisticated retailers are executing on a mobile strategy because they know that the more channels they use to engage with their customers, the higher their sales are going to be,” said John Andrews, VP of solutions marketing and product management, Endeca. “Supporting innovative organizations like SkillNet and Unbound Commerce that leverage the extensibility of our Platform to build rich user experiences on mobile devices is a critical part of our eCommerce product strategy. Creating continuous value to our retail customers in programs like the Mobile Commerce initiative is what makes SkillNet and Unbound Commerce ideal partners.”

Given that consumers are ready to adopt mobile commerce, SkillNet is promising to implement a mobile strategy for retailers in as quickly as three weeks.