Retailers that aren't taking advantage of new mobile and social technologies to drive sales and engage consumers are potentially leaving money on the table, according to Bernadine Wu, founder of consultancy FitForCommerce.

Speaking at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2012, she said retailers make the mistake of underestimating how many people are looking for their products and services via this new technology. At the very least, someone is reading email newsletters from their phone, Wu explained.

Citing data from Retail Systems Research, she said 79 percent of retailers know mobile and social media are important, but leveraging them is the perplexing part of the equation.

"For retailers hoping to do more on social networks, the key is to jump in and find out where the audience is looking for shopping information – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Foursquare –  and start engaging there," the news source adds.

The number of smartphone owners is growing rapidly, according to data from comScore, and as more consumers trade up for these devices, it will become crucial that retailers have channels set up to engage these individuals.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Thursday, June 14th, 2012 at 10:31 am .