A recent report by Brand Anywhere and Luth Research Inc. in the US, found that web retailers could increase consumer engagement 85 percent by having a mobile-specific Web site.

Furthermore, with luxury shoppers traditionally being early adopters of new technology, including smartphones for example, that luxury brands are lagging when it comes to providing a seamless mobile experience should perhaps be a concern.

Luxury brands have generally shied away from channels that don’t offer a personal service typically associated with their higher price tag. However, an interesting observation is made in that through mobile, a more intimate interaction consistent with a consumer’s perception of that brand may be had than in a bricks-and-mortar store.

Shoppers are not only now using mobile phones to make purchases though but also to perform research prior to purchasing.

It’s not just the traditional price comparison either, while still powerful, the criteria many consumers base a purchase decision on is evolving. Barcoo is a new mobile app that enables consumers to scan the bar-code of a product and will then instantly provide access to that brand’s environmental, social and ethical credentials.

Whether it be to research a purchase, or subsequently to make it, with the advance of technology there is no doubt mobile will play an increasingly important role in consumers’ brand experience and should not be neglected by any brand.