Today's headlines

QR code use skyrocketed last year because of how easily the technology bridges digital and real-world engagements. On the other hand, augmented reality offers a more exciting way for brands to interact with consumers, but may not be the right choice in all cases.

Registration is open for the second annual Mobile FirstLook: Strategy 2013 conference Thursday, Jan. 17 featuring speakers from Coca-Cola, Sephora, Nissan, Museum of Modern Art, Citi, MillerCoors, Seamless and JetBlue. Must-attend event for brands, retailers, agencies and publishers.

As mobile continues to grow, marketers are beginning to explore emerging channels such as the mobile Web, video and social, but recent numbers from Apple point to the continued relevance of applications as a marketing vehicle.

The 2012 holidays marked a turning point in the history of mobile marketing with more campaigns and shopping conducted on smartphones and tablets than in years past. This free, hour-long webinar tracks mobile marketing’s progress over the holidays, lessons learned, left-field surprises and best practice for 2013.

Procter & Gamble’s Scope is relying on mobile advertising to help increase Facebook “Likes” as part of a bigger social media-heavy multichannel campaign.

News briefs – IOS accounts for more than half of smartphone sales: report; Android smartphones top Europeans’ wish lists.

Mobile Commerce Daily today - 7-Eleven pushes new Tropicana products to bolster in-store traffic; Little Caesars Pizza dips its toes in mobile to solidify brand awareness.

Luxury Daily today - Corcoran entices clicks to new mobile site via New York Times ad; Creative, relevant email marketing to drive post-holiday luxury purchases.

By Tom Allason

Beyond the product itself, the delivery experience is the single greatest influencer as to whether a customer will shop more or less with a retailer in the future.