SAN FRANCISCO - With the evolution of the digital channel, opportunities are beginning to emerge and mobile has a new definition -- it's not just about cell phones.

Technologies such as digital signage, RFID, GPS, mobile coupons and even the new interactive screens in some of New York's taxicabs all target consumers on-the-go, according to a panel yesterday at the ad:tech San Francisco show.

"GPS devices hit mass adoption this past Christmas, with dollar sales up more than 214 percent and unit sales soared 488 percent," said Alan Schulman, executive creative director at interactive marketing agency IMC2.

Mr. Schulman said that New York taxis have a new interface created by eTaxi, which is GPS-enabled and has a touch screen so that riders can search for whatever they want to see in New York and even get discounts by presenting their taxi receipt.

Volkswagen recently did a mobile campaign using a digital billboard in New York's Times Square, asking consumers to text their vote to a short code. This was part of the German automaker's "What the People Want" campaign. Once users texted their vote, they got a message asking them to look back at the billboard, which displayed real time results of the poll.

"As more and more examples of dynamic messaging come about, there will be an increase in the need for new creative," Mr. Shulman said. "Lean into digital and impression-based advertising models."

The panelists talked about the importance of knowing customers to serve them relevant information.

Mike Mak, CEO of mobile ticketing and couponing service bCode, talked about mobile couponing as a good way to manage the relationship between the brand and its customers.

"Mobile coupon is an offer made to a person who is mobile, or out and about," Mr. Mak said. "Our vision on the mobile coupon is bringing the customer into a store. Interact with the person in order to get more data and bring the user to the screen. Mobile CRM is what mobile couponing is."

Location, time and any relevant behavioral information is important when targeting people with coupons.

Mobile coupons are basically a loyalty program, Mr. Mak said. If you get the consumer to send an SMS to a short code then you can build a loyalty database and target them with different offers.

"Technology is bridging the gap between the customer experiences we'd like to have and those we can have," said Jason Goldberg, vice president of marketing and creative services at MTI Interactive.

In the end, it doesn't matter what type of technology you are using, as long as it drives the consumer experience, Mr. Goldberg said.

If a company plays its cards right, it will drive incremental purchases, reduce product returns, build brand affinity and increase the frequency of visits to its store.

"It's important to remember that retail shoppers are not a captive audience," Mr. Goldberg said.

Verizon Wireless is using SKU-activated digital merchandising to connect the brand to the user experience.

Consumers go to a Verizon store and check out actual phones to see if they have all the features that they need. While a person stands and examines a phone, Verizon is actually building a customer profile on the person, listing his or her preferences. The program then helps consumers compare phones and ultimately acts like a sales assistant.