The department store giant is advertising its mobile commerce site in its fall print catalog. The ad shows an iPhone with the site depicted on the phone?s browser and says, ?Now our Web site fits on your phone.?

?It?s important for retailers to have a mobile Web presence because it is the fourth marketing arm that everyone walks around with in their hand,? said Marci Troutman, founder/CEO of Siteminis, Atlanta.

?[Brands need to give consumers the option for] a real-time purchase or they?ll miss it,? she said. ?Consumers are not going to go back to their PCs.

?A mobile site lends to an extra marketing arm that is essential.?

Bloomingdale's is not a client of Siteminis. Usablenet created the mobile commerce site for Bloomingdale's.

The site
The Bloomingdale?s mobile site is available on all Web-enabled phones at http://m.bloomingdales.com.

The homepage prominently displays a clickable promotion for Bloomingdale?s Fall Style Guide, a search bar and links to a store locator and special offers.

Users can browse categories such as Women, Men, Contemporary, Shoes and Handbags by tapping on links listed lower on the page.

Within each category page, consumers can find new arrivals or narrow down their searches further by clicking on sub-category options.

Some categories, such as Shoes and Handbags, also include sub-categories dedicated to designer offerings.

Consumers can also shop for sales items in any of the categories.

Product listings pages let shoppers scroll vertically to view thumbnail images of each item in a category, as well as pricing information.

Individual product pages include multiple views of items, detailed information and drop down menus  for selecting size, where applicable, and quantity before adding it to their shopping carts.

Bloomingdale?s declined to comment for this article.

Mobile retail boom
Retailers are increasingly trying their hand in the mobile space and Bloomingdale?s has been an active player.

Last year, Bloomingdale?s tapped mobile for its fall fashion campaign ? ?Lights, Camera, Fashion? ? and added an element of interactivity to engage with customers in a new way.

Three- to five-minute films that were shot and produced entirely in New York over the course of 15 days were shown in all Bloomingdale?s stores and on the Bloomingdales.com Web site.

Shoppers could vote for their favorite BFlix film via SMS or Bloomingdales.com (see story). 

Bloomingdale?s use of mobile marketing in its Lexington Avenue store window last year is an example of the way in which the channel can give legs to traditional media.

The retailer?s Lexington Avenue windows were transformed into three studio vignettes, with Bloomingdale?s, Apartment Therapy and Elle Decor each designing one room, using furniture and décor from the Bloomingdale?s home store.

There was a call to action in the window display, which encouraged consumers to vote for their favorite vignette via text message or online. (see story).

Holiday marketing
One of the most important best practices to keep in mind during this time of the year is to keep the holiday shopper in mind.

The holiday shopper is out and about, and always has a mobile phone within arm?s reach.

Bloomingdale?s obviously understands this, since the company ramped up its mobile presence in time for the holidays.

But the fact that the company prominently displays sale items by category on its mobile commerce- enabled site is a neat offering for the holiday shopper, who is cost-conscious.

For Bloomingdale?s, its mobile site acts like a force-multiplier to the marketing mix at the most critical time of the year.

Mobile offers Bloomingdale?s the opportunity for incremental sales, potential to reach a new audience, while at the same time providing added-value to existing customers.

?[Best practices include] making sure there is a search function very clear at the top of the site,? Ms. Troutman said.  

?Mobile is a much quicker transaction, and there has to be ease of use in terms of being able to search through and find what they need ? find and purchase quickly is key to a mobile Web site,? she said.

Final Take
Peter Finocchiaro, editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer, New York