Coldwater Creek makes a mobile splash

On June 24, Coldwater Creek Inc. launched a mobile commerce site optimized for iPhone and Android smartphones, enabling easy viewing and navigation compared to shopping the e-commerce site on those devices.

Based on results from the first two weeks, the women’s apparel and accessories merchant is better serving its customers, says Coldwater Creek, No. 78 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide.

“Since the launch, we have already seen a significant increase in page views per site visit from mobile phones,” says Dan Moen, senior vice president of marketing and chief information officer. “We believe this can be directly attributed to the improved shopping experience. We are committed to delivering an exceptional brand experience that reflects our customers’ lifestyle, so we are excited to be adding this kind of technology into our multichannel retail mix.”

Navigation throughout the mobile shopping experience has been optimized for the touchscreen smartphone interface. Retailers in mobile commerce today are increasingly focusing their efforts on smartphones, sales of which are soaring. The three smartphone platforms receiving the most attention are the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android, which make up nearly 80% of the market, according to comScore Inc.

Shoppers with iPhones and Android-based devices access the m-commerce site by entering ColdwaterCreek.com, which automatically redirects them to the optimized version. Shoppers using other phones are directed to the standard e-commerce site. However, Coldwater Creek, which built its m-commerce site in-house, says it will be optimizing the site for more smartphones in the near future.