With a mixed bag of opinions on the holiday shopping season, one thing is for certain: the technology industry has certainly made gift buying a lot less stressful for people who want to either avoid the crowds or only venture out for deals that are deemed worthy of doing so. Retailers are quickly expanding their hours and deals, and that means an increased demand from the customer to get the best bang for their buck.

With the commercials already hitting the airwaves on who has the best television deal of the season, one thing is for sure: customers want to get that information and they want it fast. Enter mobile technology, one that retailers are taking advantage of to give customers exactly what they need when they need it. Mobile is becoming less of a support tool and more of a gateway, so says IVR solutions provider, Angel. Mobile devices are becoming maps to the best deals out there, from using QR codes to avoiding the lines altogether. Shoppers can bust out their devices, find the best deals online, click, pay and they’re done.

Angel says that there are a lot more tools that retailers can employ this holiday season to give customers an edge when it comes to their holiday shopping sprees. Instead of just offering apps that act as a treasure map to the best deals, retailers should look into interactive tools, such as voice-activated apps that can help customers reach out to their preferred retailers should they encounter a customer service related issue and to increase their customer engagement.

Perhaps retailers can enhance the experience of the customer by using location-based services, where a customer can check in from where they are and take advantage of instant or local deals special to their preferred shopping location.

With 70 percent of mobile phone users already planning to shop using their device, mobile will play a huge role in how retail does this year.

The mobile shopping explosion is putting a lot of dollars in sales up for grabs in an industry that is being bashed by dreary economic growth and weak consumer confidence. With robust features that offer a lot to the end user, it behooves retailers to put the customer experience first and exceed customer needs using mobile technology.

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