And it's no wonder, with smartphone subscriptions projected to increase by an average of 15 percent a year through 2020 reaching 6 billion. Whether they are researching before making a purchase in store or buying directly from their mobile devices, today's consumers use their smartphones throughout the entire shopping experience, influencing a significant percentage of overall retail spending. Consider that in the UK, nearly 20 percent of e-commerce shopping happens during the daily commute. The portion of mobile revenues for Alibaba's China commerce retail business grew by 448 percent year-over-year. In Australia, mobile traffic is up 65 percent in just one year, with mobile devices making up more than 60 percent of all Internet traffic.

A recent survey indicated that 75 percent of store shoppers use their mobile devices while shopping in stores and mobile usage is said to have influenced upwards of 50 percent of retail store sales during the 2014 holiday season. What's more, digital interactions are expected to influence 64 cents of every dollar spent – in other words, $2.2tr – in retail stores by the end of 2015.

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