Top Brands Leverage Usablenet Platform to Launch Next-Generation Mobile Sites

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 12, 2011) - Usablenet, a global technology platform company for mobile and multichannel customer engagement, is working with leading brands in all verticals to deploy next-generation mobile site upgrades via the Usablenet Mobile 2.0 HTML5 platform. Designed to improve conversions and take advantage of HTML5 compatible mobile browsers, next-generation mobile sites powered by Usablenet deliver a rich, app-like user experience and faster page load speeds in the mobile browser environment.

In a recent article, web usability expert Dr. Jakob Nielsen made the assertion that while last year brands demonstrated growth in mobile usage and availability, this year they should focus on redesigning the existing version of their mobile site to meet users' growing expectations for user experience quality "because your existing version is probably far below users' growing expectations for user experience quality." *

"It is clear that mobile is a significant channel that requires continued investment just like the Web," said Usablenet CEO Nick Taylor. "Usablenet is proud to be a continued strategic partner for our clients by providing a robust mobile platform that supports all the latest technology and processes for organizations to implement an effective, long term mobile strategy."

Top retail and travel brands such as ShopNBC, Expedia, Tesco, Garnet Hill, ASOS, and others have introduced next-generation mobile Web experiences through the Usablenet platform. Notably, ShopNBC has enhanced its mobile site to include live streaming video that allows users to watch live, broadcast video of the shopping network on Android and iPhone smartphones.

"It's all about the customer at ShopNBC," said Carol Steinberg, EVP of Internet, Marketing and Human Resources, ShopNBC, a multichannel electronic retailer. "In listening to the customer, we implemented multiple enhancements to the ShopNBC mobile experience, including live streaming of our programming. To further improve the customer experience during the order and checkout process, Quickbuy and Auto Delivery purchase functionalities were added. Finally, we introduced a new version of our iPhone app as well as an Android app. These mobile enhancements ensure that today's consumers can fully engage in the ShopNBC experience however they choose to interact with us."

In addition to dynamic scrolling promotions, expanding navigation, collapsible menus, high-resolution image galleries, and GPS functionality, next-generation mobile enhancements enabled by Usablenet Mobile 2.0 include:

• Improved Shopping Baskets with Notification Windows: Notifications slide down once an item is added to the cart, displaying the addition to the cart as well as the updated cart total. From here, shoppers can choose to check-out, or the window will disappear after a few seconds, allowing users to seamlessly continue shopping without disruption.
• Enhanced Shopping Cart Experience and Pop-Up Mini-Cart: This easily allows users to view and manage their cart without having to leave the page they are currently on. Users can coordinate in-cart by deleting items, modifying quantities, and viewing totals; they can also receive suggestions via "you-might-also-like" for complementary items to purchase. In addition, a scrolling feature that displays all items in a cart without having to load additional pages.
• Advanced Social Sharing Capabilities: Next-generation mobile features that enable users to share products with family and friends via Facebook, "Tell-a-Friend" (email products from the site directly to contacts), as well as the ability to read all product reviews about specific items.
• Predictive Search: This functionality cuts down the time it takes for users to access search results on a branded mobile page. Similar to the way Google delivers its search results, when users begin typing a query immediate suggestions auto-fill the search box.

"The first phase of our mobile deployment with Usablenet was highly successful, and we are excited to take our mobile site to the next level with next-generation features like social sharing, customer reviews, and the ability to view images of all products in each color in which they're available," said Brenda Royce, Director of Ecommerce, Garnet Hill. "We listened to customer feedback about our mobile site and have worked with Usablenet to deliver the enhanced user experience they asked for."

Usablenet is one of the driving forces behind mobile commerce in the United States, developing innovative new features to further maximize the benefits of the mobile channel for businesses. Usablenet has been recognized by Fast Company magazine as one of the top 10 most innovative companies in mobile and was also named the top mobile commerce platform by ABI Research. Mobile sites powered by Usablenet are routinely ranked among the best performing according to benchmarking data from Keynote Systems and Gomez. Usablenet launched the industry's first HTML5 mobile platform in April 2011.

About Usablenet
Usablenet is a global technology leader for mobile and multichannel customer engagement that works with 20% of the Fortune 1000. Usablenet's transformative technology platform allows leading companies in all sectors to extend their brand to consumers across multiple channels, including mobile phones, mobile applications, tablets, Facebook, in-store kiosks, and other platforms -- with minimal impact to the client's IT resources. Usablenet customers include Amtrak, Delta, Estée Lauder, FedEx, Hilton, Marks & Spencer, ShopNBC, Sprint, JCPenney, Victoria's Secret, and others. Founded in 2000, Usablenet is a private company headquartered in New York City with offices in Italy and London. For more information, visit us at http://www.usablenet.com or on Twitter @Usablenet.

* Full article available here: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-usability.html
Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, "Mobile Usability Update," September 26, 2011