Content about T-Mobile

By Mike Romano, mromano@soundbite.com

Seattle -- Mobile payments took another step forward with the announcement that Starbucks Coffee Co. has entered into a partnership with Square, a mobile-payment start-up. Starbucks will invest $25 million in Square -- part of the latest round of financing -- and Starbucks chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz will join Square’s board of directors. Square was founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey, creator of Twitter.

Austin, Texas -- Isis, the mobile commerce joint venture created by AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless,  announced that Aeropostale, Champs Sports, Dillard’s, Foot Locker, Jamba Juice and Macy’s are among the first national merchants to join with Isis in advancing mobile commerce. The company also announced the first of its local merchant partners across Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- A mobile commerce study released Thursday by customer experience analytics firm ForeSee found that Apple and Amazon rank far above all other retailers when it comes to mobile customer satisfaction.

When measuring how satisfied customers are with mobile shopping experiences of 16 of the largest e-retailers in the United States, Apple and Amazon, which scored 85 and 84, respectively, on the study’s 100-point scale, topped the list by a wide margin.

By Bryon Morrison, president/Wireless Practice, The Marketing Arm

Can you hear that noise? It is the melodious sound of sleigh bells, phones, and cash registers ringing. The holiday shopping season is almost here and strategies incorporating mobile marketing can expand your database, reaffirm customer loyalty, and usher in new multichannel techniques to make the most of this holiday season — but only if you get your plan into action right now.

Holiday marketing strategy and the current environment

Chicago -- The third annual Mobile Audit, released Thursday by e-commerce and digital marketing company Acquity Group, found that mobile adoption is on the rise. In fact, the percentage of retailers with a mobile site reached 37% in 2011, up from 12% in 2010 and only 4% in 2009 – a 210% increase over the past year alone.

Bentonville, Ark., and Bellevue, Wash. — Walmart and T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced Monday that T-Mobile will launch a $30 unlimited web and text monthly 4G prepaid service plan to be sold exclusively in-store at more than 2,200 Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com and T-Mobile.com.

The new plan is slated for an Oct. 16 launch.

In addition, Walmart is increasing its line-up of T-Mobile phones to six, including the addition of Walmart’s first 4G prepaid handset.

T-Mobile is rolling out a new design to nearly 400 stores across the country (see related story). The new format, which the company adopted from parent company Deutsche Telekom AG, has a streamlined, ultra-modern look, and includes a variety of service options, from standing counters on the sales floor for quick transactions to more private individual service desks where customers can meet with sales associates.

Bellevue, Wash. -- T-Mobile USA announced Thursday the rollout of a new global design for nearly 400 new and remodeled stores across the country. The move follows successful test pilots in Tukwila, Wash., and in New York City at Seventh Ave. and 48th St.,

T-Mobile said it adopted the new design format from its parent company, Deutsche Telekom AG, which has received positive customer feedback for this new design in retail stores across Europe.

Retailers over the years have created smartphone apps to help shoppers find stores, research products and look up reviews. Now merchants are readying for a new app trend that is expected to take the industry by storm: Paying for in-store purchases via mobile devices.


Seattle-based Starbucks is leading the way by allowing customers to check out with select handheld devices, from the Blackberry to the iPhone and iPod Touch.


Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack said Monday its chairman and CEO Julian Day is leaving and announced disappointing fourth-quarter guidance. Day, 57, will retire as chairman, CEO and a director as of its annual shareholder meeting on May 16.

The company brought on former investment banker Day -- best known for pulling Kmart out of bankruptcy -- as chairman and CEO in 2006 to help turn around results.

(November 1, 2010) In 2009, news headlines suggested shake-ups at T-Mobile—but not of a negative nature. The Bellevue, Wash.-based mobile phone retailer, which has built a brand empire on innovative marketing that includes endorsements by such celebrities as actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and pro basketball icon Charles Barkley, unveiled an innovative growth plan it called the T-Mobile Premium Retailer (TPR) program.