Mobile technology has become so powerful that it has a dramatic impact even on the future of global retailing. In the latest National Retail Federation's (NRF) annual convention in New York, retailers were advised to ride the wave of the future - mobile coupons, bar-code readers for mobile phones and virtual worlds - to be more competitive.

"These technologies are going to change the way you interact with your customer, they're going to change the way people shop, they're going to change the way you manage your brands," said Giff Constable, general manager at Electric Sheep Co.

Unfortunately, the U.S. retail industry is behind compared with its Asian counterparts. For instance, Japanese shoppers can scan food items via the barcode reader included in their mobile phones so they can easily check the freshness.

Currently, most retailers are focusing on the improvements of basic technologies such as cash registers and inventory management systems.

Via Reuters