John Lewis is set to become the first UK department store retailer to offer free wifi access to customers in its shops nationwide, following similar moves by McDonalds and Tesco as major retailers start to look at extending online retail into stores using mobiles and their own networks

Fashion retailer Topshop is launching and app and a m-web optimized site “before Christmas” as the retailer sees up to 8% of its online sales already coming through mobile phones and tablets, despite having no specialized landing spot for these shoppers

Thorntons, the 100-year-old chocolate manufacturer and retailer, has announced an exclusive performance marketing relationship with Affiliate Window. The relationship has played an important part, says Thorntons, in growing its online sales.

Augmented reality technology from Zappar is being showcased on the front covers of three leading UK magazines this month. The exercise is a demonstration of new ways of using the technology, which has previously been tested out by luxury retailers and brands.

The total redemption value of mobile coupons will exceed $43 billion globally by 2016 as coupons are increasingly delivered by mobile apps – an eightfold increase from $5.4 billion in value to be redeemed this year. Redemption rates are set to rise in North America and Western Europe after a few years of experimentation and growing user acceptance, says Juniper Research

In a move that will strike a Travelocity shaped ball of fear into the heart of many retailers and businesses, directory company Yell has rolled out a new version of its free that enables users to view current consumer reviews and create new reviews of local businesses directly within the app itself

Peter Caparso, Adyen’s North American President takes a look at how smart mobile payment protocols balance security, compliance and fraud detection, making them increasingly attractive to retailers looking to offer proper m-commerce

Omnego has integrated coupons with existing print, email, SMS and social media programs into its mobile enterprise platform, allowing sophisticated coupon delivery direct to a white label mobile app with advanced mobile wallet and marketing features

Marks & Spencer has announced a new internet exclusive Plus size range. The range is the latest in a series of online-only product lines to be announced. We take a look at the state of the market.

Lossmaking activewear to camping equipment company Blacks Leisure Group is refocusing its strategy on creating ‘best-in-class’ multichannel services.

What’s the point of selling luxury goods online? Alex Blaney of Session Digital argues that seeing digital as a way to delight and surprise customers, as part of a crosschannel strategy, is the way forward.

Somo, an international mobile marketing expert, has produced a cutting-edge HTML5 animation to complement the cross-media launch of the new Audi A6 Avant which extends TV ads to mobile

UK shoppers will spend 16.3% more online this Christmas than last, while high street shopping will fall by 2.1%, research commissioned by Kelkoo suggests.

Online bookseller and retailing giant Amazon has been given the go-ahead by the Office of Fair Trading to buy The Book Depository. The OFT said the deal represented ‘a small increment’ to Amazon’s position in the market.

Capablue and PayPal have teamed up to allow payment through TV screens. Today it’s small payments for TV content but in the future there are wider implications for retail.

US movie streaming company Netflix is to launch in the UK next year. The move brings a significant new competitor to a market currently dominated by Amazon-owned Lovefilm but Netflix says the move is likely to push it into the red for several quarters.

John Lewis is among the organisations urging internet users to give the hour they gain when the clocks go back to help someone online for the first time. Race Online 2012 aims to get as many of the 8.7m adults who have never used the internet to do so.

Men shop differently from women, and retailers will benefit from recognising that fact, according to new research from Shoppercentric. The report found more than half of men browse online every couple of days.

Oracle has said it expects to improve its crosschannel commerce, merchandising and online customer experience through its purchase of Endeca Technologies.

Tag management company TagMan plans expansion in Europe and North American following fresh funding from investors.