Retailer Coldwater Creek is letting iPhone and Android users shop directly from its new mobile-optimized site as part of the company’s multichannel shopping strategy. 

Consumers can buy women’s apparel, jewelry, fashion and home accessories, as well as gift items. The mobile site is an optimized version of the company’s ecommerce site and can be seen in full on the iPhone and Android screens, eliminating the need to scroll or zoom, per Coldwater Creek.

“Our short-term strategy is to take advantage of a real change in the way our customers access the Internet, making the mobile shopping experience as engaging and easy as we can,” said Dan Moen, senior vice president of marketing and chief information officer at Coldwater Creek, Sandpoint, ID.

“Long term we believe that mobile shopping will not only be a significant sales channel, but will begin to blur the lines between ecommerce and shopping in-store,” he said. “We are working hard to deliver the seamless multichannel shopping experience that our customers want and deserve.”

Coldwater Creek sells its merchandise through more than 350 retail stores across the country, online and via its catalogs.

Shop mobile
Consumers can type http://www.coldwatercreek.com into their mobile Web browser and be automatically connected to the mobile version.

Users can shop by category, including apparel, accessories and outlet, and by collection.

Consumers can also search by specific item and browse new arrivals.

Additionally, shoppers can locate the closest stores, access their account and chat live with customer service.

“Going mobile is a natural evolution of our ecommerce strategy, given the explosion in mobile Internet usage that is occurring,” Mr. Moen said. “As to the timing, we discussed this for some time but got very serious about it when we saw mobile visits to our site exceed 1 percent of the total.

“Coldwater Creek targets women who are 45-65 years old,” he said.

IPhone app
In addition to its mobile site, the company also has an iPhone application where users can shop on the go.  

Using the New Looks application, consumers can browse featured styles and view product descriptions, details and images.

Here is a screen grab of the application:

“We have an iPhone app, but see that as a much smaller opportunity,” Mr. Moen said. “We can provide almost as much functionality via the mobile browser.

“It is a much easier and more natural way for our customers to access the brand,” he said. “As far as our mobile site, we will use all of our marketing vehicles to spread the word.”