The companies are among many brands that are currently using Usablenet’s new mobile service, Mobile 2.0. In addition to enhancing mobile purchasing, the brands are also letting customers make reservations in an easier way.

“Usablenet Mobile 2.0 is available as an upgrade to more than 200 mobile clients as well as new customers,” said Nick Taylor, president of Usablenet, New York.

“Usablenet clients Expedia.com, ASOS and ShopNBC have already launched enhanced mobile sites that leverage the new HTML5 platform,” he said.

Mobile features
Expedia, ShopNBC and ASOS can use the platform’s optimized features such as scrolling promotions on the homepage and using sub-categories that help them target mobile users with new offers.

Expedia.com is leveraging the Usablenet Mobile 2.0 platform to include advanced new features using the smartphone’s internal GPS to offer hotel options based on the user’s current location.

ASOS is using the new platform to support scrolling promotions on the homepage using image carousels, as well as tap-tap zoom to view products in detail.

ASOS’ mobile site

ShopNBC has an expandable banner to allow for more promotional content, maximizing the use of small screens without sacrificing speed.

The ShopNBC mobile site

High five
Additionally, the companies can expand the navigation on their HTML5 mobile site via collapsible menus and pop-up windows that streamline purchasing by maximizing the small screen design.

The platform also lets companies use high-resolution image galleries.

For example, Expedia can display multiple images that let users scroll, swipe and zoom in on a product or property image.

The platform also uses advanced GPS functionality that customizes a user’s experience based on location.

“By offering rich app-like features to all Web-enabled mobile phones, the platform provides brands with a cost-effective service that creates app-like mobile sites across all major mobile operating systems, resulting in an enhanced consumer experience that increases customer engagement and drives sales,” Mr. Taylor said.