When e-commerce came on the scene, retail was viewed as dead. If not at that moment, then soon. However, that’s not been the case. Retail has continued plugging along, although at some significant disadvantages.

As Amazon proved, most books is better than some books. With consolidated warehouses vs. inventory spread across many stores, consumers had a better chance of finding what they want, when they wanted it on the web, then in a store with limited inventory. This cuts across many segments including music, where the traditional brick and mortar sellers are shuttering. E-commerce also is more convenient, with unlimited hours (except when site maintenance is needed) that enable shopping whenever the consumer has time, allowing shopping sessions to be accomplished in one sitting, or over many. Shipping directly to one’s home can be a big advantage, assuming that shipping costs don’t hit the perceptual brick wall of making the item appear more expensive than retail. Although, e-commerce doesn’t have a comprehensive answer for same day pick-up.

However, the biggest advantage that e-commerce has is information.

A remembered shopping list, a saved shopping cart or a wish list, loyalty points, and purchase history at that store add up. It makes for a more personal experience. I can pick up where I left off: my settings are remembered, my old shopping lists are there, as are all my old receipts. (In this case, a receipt is an advantage to help the consumer and the store understand purchasing patterns instead of a barrier to get in the way of a return.) While I like the service that I get at Nordstrom and Safeway, they don’t know who I am until its too late. Typical example is walking into the grocery store. I walk in the door, walk around, look at the shelves, end up with a cart full of food, get in line, pay for everything, get my receipt, and am greeted by name and given coupons (that I always forget to use) as I am about to walk out the door. This is a missed opportunity as consumers tend to be creatures of habit, buying the same items, the same brands, from the same lists. Stores can give them the opportunity to try a new brand, a new product, or even buy something from them that they ordinarily might buy elsewhere.

One way to do this is through mobile.

Mobile can act as an assistant while consumers are in the store, helping them to remember the items on their list, giving them incentives to try something new, pointing them to the best deals, and generally helping the in-store “course corrections” that a store employee wouldn’t be able to do because they don’t know you.

Ultimately, I’d like to see a shopping app that allows me to create a shopping list that’s not part of a purchasing-focused shopping cart. I could specify the brands and quantities that I want. If I have a particular store that I typically shop at for, say, groceries, I could specify it and the loyalty program that they offer. Then, the app would check for coupons and specials associated with the items. Maybe, when I am in the store the app would then be able to incent me to buy stuff from them that I don’t normally buy. For instance if I typically go to Target for the big box stuff, Safeway for the basics and Whole Foods for the other stuff, each of those stores has an opportunity to grow my business.

While not all the pieces of the in-store app suggested above are easy or even possible for all retailers, it would be a good step to extend their capabilities through a channel that is in the pockets of 85% or more of the people who walk into their stores. A channel that can bring the personalization and knowledge of e-commerce into the retail environment, delivering lower cost and higher quality service, and providing the ability to avoid mass market promotions that give discounts to all shoppers including those who would have made the purchase at full price anyway.

Its 2011, and mobile banking is just getting rolling. Mobile phones have been a consumer staple since the mid to late 1990s, and the growth rate has been phenomenal. In fact, around the world, far more people have mobile phones than bank accounts. In the US, the number with mobile phones is only slightly more than have bank accounts. However, given that mobile phone ownership is growing faster than PC ownership, one wonders what the hold-up is… why more banks have not fully embraced mobile.

It’s true that some banks have launched mobile initiatives. There are a fair number of examples out there. Some of them have even pushed the envelope with features like the ability to deposit a check. However, for the most part, the solutions out there cautious and are:

At a high level, however, the issue boils down to the fact that many banks lack a business case for compelling mobile banking. Banks aren’t sure why they need to do it. Here’re a few reasons why they should.

Many of the above aren’t just pointing at ways that mobile can make banking better, they are pointing at how mobile can transform banking. Transforming banks from a box where money is kept to a proactive advisor on things that are happening with a bank account, from a place that you have to go to, to one that is with you when you need it.

There’s a lot of potential in mobile if only banks thought a little bigger.