LIVE FROM MOBILE ASIA EXPO 2014: Industry executives said Asia Pacific will be the region where mobile retail services have the biggest impact, citing current adoption and activity in the segment.

Brad Greene, VP of digital solutions for Visa, said: “Clearly the Asia Pacific region is leading the world in terms of innovation and adoption [of mobile retail technology].”

He added that although Asia is leading the way in terms of mobile payment usage, the conversation should be about the broader consumer experience encompassing transactions.

Mary Clark, CMO for mobile solutions vendor Syniverse, said there is an $11.8 billion opportunity annually in China, Japan and South Korea for operators to sell user data to retailers to improve services offered to customers.

“Suppose the operators started to engage more closely with the consumers and say ‘I’m already a guardian of your mobile experience’. What we’re talking about is a revenue innovation for the operator,” Clark said.

Data that operators hold, such as location, phone type and operating system, can give an insight into consumer behaviour and be used by retailers to tailor customer offers. Mobile users could also provide additional information voluntarily that could be passed on to brands.

“This market is demanding these kinds of offers,” Clark added. “As [retailers] look at their mobile strategy to enable more interactions to occur, this model greatly enhances that.”

Sangjae Lee, VP for Commerce Planet, the ecommerce subsidiary of SK Telecom spin-off SK Planet, said: “Mobile commerce is certainly the next battlefield for us.”

Lee outlined the progress the company has made with its ecommerce platform 11Street, which now has 2.6 million customers per month in South Korea.