The app is available for free download in Apple’s App Store and will be updated in October. This holiday season marks the 60th anniversary of the retailer’s iconic holiday catalog.

“As we move forward, mobile is becoming a big area for us to help provide solutions for our customers,” said Indar Chanicka, mobile marketing manager for Sears Canada, Toronto.

Upgraded features
The app has been upgraded to include several new features.

One of the main pieces of feedback that Sears Canada received from consumers was that they wanted to pinch and zoom to view content.

The app pulls in content from Sears’ desktop site to let consumers add items to their shopping carts and check-out.

The size of the Wish List app has also been cut down to 50 megabytes to keep content manageable for consumers. Users can also download the app using Wi-Fi to only view portions of the app versus downloading the entire app.

The app will also let users personalize their search results. For example, consumers can set color preferences to help filter products.

Users can also bookmark certain pages throughout the app.

Additionally, the new updates will let Sears Canada add new catalogs to the app in the future.

Consumers can share content through Facebook, email and Twitter and sign-up for Sears’ email program via the app.

Mobile efforts
A wish list app is a great way for a big box retailer such as Sears to get consumers in the shopping mood building up to a holiday.

By using the catalog to inspire consumers to find their own gifts and products, Sears is able to cement some sales from early shoppers and ultimately drive both in-store and online revenue.

Sears Canada has been building up its mobile presence lately.

Most recently, the retailer rolled out an Android and iPhone application to help boost both online sales and in-store engagement.

The app packs all of the company’s digital efforts into one place, such as mobile-only exclusive deals and a built-in mobile bar code reader (see story).

“We see mobile as playing an important role in how we move forward as a company,” Mr. Chanicka said.

“Since the launch of the app and mobile site, we have seen a lot of good reviews and feedback to help build the mobile area out as much as we can,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York