Catalog retailer Sundance Catalog has launched a mobile commerce site to meet the needs of its increasingly mobile customer base.

Sundance Catalog sells handmade jewelry, casual clothing, unique gifts and home décor. Using Warp 9 Inc.’s Mobile Direct mobile commerce solution, the catalog converted its existing ecommerce Web site to create a mobile-optimized site.

“Sundance saw a steady incline of shoppers coming from mobile devices within the past few years,” said Andrew Van Noy, executive vice president of Warp 9, Santa Barbara, CA.

“The amount of mobile page views and orders that were taking place on their non-mobile optimized Web site could no longer be ignored,” he said.

“Utilizing Mobile Direct offered by Warp 9 Inc. made perfect sense for their mobile commerce goals. Mobile Direct allowed Sundance to utilize the powerful features of their desktop site without compromising on the intricate integration into their back-end services.”

Easy access
Mobile users can track their orders and perform any function available on the ecommerce site from a mobile phone.

The mobile site features pre-loaded accordion menus, products and product images for smooth and easy navigation. This also eliminates the need to wait for pages to refresh.

The site is deeply integrated into the desktop site and back-end services to insure that the most current product inventory and specials are displayed to customers.

Users can also share products via Facebook and Twitter.

Warp 9’s Mobile Direct solution acts as a gateway between e-commerce Web sites and mobile devices without the need for any additional server side programming or business logic. All orders placed on mobile devices are processed securely through Sundance Catalog’s existing ecommerce site.

The Sundance Catalog Co. was founded by actor and director Robert Redford to promote the works of artists and craftsmen. Its products are found in the catalog, via an ecommerce site, at an outlet store and in several retail stores.

The mobile site gives the Sundance Catalog a new way to engage its audience of loyal customers.

The company plans to extend its mobile presence in other ways next year.

“Sundance is committed to extending their elegant online experience to their mobile customers,” Mr. Van Noy said. “Their products should be accessible and at the fingertips of their customers at any time.

“No longer is the length of the Internet cable a restriction to purchasing these beloved products,” he said.

“Through the Sundance mobile commerce site, customers can learn about and purchase products anywhere and at any time on their smartphone devices.”

Final Take
Chantal Tode is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York