• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, May 18, 2017

Do you still believe that mobile is the future of media and marketing?

Well, “Then you’re probably really far behind, right now,” says James Meeks, Mobile Product Director at JCPenney.

That, however, doesn’t mean that mobile marketing has fully matured, Meeks told attendees of MediaPost’s IoT Marketing Forum, on Thursday.

For example, “Even the best most apps are still not consistently proximity aware,” Meeks noted.

What is JCPenney doing with mobile, these days? Well, it is “consistently proximity aware,” Meeks brags.

In store, the retail giant has also invested in location technology, which makes it possible to engage with customers on their mobile devices.

Among other efforts, JCPenney is having success with so-called “use and kill coupons,” which can only be redeemed on the day that they’re sent to people’s mobile phones.

This is a great way to turn window shoppers and just-browsers into product purchasers, according to Meeks.