Last week, I spoke with a well-known specialty retailer. They briefed me on the company’s omnichannel marketing program, then asked for help finding a “really cutting-edge technology to really define our mobile commerce strategy.”

A few things struck me when I heard that.

First, in a trip back to Business 101, your marketing strategy is your commerce strategy. You hitch your transactions to the product pitch — not the other way around. Transactions are just about closing the loop, and the combination of buttons versus users trying to click to seal the deal won’t convert any transactions on its own.

Second (and perhaps more concerning), is that after all the work a company has put into a really comprehensive outbound marketing program, it isn’t looking for a gimmick to captivate users into buying.

I get it. Retailers, banks, and consumers all want frictionless transactions, and nobody wants to be the tragically…