We live in a world where our mobile devices have become extensions of ourselves. We depend on them for instant connections to entertainment, social media, news, and deals. The phone has become our ticket, loyalty card, and catchall wallet.

Networks are faster, phones are smarter, and the mobile shopper is ready to spend money now. What can a business do to maximize the mobile buying power of the new impulse consumer? Gary Schwartz has written a groundbreaking book that outlines the history of the mobile industry and shows just how businesses can build up their mobile platforms to maximize online sales. He’ll explain:

• How to minimize barriers between the shopper and a sale.

• How marketers can connect and, more important, reconnect with loyal shoppers.

• The technology available now—and what’s coming soon—and how to pick a solution that will deliver results.

But like Blink or Freakonomics, this isn’t just a book for businesses. It’s also an eye-opening look into the ways our economy is changing every second of every day. Gary Schwartz analyzes a phenomenon that’s modifying people’s actions and challenges our assumptions about our behavior as consumers. Anyone interested in the ways our behavior as shoppers is changing—and what we can do to better harness this opportunity—will find this book to be essential reading.

Gary Schwartz began his career as a columnist in Japan and later became an anchor on Asahi Television. He ran number of technology startups before founding Impact Mobile, a mobile technology company specialized in retail and brand solutions, in 2002. Schwartz has played a leadership role in the mobile industry, founding the mobile committee for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in 2005 and presently serving as North American chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF). In this capacity, Schwartz is developing a global mobile commerce practice to service brands, retailers, and content owners. He lives with his family in Toronto.