Using mobile technology to improve the customer experience is how big businesses will survive and succeed in the next few years. I was impressed last week at MobileBeat by the forward thinking mentality of the speakers, including Home Depot, Sephora, Chegg, and FedEx.

The innovation among these leaders was notable, but many organizations will not be able to adapt to mobile disruption and will suffer – in the manner that Tower Records, Borders, and Sears did during the previous transition to an online world.

Those winning today – Home Depot’s online sales grew by 36% last year, or more than $1 billion – are embracing mobile technology and improving the shopping experience. There is also a clear understanding of what each channel is for – mobile web is optimal for the light-touch consumer, the app is for devoted shoppers.

And it’s not just the consumer themselves - mobile devices are distributed to associates in store, which enable them to provide immediate answers to customer questions.

Each positive experience builds loyalty, and there is no more immediate and powerful way to deliver those experiences than mobile. So mobile is not only good business, it’s essential to stay ahead of the competition and stay relevant against new entrants.

Just think about your own experience. Like me you probably find it frustrating when you buy something online and cannot return it to the store. Or, to look at the positive side, you love it when you are pulled from the main checkout line to quickly buy one item from an associate who can complete the purchase on a mobile device.

It’s those things that make a big difference. With so many options for consumers, small friction points will drive them elsewhere. And Millennials are a mobile-first, and convenience-driven, generation – failing to adapt to their preferences is a decision to fail.

Where Does Swrve Come In?

Swrve is ultimately all about creating the ideal customer experience. There are, of course, any number of ways to make that happen. It could mean connecting mobile browsing to the in-store experience by sending a relevant message when they are ready to purchase in the physical store.

It might mean sending a push notification when their order is ready for in-store pick-up. Or gaining insights by sending a mobile survey to those on the frontline working directly with customers to improve the store and work experience.

Whatever approach is taken, Swrve has a complete set of marketing tools that can be used to engage with customers and mobile-enabled employees, and a comprehensive analytics suite that combines data from all channels and thus supports truly relevant communication.

Mobile cannot be effective if it is isolated from the rest of the company. The companies that will win are those that provide the best customer experience across all channels, and informed by all channels.

Re-thinking your business to embrace mobile is a challenge because mobile can and should affect everything – store design, labor training, culture, and communication between divisions. It can be an overwhelming challenge, but those who step up and execute are driving the next evolution of the connected business.