Our recent survey of more than 1,000 consumers offered up some compelling evidence of the mobile commerce market as a budding area of opportunity for online merchants.

The new report, “Cross-Channel Commerce: The Consumer View.”, had two major findings related to mobile commerce: 

• 27% of all consumers 18 and older use their mobile devices to browse or research products and services at least four times a year, with that number jumping to 41% for the 18-34 year-old age group;
• When it comes to making purchases, 13% of all consumers 18 and older are doing this on their mobile devices at least four times a year; 23% of the 18-34 age group are doing this at least four times a year and 8% are doing it weekly.

What does this mean for online merchants? We need to keep in mind that this market is evolving so rapidly that these numbers represent merely the early adopters, which is a very promising set but is really just the tip of the iceberg.

We’ve heard from many of our customers, and browser use statistics confirm, that this past holiday season was a strong one for iPhones, iPods and the Smartphone category in general.  Mobile browser access to retail sites really started to take off in December, jumped the week after Christmas, and has continued to climb throughout 2010. Clearly, all those shiny new devices received during the holiday season are getting a workout – and giving retailers an engaging new way to connect with shoppers. 

The skew toward younger consumers using their phones more often to browse or research products strengthens the notion that merchants can build brand recognition among younger shoppers with mobile commerce capabilities and initiatives.

While the percentage of shoppers making purchases on mobile devices is not overwhelming today, retailers should prepare for the day when mobile sales become widespread. In the meantime, think of the mobile channel as a key enabler of commerce, and that its real measure of success is how it helps to drive sales across other channels.

For four years in a row, Forbes has enlisted the help of independent financial analytics firm Audit Integrity to review more than 8,000 U.S.-based, publicly traded companies to determine whose accounting practices are the most transparent and conservative, and which businesses are managed most prudently.

We’re proud to say that not only were we named among the “100 Most Trustworthy Companies,” but we were listed as one of the top “Most Trustworthy Small-Cap Companies” with a score of 99 out of 100.

Here’s what Jack Zwingli, the chief executive of Audit Integrity, had to say about us and the other companies that were listed in the Forbes report: “These are the good guys. They’ve consistently shown accuracy and transparency in their financial reporting … These companies have made it through our screening process and shown consistent high quality.”

To learn more about the selection process, check out the announcement we released today.

Last week, we heard from the Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) and Customer Interactions Solutions magazine that ATG Click to Call was honored with the Eleventh Annual CRM Excellence Award.

The select CRM Excellence Awards winners were chosen on the basis of their product or service’s ability to help extend and expand customer relationships to become all encompassing, covering the entire enterprise and the entire lifetime of the customer.

To illustrate the strength of ATG’s live help offerings, and specifically Click to Call, in accomplishing this, we presented background on The Hartford’s dynamic and very effective use of ATG Click to Call.

The Hartford needed a product that curbed online application abandonment and increased sales of its personal insurance products. ATG Click to Call did the trick, and now approximately 4% of all online quote starts transition to a click to call communication – twice the volume of industry benchmarks. Once the call has been initiated with a live agent, there has been an approximate 25% conversion rate. This is a staggering statistic in the insurance industry considering the lifelong value of a conversion is well over $1,000.

It is evident from this case study ATG Click to Call is a true CRM solution, and we are glad that the award sponsors agreed.