The www.nationaljewelernetwork.com portal says that online retailers are speeding up their mobile marketing initiatives, driven by consumers' ever-increasing appetite for mobile applications, according to a new study.

Produced by Forrester Research, the study is part of Shop.org's "The State of Retailing Online" research series and reveals that 74 percent of online retailers already have or are developing a mobile strategy, and that one in five online retailers already has a fully implemented mobile strategy in place.

According to findings from the series, Web retailers with mobile strategies are exploring features that support the cross-channel experience, including product and pricing information, store information and coupons, and they are investing varied dollar amounts into new applications. Survey respondents said that they are anticipating spending an average $170,000 on their mobile sites this year, but multichannel retailers, on average, are spending several times that amount, while smaller online players, on average, are investing much less.

According to Sucharita Mulpuru, vice president and principal analyst of Forrester Research, while mobile investment is currently modest, the research company expects investment to pick up, "especially among the biggest brands that have already invested significant amounts in their mobile operations."

Yet gains so far have been modest, the survey reveals. The findings show that retailers reported that their mobile browsers at this time are generating a little less than 3 percent of overall site traffic and just 2 percent of revenue.

Scott Silverman, executive director for Shop.org, said in a media release announcing the findings that it is imperative for online retailers, however, to stay on top of what their customers want, and that means "all mobile all the time."

"Mobile commerce has tremendous potential and will no doubt grow to become a significant part of overall sales volume in years to come," he said. "Whether to increase customer satisfaction, grow their brand or drive traffic and sales, online retailers are in this game to stay."

In addition to its discussion of mobile strategies, the survey turned up two interest points:

Tried and true marketing tactics such as paid search, email and affiliate marketing command the biggest percentage of an online retailers' marketing budget. According to the report, retailers are spending nearly 40 percent of their marketing budget on paid search.

Retailers are finding value in social media marketing, but the return on investment (ROI) when it comes to driving online sales remains murky, the report said. Listening to customers is the most significant objective for social tools according to respondents, with 80 percent of retailers reporting that they are pursuing social strategies to experiment and learn. Although 28 percent of survey-takers noted that social marketing has helped grow their business, direct sales from social tactics are not widely measured.

Shop.org is the digital division of the National Retail Federation. Its programs and activities include events, networking communities and benchmarking research, including "The State of Retailing Online" research series, a survey of 109 companies.