Amazon's patented 1-Click shopping tool is genius in its simplicity. The patent itself describes it as a, "method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network." A customer only fills in their billing information once and then can make a purchase with a single click. No shopping cart, no time to re-think if the shipping costs are worth it. Other retailers have tried to use a similar one-click strategy and have been successfully sued by Amazon under the patent. Amazon has also licensed the technology to Apple.

Operators like Telfonica are partnering with financial services providers like Visa to create sophisticated mobile payment environments for customers. The two companies have agreed to invest in the development of innovative products and services in areas such as mobile wallet, contactless payments (NFC), acquirer services for mobile point of sale, and merchant offers.Telfonica can leverage its network data and access, and Visa handles the financial-end of transaction. It's a beautiful marriage for retailers and advertisers alike.

"Visa has been an important partner for a number of years in Europe, helping us to trial, test and ultimately launch mobile payments products,” said Joaquin Mata, director of Financial Services at Telefónica Digital says. “This market has enormous untapped potential and through this partnership with Visa Europe, we aim to unlock significant new business opportunities.”

OTT players are developing their own commerce strategies. TiVo and PayPal recently announced they have teamed up to provide TiVo users with the ability to purchase products featured in interactive advertisements on the TiVo user interface through PayPal. This integration creates a new opportunity for advertisers and brands to connect with TiVo users and to turn their 30-second spots and interactive TiVo ad placements into actionable purchasing opportunities through a one-time account link.

Rebooting Retail

Service providers are also in a position to provide services to retailers to make the logistics of selling stuff simpler, and more lucrative. Oracle recently released a new analytics solution aimed at helping retailers better understand who's buying what when. These kinds of business intelligence solutions are driving a more efficient and personal shopping experience for consumers. Telecommunications networks have the wealth of consumer data necessary to offer meaningful insights.