Shopping was always one of the things I had a natural talent for. After years of perfecting the skills I even consider myself a pro. Friends "hire" me for special occasion searches and ask for wardrobe budget advice during recession times. With the whole mobile revolution taking the shopping world by storm (well at least in Europe and Asia) it looks like I might just need a new set of skills to maintain the "expert" status. 

With mobile shopping it's not about how fast you can look through the racks and how early you can get to Target for another celebrity designer sale. It's is about getting the latest cellphone (with web browser capabilities), downloading the right software (QR Reader) to read those pixelated bar codes that you can scan with a mobile phone, and training your fingers for a quick browsing between the latest items.  In fact it's so new and sophisticated that Polo Ralph Lauren, the very first luxury retail brand to launch the mobile shopping site in the US, had to include FAQs section on its homepage. For me - I need perhaps an educational video to really get it. 

The QR code, a two-dimensional symbol that holds a large volume of information including URLs, when detected by the phone’s reader software will automatically connect the mobile user to a specified internet portal,  by holding the mobile device over the given symbol or photographing it. From there the way to your wardrobe it's pretty simple.

While most people are still trying to figure out the online shopping experience, true trendsetters are moving to mobile. So you better learn it sooner or later. For your first lesson grab this week's New York magazine - the QR code will appear in print ad on the back), scan it and get your first ordered-by-mobile Polo shirt (which by the way comes with free shipping).

Just be careful when you are photographing QR-enabled magazine ads - you still will have to pay for these items!