Big Blue is putting more money and effort into mobile commerce through its latest acquisition. It’s the second deal IBM has announced this week that targets mobile.

IBM (NYSE) said Thursday that it is buying New York startup Xtify, which is focused on mobile “push” messaging technology that delivers personalized offers.

The deal will augment IBM’s efforts in what it calls “Smarter Commerce.” Big Blue is attempting to cash in on growing demand for mobile ecommerce opportunities.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

On Tuesday, IBM announced plans to acquire The Now Factory, a company focused on helping communication services providers analyze and capitalize on data from users.

“With the increase of mobile devices, organizations across all industries are anxious to develop a mobile approach to engage their customers,” said Kevin Bishop, IBM’s vice president for digital marketing, in announcing the deal. “The acquisition of Xtify provides new ways for our clients to foster a direct, one-to-one communication channel with their customers.”

Launched in 2009, Xtify has an impressive and growing list of customers. They include:

  • Staples
  • 20th Century Fox
  • Disney Store
  • WebMD
  • Tribune Technology
  • American Eagle Outfitters

Xtify also delivers its applications through “cloud” technology, another growing point of emphasis for IBM.

“The acquisition will help extend IBM’s mobile capabilities to digital marketers across all industries ranging from retail to citizen engagement in the public sector through cloud-based services,” IBM said in the announcement.

IBM cited data from research firm Gartner that projects worldwide mobile payment transactions will reach $721 billion a year with 450 million users by 2017. Transactions are expected to total $235.4 billion this year, up 44 percent from 2012. Garnter forecasts an annual growth rate of 35 percent.

“The premise is simple: mobile content and promotional offers are far more useful when delivered directly to consumers at the right time. Relevant and actionable offers are key to mobile marketing success,” said Xtify CEO Josh Rochlin. “Xtify’s mobile messaging capability combined with IBM’s analytics and cloud infrastructure will provide marketers with global reach and an arsenal of rich content to influence and inform increasingly mobile consumers.”

IBM employs some 10,000 people across North Carolina.

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