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A new wave of mobile technology is bringing online shopping to a smaller, more portable screen.

This holiday season, many retailers are debuting new mobile-friendly Web sites and features that make it easier for cell users to browse online stores and make purchases from their phones.

While shopping on a mobile phone may seem novel, the concept could become more common as a new generation of touch-screen smart phones hits the market, each offering faster Internet connections and better Web surfing functions, industry analysts say.

Already, a slew of Web-savvy retailers have developed software targeted to the mobile shopper, unveiling them just in time for this year’s holiday gift-buying bonanza. Many of these new applications are intended to replace the fuller, but clunky, versions of the retailer’s Web site, which while great on a computer screen, don’t necessarily translate well to a palm-size mobile display.

Customers also are increasingly turning to their mobile phones to help make purchase decisions. And the retail industry is taking notice.

Amazon.com, the chieftain of online retailing, made its foray into the mobile shopping realm this month with a new application for Apple’s iPhone that allows users to browse the retailer’s Web site, as well as products sold by other stores, such as Target and Macy’s.

Sears Roebuck & Co., whose humble beginnings as a mail order business date back to the 19th century, also has gone digital. In November, it launched its Sears2Go Web site, which allows users to buy apparel, sporting equipment and other goods using their cell phones. Geared to work on more than 400 kinds of mobile devices, the site also allows users buy items through text messages.

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