2012 will be remembered in the marketing world as the year that digital marketers finally got around to writing the rule book on mobile.  Whilst the move was visibly in an effort to better adapt to the huge shift in con­sumer behaviour, it’s clear that there is still room for improvement.

At the start of the year in Adobe’s Q2 2012 Global Digital Advertising Update, we predicted  that one in five paid search clicks would come from a mobile device and whilst this seemed ambitious, we have surpassed that mark. However on the other side of the coin – many brands still don’t have fully optimised websites or apps for mobile.

So what should digital marketers look out for next year?

Gartner predicts the sale of smart devices to rise by as much as 1.2 billion in 2013 and we think mobile search will continue to grow as a significant portion of SEM campaigns. By the end of 2013, we think one in three paid clicks will come from a tablet or smartphone, with consumers increasingly making purchasing decisions solely with their mobile devices. With this shift marketers need to recognise that a mobile strategy is not optional. Finding ways to monetise and personalise mobile traffic through apps, publishing and optimised web experiences are critical to success.

As well as mobile, we are expecting to see a combination of trends and new technology innovations cause 2013 to be an eventful year for digital marketing. See more on the following 2013 predictions from Adobe on ad exchanger:

-          Cross-channel and cross-device measurement will become paramount

-          Marketing will become even more granular

-          Marketers will understand the true value of Social

Jonathan Beeston, director, new product innovation at Adobe
@searchbeest

The Guardian recently blogged about how mobile phones are changing the world of retail at a remarkable speed. According to the IMRG Capgemini m-Retail Index, m-commerce experienced a whopping 359% year-on-year increase in May and is only set to grow as the sale of tablet devices continues to drive the electronics market.  We know the tides are turning in retail and only time will tell who will flourish in this new era.

Another enormous mobile stat that emerged recently was mobile search spend.  Econsultancy revealed that spending on mobile search in the US increased 333% in Q2 2012 compared to the same period last year, according to a report from IgnitionOne.  This figure also supports our Q1 stats which found that mobile now accounts for 8% of US search spend compared to 11% in the UK.

Last Friday, Orange announced the first large-scale rollout of a SIM-based NFC solution to enable NFC-readiness for mass deployment of mobile contactless services – the first operator in Europe to do this at a national scale. The days of carrying small change could be on the way out as another step is taken towards the future of wireless communication. 

Finally, finishing on a futuristic note, a Japanese collaboration recently presented an OLED screen that allows users to use both sides of the surface at the same time. This transparent two-sided touchscreen could be the future of Smartphones. There’s a video on the website for a more in-depth look at this innovative new technology.

The future is digital and mobile is a big part of this. As mobile devices continue to evolve, it’s an exciting time!

Let us know your #FutureOfDigital stories by tweeting us at @AdobeUK.