2012 was a phenomenal year for the mobile industry, with an increase in technological offerings and apps becoming a mainstream must.

Wi-Fi availability has skyrocketed and brands have begun to tap into the potential of augmented reality and QR codes as part of their multichannel marketing campaigns.

The Internet Advertising Bureau also discovered in November that 69 per cent of UK consumers expect their mobile usage to increase dramatically by 2015. With this surge in smartphone penetration it is no wonder that firms are waking up to the potential of effective mobile marketing strategies.

But what are the top five mobile predictions for 2013?

1. Digital wallet expansion

With the rise of smartphone infiltration among consumers the number of functions they are being relied upon for is rapidly rising. This includes digital wallets and epayments, which are forecasted to continue to gain momentum through financial institutions, retailers and brands.

Online shopping had a bumper Christmas, which was aided by mobile payments. With consumers becoming more savvy with this technology this will tie in with SMS marketing campaigns, allowing firms to link to products and services, as well as offers and exclusive deals.

2. Mobile loyalty will be rewarded

Linked to the rise of the mobile payments for brands and service providers such as Apple, PayPal and Google, customers are to be rewarded more for using their phones.

Point of sale adaptations will welcome digital savvy customers, while also gathering data on their behaviour to create personalised offers, more likely to appeal to the individual consumer. This mobile targeted marketing will help close the loop and should lead to positive responses from audiences, with rapidly changing ads taking advantage of its digital platform.

3. Leveraging social signals

Constantly responding to social signals and listening to consumer shifts through social media use will also be hugely important in 2013.

Marketers are moving beyond reactive behaviour, with proactive techniques linked to intent data and tied to customer relationship management systems, as well as display retargeting.

With the rise of the social platform, brands are having to manage multiple channels, which is likely to be monitored through streamlined social data clouds, standardising and consolidating consumer and company information to create cross-channel campaign development.

4. Responsive marketing

Consumers in 2013 will expect responsive or adaptive web design and content optimisation across media.

This allows marketers to detect devices and create a more personal experience no matter how the content is viewed. Brands should consider this a top priority this year if they hope to retain valuable consumers and optimise revenue generation.

Failure to offer more targeted, responsive marketing could dissuade potential customers, especially as they become more mobile.

5. Push-pull mobile marketing

The very best apps will be tied with other content to customise a user’s experience. This could include SMS, push via apps, and location-based services.

An example of this could include a firm pulling from an iTunes library to alert someone to the fact that a band is playing in the local area. This is a leading technique and helps consolidate cross-channel messages and emphasise industrial expertise, while also optimise conversions and reducing the likelihood a customer will feel overwhelmed by unnecessary and useless information.

Dynmark is the power behind global cloud mobile messaging and mobile marketing. We help organisations from SME through to global enterprise, to leverage the power of messaging as a business communication tool, for marketing or operational uses. Read more about Dynmark here.