Editor’s Note: With 2013 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.
MEF, the global community for mobile content and commerce, starts the new-year by unveiling its mobile predictions for the next twelve months. The international trade association is ideally placed to forecast the trends that will shape the mobile industry in the year ahead; canvassing the global board of its diverse member community and leveraging insight from the second annual MEF Global Mobile Consumer Survey, which studies mobile user behavior and trends from 9,500 respondents in 10 countries.
1. Convenience becomes paramount: Convenience will exceed entertainment as the primary mobile content and commerce driver globally.
2. Shift in payments: Operator billing will be overtaken by other mobile payment systems in developed markets.
3. Big data will drive mobile engagement: Widespread roll out of personalized recommendations and alerts based on context and behavioral data enabled by mobile.
4. Trust as a critical asset: Consumer trust around privacy and data collection will become a critical asset for apps and brands in 2013.
5. Usage convergence: The dividing line between consumer and enterprise-focused services will melt, transforming the way companies use mobile.
6. Growth in health and education services: 2013 will see a significant uptake in the use of health and education services, based on interactive mobile content and device penetration. Growth markets will drive this but also developed markets will complement and develop existing systems.
7. Crowd-sourcing of mobile content: Mass-curation of content, such as large-scale photo integration enabling crowd-sourcing of public events imagery, will emerge as a defining mobile apps category, but will experience scaling issues, including transparency and privacy concerns.
8. The march of multi-screens: In 2013 much of the mobile ecosystem’s energy will target the integration of multiple connected screens, such as TV companion services, to deliver a consistent and complimentary experience across every connected device.
9. Third mobile ecosystems: Windows Phone 8, Firefox OS and BlackBerry 10 will make progress globally, especially in growth markets.
10. China is coming: Chinese mobile content and commerce vendors will expand into global markets, but will struggle with the complexities of mobile ecosystems and IPR.
