There is no doubt that holiday 2011 may be very different from past years, with tablets, QR codes, social and mobile, and daily deals shaking up the mobile marketing and commerce landscape.

Expect consumers to turn to their tablet and smartphone devices for actual shopping, i.e., buying gifts directly from the device. Retailers and brands can take advantage by making sure their mobile and tablet commerce-enabled sites are ready and able.

?One of the things that could unexpectedly happen during the holidays is retailers may not be effectively prepared for the amount of customer engagement on mobile that will occur this year,? said Marci Troutman, CEO of Siteminis, Atlanta.

?Without a solid holiday mobile strategy, what was once a huge upswing in sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, could become a frustrating mobile experience for their customers, that adversely affects their sales and brand reputation,? she said.

Trends to watch for
A lot of retailers will not only rely on tablet devices as commerce-enabled shopping destinations, but will also distribute tablets to their employees to provide easier access to information. This is a way to improve the in-store customer experience.

The collision of social and mobile has already become evident. During the holidays it will become even more evident, as retailers and brands alike take advantage of the wisdom of the crowd and the influence that family and friends have on one another.

But remember: mobile and social could either work for you or against you.

?Retailers who provide poor customer service will suffer as mobile subscribers armed with what I call megaphones take to their social networks and use messaging to voice their displeasure,? said Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer at Hipcricket, Kirkland, WA.

?The adage forever was that you could lose the battle for public opinion in two hours,? he said. ?It is now more like two minutes when experiences at these moments of trust touch points get communicated on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.

?How bad can this get for a retailer? Smartphones now have eight megapixels, HD capabilities and near-instant posting options. It can get very bad very quickly.?

Mobile traffic accounted for 6 percent of holiday traffic in 2010 up from one-tenth of 1 percent in 2009, according to Endeca. This number will likely increase during holiday 2011.

Daily Deals sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial will be a craze this holiday season. Although these services are gaining traction among consumers, they should not replace retailers and brands running their own promotions.

And, let us not forget QR codes.

?Despite occasional rumors of their demise, QR codes will be all over television commercials, with astounding results,? said Brennan Hayden, vice president of the Wireless Developer Agency, East Lansing, MI.

?At least one major online retailer will report that the majority of their digital purchases involved a mobile device,? he said.

?I also expect that a true iPad competitor, though not an usurper, will emerge from the results of holiday sales.?

Final Take
See what forecasts Research Interactive makes:
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