Wondering which channels in mobile will be the most effective at spurring conversations, engagement and purchases in 2012? 

Looking back at trends in 2011 is a good indicator of where mobile is headed in 2012. Mobile search will be one of the key drivers of shopping activities conducted via a device in 2012 and businesses need to take note or risk losing to competitors. 

?Mobile turned a corner this year,? said Karim Temsamani, vice president of mobile ads at Google, Mountain View, CA. ?As smartphones and tablets became a part of our everyday lives, business owners? conversations shifted from 'Why should I advertise on mobile or build a mobile Web site?' to 'How do I get started??

Google?s Mr. Temsamani said there were five major industry trends that emerged in 2011 that will carry us into 2012, and beyond.

Mobile search is a good indicator of how people were using their devices in 2011. Tablets and smartphones let consumers stay constantly connected to the Internet. In fact, mobile usage has proven to be complementary to the desktop.  

Mobile search is changing the ways consumers shop and connect with businesses.  

?More people are looking for deals both en route to stores and within them on mobile ? in the retail category, Black Friday-related mobile queries were over 200 percent higher this year than in 2010,? Mr. Temsamani said. 

 

Users have also developed some mobile-specific shopping habits. According to Google,  44 percent of all searches for last minute gifts and store locator terms are projected to come from mobile devices this holiday season.

?In October, we looked at some of the newest ways marketers can build their businesses via mobile search,? Mr. Temsamani said. 

?But, this is only the beginning ? whether people are trying to find or call a business, compare prices in a store, or visit a site or app directly from their phones, search and search ads will be the tools that shape a new shopping experience, enabling us connect with businesses, research and buy products on or offline, all via mobile,? he said. 

Smartphone and tablet adoption skyrocketed in 2011. As adoption increases and consumers become more comfortable with these devices, the usage starts to change.

Consumers use their mobile devices for more than just calling and texting. Internet usage is up as are app downloads.

According to Google research with IPSOS earlier this year, 79 percent of smartphone consumers use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, to finding more product info, to locating a retailer.

Seventy percent use their smartphones while in a store. Seventy-seven percent have contacted a business via mobile, with 61 percent calling and 59 percent visiting the local business.

?It?s not just that more people are using smartphones and tablets (though the numbers are skyrocketing at an accelerating pace)?it?s that a huge, and fast-growing base of smartphone users, now expect to engage with businesses on mobile,? Mr. Temsamani said. 

?The mainstream consumer got mobilized in 2011,? he said. 

According to Google, the industry has come a long way in terms of improving mobile advertising systems, products and technologies.

Standards like MRAID and the momentum behind HTML5 contributed to this progress and will continue to do so in 2012. This will create even more opportunities in mobile advertising and the types of capabilities brands can create with their ads. 

In 2012 it will become easier for marketers and customers to connect on the mobile platform, according to Google.  

?Getting existing tools to speak mobile has been another key to helping mobile advertising grow-up as quickly users and businesses want it to,? Mr. Temsamani said. ?Across search and display, the tools the industry is already familiar with are getting mobilized.  

?There?s plenty of work still to do, but significant progress is being made ? watch this space in 2012,? he said. 

According to Google, tablet usage trends sharpened in 2011. Consumers are using their tablet devices to shop, consume media and have fun. People do so most frequently in the evenings.  

Tablets are officially the third screen. Google saw a 440 percent growth in traffic from tablets in November 2011 compared to December 2010 on the AdMob network.  

Obviously the business potential is tremendous. 

?Not only are users more inclined to shop and make purchases on tablets, but because campaigns can be more effective running across several screens instead of one, tablets offer an incremental opportunity for marketers,? Mr. Temsamani said.  

According to research Google conducted with Nielsen,  campaigns on several screens produce better results.

Mr. Temsamani said that smartphones and tablets are not small desktop computers. Consumers use them in completely different ways that the PC is used. 

However, mobile is still in its infancy and the industry has some great and exciting things in its future. 

?The ways people connect to businesses on their mobile devices and the tools they?re using to connect from them progressed by leaps and bounds this year and soon, we?ll see the mainstream shift that changes the way mobile connects people with brick-and-mortar storefronts as well,? Mr.  Temsamani said.

?Mobile will be moving full speed ahead in 2012 so keep those sleeves rolled-up and those seatbelts fastened ? we?ll see you then,? he said.