A recent report from Deloitte forecast that smartphone sales will reach 2bn by the end of 2013, with four out of five consumers using a mobile device to access the internet regularly. This has huge implications for retailers in terms of the customer purchase journey, as digital shop-fronts become pocketsize.

In fact, a recent Toluna survey found that nearly a quarter of consumers used their mobiles for Christmas shopping, and overall in the US last year, mCommerce accounted for $8bn in revenues.

With online stores just a few clicks away from 80 per cent of consumers, and confidence growing in buying through this channel, there is a huge call to action for retailers to optimise their offering for mobile. In 2012, independent research from Rakuten LinkShare found that the average shopper checked two or three sites before committing to a purchase, highlighting how important it is to create a range of brand touch points beyond the website, and that includes the mobile channel too.

For brands looking to extend their reach online, a CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) network, I would argue, has long provided strong and measurable returns. Shoppers are more engaged when they are consuming media from a publisher they like, respect and follow, and as a result, are more likely to buy through them.

Research from Capgemini suggests that mobile phone users spend more time shopping on their phones than on calls, making mobile marketing more important than ever before.

However, mobile optimisation is still in its infancy – 60 per cent of the top 100 brands still don’t have a mobile-optimised site. Without mobile optimisation, these advertisers are unable to track mobile clicks, thus discouraging the use of their ads by publishers who would not receive credit for directing sales. This is a clear call to action for advertisers looking to get more from mobile. Those that create compelling and trackable ads and work closely with publishers to design mobile-optimised campaigns will get the most out of this valuable channel in the months ahead.

Mobile innovation is reshaping the performance advertising industry – below are three innovations to consider in 2013:

Location-based Offers
Using publisher apps, shoppers that have enabled geo-tracking can receive timely offers from brands when they check into or pass certain locations. Imagine for a moment you are wandering past Starbucks and receive a push notification from a publisher’s app offering you a free muffin with any coffee purchase. Credit for the sale would then be passed on to the publisher involved.  

Augmented Reality
Another way we are joining up the online and offline shopping is with Augmented Reality apps such as Blippar and Aurasma. Working together, publishers and advertisers can add a layer of mobile engagement to offline content. For example, a beauty magazine could use augmented reality next to an article on “Spring Make-up” to offer readers that hover over the code with their smartphone a video tutorial on eye liner application and a 30 per cent discount from MAC.
 
Social Discovery Sites
Shoppers increasingly seek advice and recommendations from friends and experts across the social web, especially when killing time on the move. Provided brands are transparent with links and offers, content sharing and discovery sites such as Spotify or Motilo will become major drivers of sales conversions in the affiliate space. Motilo is a social discovery site that lets users browse the latest fashion from a range of designers. Users can then add their favourite Jimmy Choos or Valentino dress to their virtual closet. Motilo can even style a shopper based on their closet and all products can of course be bought through the site. 

The mobile channel is evolving fast. Staying ahead of the game is undoubtedly challenging, but for those who make the effort, ultimately, rewarding too.

Mark Haviland is MD of Rakuten LinkShare