It has been years of “being the year of mobile”, but finally 2010 seems to be shaping up to be THE year it lives up to the hype. As all the stars begin to align-devices and carriers as well as the exponential growth of mobile web browsing-more nifty applications are popping up that are changing the retail landscape.

It is so much more than mobile coupons or SMS campaigns (they are definitely a part of it, but not the end all) it’s about utility. From finding the store you’re looking for using an app like Fastmall which will speed you around your mall experience (thank god, because I can never find a directory when I need it) or utilizing technology as Norma Kamali is, where you can read tags on their displays that tell you all the details of the piece that you’re interested in. And you needn’t ask a fussy sales person or worry about not making it into the store on time.

Another part of the shopping puzzle is the social element of it all. We’ve talked about social shopping before on the blog, but none have really taken off the way that something like foursquare has. However, integrating location based technologies/gaming (like foursquare) with the sharing element of a facebook and great things could happen. Shopping to many is a innately social activity (OK, ladies, you’re with me here), and many of us find ourselves texting friends at sales, sending pictures from a store of a pair of shoes you’re just not sure of yet and need that second opinion…brands just need to find the right way into the story.

Another prediction: Concierge type services will proliferate, and shopping will be made even more dummy proof. We won’t know what it was like to be without (mark…my…words…) Will we buy more as a result? Retailers certainly hope so, but moreover the bar will be raised for consumer satisfaction. And oh it will be glorious.

Image via NY Times

On the mind of so many, why oh WHY has it taken so long for QR codes to catch on in North America? In case you’re unaware, QR codes are 2-D bar codes that originated in Japan, and can be read by most Japanese mobile phones cameras. These codes can store a plethora of information-from addresses to URLs to even business card-type information. The whole idea of being able to link the physical and digital worlds can open up limitless innovation.

So FINALLY, QR codes are starting to amass stateside.  Whether it is part of viral marketing campaign for District 9 in New York subway stations or their use in art/fashion with Louis Vuitton and Takeshi Murakami, QR codes are starting to make their way to the surface of culture. Polo Ralph Lauren utilized the technology back in 2008, but few others have taken the same charge (mostly because so many mobile phones weren’t able to read them).

In a slightly less fashionable/trendy place, airlines (gasp!) are starting to read QR codes to board planes. A world where there is no printed boarding pass? This dream may soon become a reality.

(Image via: adverlab.blogspot.com)