When it comes to mobile marketing trends, it can be hard to pinpoint which ones are most poised to deliver in 2014. Mobile ad spending certainly will increase; new mobile ad formats, such as ones including more video, probably will be created; and consumers will continue to “showroom."

Wearable technology will gain share in terms of profit and the public eye. Businesses will focus on creating immersive experiences rather than attempting to create Oreo moment after Oreo moment, and may employ mobile/virtual queueing as part of their online to offline strategy.

Important trends, yes, but we’re following these five at Gravy:

1. Geotargeting and geofencing will increase in importance because they both allow for better targeting of mobile ads. Geofencing focuses on the creation of geographical boundaries; geotargeting seeks to serve relevant ads to people within that geographic area.The point? Location, location, location. As mobile technologies evolve, marketers will be better able to use the data they receive to offer relevant, timely, and location-based ads.
2. Mobile purchases continue to climb as testified to by the most recent Black Friday and Cyber Monday statistics. That isn’t the only proof; at Starbucks in-store purchases via mobile payments surpassed 10% in July.Other mobile “wallets” have impressed this year, too, including Apple’s Passbook, Square, and PayPal. Other elements, such as QR codes, Near Field Communications (NFC), and mobile fingerprinting technology, will help build mobile as a point-of-sale device.The takeaway here is that one company may not dominate mobile payments. Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch says it’s more likely that growth in mobile payments will happen on a case-by-case basis instead of as a “sweeping trend that trounces cards and currency in one tidal push.”
3. Email and social will become best friends with mobile. Marketers who don’t realize email is being viewed more and more often on mobile will be left behind by more mobile-savvy ones.In addition, marketers have to be aware of the overlap between social and mobile. Consumers use their smartphones to access apps, and some of those apps are Facebook and Twitter, both of which are competing for attention in the mobile ad space.
4. Personalization will continue to be a theme and probably will be built out via targeted apps or targeted advertising on apps (Think: Pandora.).Marketers are hungry for data, and many consumers are willing to give them it as long as it results in relevant offers and advertising. If it doesn’t - if it results in sales speeches being spewed across their smartphones and tablets - they’ll rebel. It’s a dicey game, but it’s one marketers will have to play if they hope to win over consumers.
5. Synchronicity will receive attention in the new year; it’s the age of multiple screens and of creating experiences that blend across all those screens.Saks Fifth Avenue’s 2013 iconic holiday windows experimented with the idea. The retailer used digital displays in its storefront windows to showcase the story of the Yeti and his snowflakes. Customers could become a part of that story be creating snowflakes on either an interactive digital display or the mobile website and “flicking” their creations onto the windows.The retailer example may not tie directly to a return on investment, but it does illustrate how experiences can “synchronize” or blend across screens and invite consumers into an experience. How other businesses will develop the idea in 2014 is anybody’s guess, but it ought to be interesting to watch.

What mobile marketing trends do you think will be key in 2014?

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Erin Feldman is the founder of Write Right. She helps people and brands tell their stories through her editing and writing services. Her background is in marketing communications, creative writing, English, and graphic design.