Last Exit: Three big trends for 2010

Although technically not even into the full holiday shopping season, most marketers are already looking ahead to 2010 campaigns and revenue projections. To help with this digital strategy and research firm Last Exit is trending 2010 - with some surprising results.

by Kristina Knight

First, the forecast expects Facebook to become the verb that email is now, and to somewhat replace email for consumers. Why? Because of spam and permissions that have plagued email in recent years. Social networkers can 'message' a friend on Facebook, add more friends to their lists and communicate without fear of spam messages - at least at this point.

Although I'm not 100% certain on this one, because Facebook updates are still sent via email, it is an interesting thought and one that could happen over the next few years, as long as Facebook remains relevant with the consumer base. MySpace, anyone? Until the past twelve months MySpace was what Facebook is now - it had private personal messages, status updates, friending opportunities and yet Facebook has now surpassed the grandfather of social networks.

Second, Last Exit expects mobile commerce to final hit its stride thanks to smart and touchscreen devices such as the iPhone and Blackberry. Applications, mobile stores and more are expected to see huge growth in 2010 as more consumers upgrade from mobiles to smart devices which allow them to call, email, text and shop on a single device.

"In-app purchases on the iPhone can tempt users to buy small items, upgrades, updates, etc, while iTunes holds their precious credit card information. All, of course, is done in seamless fashion, enough to promote impulse purchases. Would seem like an easy task for this to be extended to other platforms with PayPal or Google Checkout," was written in the report.

Third, bring on the flash. According to the report flash is see not only a resurgence but an acceptance in the coming year that, thus far, it hasn't received.

"Flash built websites no longer serve up a single, impenetrable page. They offer deep, searchable, indexable sites that will allow acute, detailed traffic and behavioral analytics and search engine optimization," was written in the report. "As websites continue to increase in their importance as a company's storefront, the demand for rich, brand-extending experiences will also increase. Further proliferation of (lightning speed) broadband will reduce download issues while the adoption of Flash on mobile devices will dramatically increase and fuel reach and the desire/need for highly usable, brand transporting, conversion oriented experiences."

Tags: email, email marketing, Last Exit, online advertising, social marketing, social networks