Terms like “the year of mobile” and “mobile-first” were used extensively in 2015, and for good reason, as it was the year mobile searches surpassed desktop queries. But the question is: Where will the mobile-first trend take us in 2016?

Momentology surveyed 50 marketing experts from brands, agencies, and mobile firms to get their takes on what lies ahead for mobile marketing in the coming year. These individuals included our Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy, Andrew Lovasz.

Many of these experts say marketers will use mobile to create better, more personalized user experiences in 2016 and to cement customer loyalty. The rise of beacons, the continuing popularity of local search, and the use of phone tracking are popular themes. Big buzzwords such as "ad blocking" have become increasingly common, while videos have emerged as a necessity for any company who wants to compete in 2016.

Lovasz comments on the mobile market of 2016. "Click-to-call campaigns will be prevalent in 2016, giving mobile users increased access and convenience. Marketers will be able to give users what they want quicker and easier. This will also allow for more unique phone tracking, with increased data on search queries by brand, category, product, etc."

In regard to ad blocking, Djamel Agaoua, Senior Vice President of Cheetah Mobile, has a positive approach. "Ad blocking isn’t the end of mobile commerce; it’s the catalyst that will bring us to the next level... The reasons that consumers are adopting ad-blocking technologies are simple: mobile ads are intrusive, off-target, and provide no utilitarian value. The future of mobile ads – next-level native – will change that by leveraging the creativity of brands, developers, and publishers with the vision to create innovative new ad formats that provide value-add by mixing the ad experience with the things we use our mobiles for every day."

Marketing pros also think we’ll see much more augmented and virtual reality in mobile marketing as well as video, including livestreams, 360-degree videos, and shoppable videos. Ariel Shimoni, Director of Publisher Relations at StartApp, views the emergence of video as a new trend here to stay. Shimoni states: "2015 saw the beginning of mobile video ads taking over as one of the most popular marketing tools available for advertisers... Video will certainly keep that momentum as more and more brands follow the trend and start mobile video campaigns"

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