The way we now choose to engage with brands and in turn how we expect brands to engage with us has evolved. 2013 will be a year of continued innovation in the digital marketing space, as brands seek to better understand us as consumers and communicate with us in new and more effective ways.

Advances in mobile technology look set to help change the face of physical retail as we know it. From engaging shoppers in-store via Wi-Fi, implementing augmented reality and barcodes, to digitally processing offers distributed via mobile.

I saw an interesting news story this week in the New York Times on a retailer in the US that is refusing to stock the Amazon Kindle. The reason? Because customers are coming into stores, asking questions about the Kindle, getting expert advice from the in-store sales team, then walking away without purchasing and ordering online - usually direct from Amazon.